featured coaches
Jeremy Abbott is a distinguished American figure skater renowned for his artistic prowess and technical excellence. Abbott's career is highlighted by numerous accolades, including: - Four U.S. National Championships: 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2014. - 2008 Grand Prix Final Champion: Securing gold at this prestigious event. - Two-time Four Continents Bronze Medalist: Achieving podium finishes in 2007 and 2011. - Two-time Olympian: Representing the United States at the 2010 Vancouver and 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, earning a team bronze medal in 2014. Abbott's performances are celebrated for their emotional depth and intricate choreography, earning him a reputation as both an athlete and an artist. After retiring from competitive skating in 2017, Abbott transitioned into coaching and choreography. He has collaborated with prominent skaters, including World champions Kaetlyn Osmond and Daisuke Takahashi, as well as two-time U.S. champion Gracie Gold and two-time U.S. champion Alysa Liu. His coaching philosophy is grounded in gratitude and empathy focusing on growth of the individual over instant results. He emphasizes the fusion of athleticism and artistry, aiming to inspire the next generation of skaters to pursue excellence both on and off the ice. Abbott's enduring impact on the figure skating community is evident through his continued involvement in mentoring and developing future talents, ensuring his legacy resonates within the sport.
Danielle Ostrower is the Director of Teams Elite, a premier synchronized skating program based in Northbrook, Illinois. With a skating career spanning from 1998 to 2006, she represented Chicago Jazz and was a member of Team USA from 2002 to 2006, earning a bronze medal at the 2006 World Junior Challenge Cup. After her competitive skating career, Danielle pursued higher education, earning a law degree and passing the bar exam. However, her passion for skating led her back to the ice, where she transitioned into coaching. She has been with Teams Elite for 15 seasons, serving as the head coach for the Senior Elite 12, Junior, Novice, Intermediate, and Juvenile teams. Under Danielle's leadership, Teams Elite has achieved significant success. The Junior team, established in 2018, quickly rose to prominence, earning a bronze medal at the 2022 World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships and clinching the gold at the 2025 Championships. The team has also secured multiple U.S. national titles and Challenger Series medals. Danielle's coaching philosophy centers on a "work hard, play hard" mentality, fostering a balance between discipline and fun. She emphasizes personal connections with her athletes, creating an environment where skaters can thrive both on and off the ice. Beyond her coaching responsibilities, Danielle is committed to advancing the sport of synchronized skating. She continually seeks innovative training methods and strives to elevate Teams Elite's presence on the international stage. Danielle Ostrower's dedication, expertise, and passion have been instrumental in shaping Teams Elite into a powerhouse in the synchronized skating community.
NAASSC coaches
Ashley Carlson is an American synchronized skating coach, consultant, and choreographer with just under 30 years in the sport and over a decade of experience coaching elite athletes at the Senior, Junior, and Collegiate levels. A former Team USA coach, she led Adrian College’s varsity synchronized skating program to multiple national and international podium finishes. She also coached Team USA at international competitions in Austria, Croatia, England, France, Italy, Scotland, Sweden, and Switzerland. Since transitioning from full-time coaching, Ashley has worked with teams across various divisions, from Adult and Masters teams to those competing at the ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships. She also specializes in recruitment, digital marketing, and positive sport psychology consulting for teams worldwide. As an athlete, Ashley competed in synchronized skating for nearly two decades, earning four U.S. Championships medals, including a gold in the Adult division with the Crystallettes in 2009. She also was a member of the Club Synchronized Skating Team and Intercollegiate Figure Skating Team at Miami University. Off the ice, Ashley holds a Master’s degree in Positive Coaching and Athletic Leadership from the University of Missouri and a Bachelor’s degree in Speech Communication from Miami University. She currently resides in Richmond, Virginia, with her husband, Ryan, and their son, Cooper.
Victoria is a Canadian synchronized skating coach and choreographer currently coaching at NEXXICE Synchronized Skating Teams and Trinity Skating Academy in Ontario. A former Team Canada member for nearly a decade, she competed in numerous world championships and ISU events, including winning the 2015 World Synchronized Skating Championships with NEXXICE Senior. She also earned two world medals and three Canadian titles. Since transitioning to coaching in 2015, Victoria has worked with national teams like Team France (Chrysalides), Team Turkey (Vizyon), and Team Great Britain (Zariba). She also coached Team USA’s Adrian College senior team to their first podium finish at the US Championships and led Canada’s first Senior Elite 12 team to national team status and a podium finish at their first ISU event, along with a national title in 2024. Off the ice, Victoria holds a BA from the University of Guelph and a TEFL certification from the University of Toronto. She became a Skate Canada certified national coach and earned her Chartered Professional Coach designation in 2024.
local coaches
Kameryn Furman (Kam) has been involved in synchronized skating for the past 28 consecutive seasons. As an athlete, Kam is a Skating Skills Gold Medalist, Ice Dance Gold Medalist, Solo Ice Dance Gold Medalist, and Ice Dance International Medalist. As an athlete, she has earned Gold, Silver, Bronze and Pewter medals at Midwestern Sectionals and is a 2X Bronze and 1x Pewter National Medalist. She skated through the Junior level with Saint Louis Synergy before moving to Kansas City in 2016 after earning her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis. As a coach, she has worked with various levels from Aspire 1 through Team USA Junior (National Silver Medalists) and all four available Adult levels (Masters National Pewter Medalists). In addition to coaching, Kam is the Director of Synchronized Skating for KC MOMENTUM, works full time as an engineer at Burns & McDonnell, and coaches private lessons that primarily focus on skating skills and ice dance. Kam was also the recipient of the Hallmark Cards Leadership Award for the 2024 Women’s Sports Awards​.
