By Joanne Vassallo Jamrosz
Figure Skating Club of Madison President Amy Schellpfeffer called a special board meeting this past year to reinstate an award that was long overdue.
“The member of the year award is an award we resurrected after many years," Schellpfeffer said. "One of our coaches mentioned that she had been the recipient of a volunteer of the year award in 1973 and felt our board and so many boards around the nation all deserved to have such an award after a challenging year. The determination and perseverance that it took to keep our skaters on the ice and doing what they love were monumental this year.”
Schellpfeffer’s board members quickly approved the member of the year award to honor a member or members, skating or non-skating, who goes above and beyond for the club and skaters.
“A member volunteer dedicated to making it possible for skaters to participate in the sport,” Schellpfeffer said.
It didn’t take the club president long to come up with this year's honoree, club test chair Evelyn Paulsen.
“Her daughter graduated in 2020, and Evelyn stayed on as test chair to help transition our club to new test chairs,” Schellpfeffer said. “Little did she know the challenges she and her new co-chair Nilam Rival would encounter in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Paulsen worked with her test committee to hold in-person test sessions with strict safety protocols when no one else was.
When U.S. Figure Skating determined clubs could hold virtual test sessions, Paulsen led her test committee to create a system for these virtual tests. She worked with officials and U.S. Figure Skating to create the best practices and procedures for other clubs to use.
“Our club considers test sessions a necessity for skaters and is happy when we can break even with expenses,” Schellpfeffer said. “Evelyn and her team successfully held five test sessions at a time when most were having none. She ran them for a profit at a time when most nonprofits and other figure skating clubs were struggling.”
Schellpfeffer is proud of her club's history and its many accomplishments. Established in 1963, the FSC of Madison has more than 150 members and 17 coaches on staff. Skaters skate at the Madison and Hartmeyer Ice Arenas.
“We hold an annual competition, the Madison Open, in September each year in conjunction with a test session,” Schellpfeffer said. “We also have an ice show for our club members and skaters from our Learn to Skate USA® program. Registration is now open for our Madison Open competition, and Evelyn and our test committee will have an in-person test session in September and throughout the year in addition to holding virtual test sessions.”
Honoring special volunteers is essential to Schellpfeffer, especially volunteers who work hard to keep club skaters participating in their sport despite challenges.
“We are so proud of our club, our volunteers, and our skaters for doing whatever was asked of them to keep our skaters on the ice,” Schellpfeffer said.