Charity Hendrickson has been a figure skater for all but the first 3 years of her life. She grew up in Rockford, Illinois where she got her start with ISI Synchronized Skating. At the age of 12, she started travelling to Chicago to skate with Chicago Jazz, where she skated on their Novice and Junior teams. With Chicago Jazz, Charity earned Pewter, Bronze, Silver, and 2 Gold medals at the National Synchronized Skating Championships. She was also a proud member of Team USA for 4 seasons, travelling to France, Finland, Croatia, Italy, and Canada to compete in 10 International competitions, including 2 Junior World Challenge Cup competitions. Charity’s coaching career actually began in high school, coaching the Open Adult team in Rockford. After high school, Charity moved to Saint Louis to pursue a degree in Physical Therapy, with a minor in music, at Saint Louis University. At that time, she began coaching with Saint Louis Synergy, and has coached at all levels from Beginner to Junior. In 2021, she took the lead on starting the Adult synchro program at Synergy, and in the past 4 seasons has fielded and coached Adult, Masters, Open Adult, and Open Masters. She has led teams to Nationals in the Juvenile, Intermediate, Novice, Junior, Masters, and Adult divisions. In addition to coaching, Charity works as a Physical Therapist for SSM Health, and most loves her number one job of being mom to her son Ryan. She is passionate about the adult skating community, and loves to see people continue their athletic dreams into adulthood!
Hannah Meneely is a St. Louis native, Synergy alumna, and synchronized skating coach for the St. Louis Synergy teams. She began skating at the age of five and started competing in synchronized skating at nine, progressing through the Synergy program until her senior year of high school. A Gold Medalist in Skating Skills and Ice Dance, Hannah continued her competitive career with the Crystallettes Senior team after high school. She trained under world-class coaches Shannon Peterson, Holly Malewski, Cathy Dalton, Anne Schelter, and Greg Zuerlein. As a Team USA athlete, she competed internationally in Sweden, France, and Italy. During her senior career, she earned bronze and silver medals at the U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships and had the honor of representing Team USA at the 2014 World Synchronized Skating Championships. Hannah later returned to St. Louis to complete her Bachelor of Science degree with an emphasis in Physical Education. While finishing her degree, she began her coaching career with Synergy in 2015. Now entering her 10th season, she has coached teams from Preliminary through Junior levels, including qualifying teams in the Intermediate, Novice, and Junior divisions for the U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships. Passionate about giving back to her home club, Hannah is dedicated to inspiring and developing well-rounded, driven, and competitive skaters, helping them find their passion for synchronized skating—just as she did.
A seasoned synchronized skating coach with Saint Louis Synergy, Maddie Ruff has coached teams ranging from the aspire to the novice level for six years. Her teams have achieved eleven podium finishes at various US Figure Skating Competitions, with teams qualifying for the US Synchronized Skating National Championships in both the intermediate and novice divisions. During her collegiate career at Adrian College, Maddie earned three Midwestern Sectional medals and, as co-captain, led her team to a historic silver medal at the 2018 US Synchronized Skating National Championships, securing the school's first-ever national medal. Starting her skating journey at age three at the St. Peter's Rec-Plex and later joining Synchro St. Louis at age nine, Maddie's career has come full circle as she develops the next generation of synchronized skaters.
demo athletes
Rachel Bentley is a Team USA athlete and has been skating for the past 17 years. She has represented Team USA with her synchronized skating team in Great Britain, France, Italy, Croatia, and Poland. She is a 3x U.S. Figure Skating Gold Medalist in Skating Skills, Solo Free Dance, and Partnered Dance. As a coach, Rachel has worked with Aspire 1 through Novice level teams as well as collegiate skaters and Adults.
Katie McDonnell, a Northern Virginia native, has been a member of Miami University’s senior synchronized skating team for the past four years. She will be graduating in May with a degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology, along with minors in Disability Studies and Management. In the fall, Katie will begin graduate school at Washington University’s School of Medicine in St. Louis, where she will pursue a Doctor of Audiology degree. A former Team USA synchronized skating athlete, she competed at the ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships in 2022 and 2023. She was also recognized as a USFS DREAM Athlete and is a USFS triple gold medalist in skating skills, ice dance, and solo free dance. In addition to her competitive skating career, Katie has experience coaching individual skaters at various levels.