Intelligencer Journal from Lancaster, Pennsylvania • 32

D-4 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 1994 ZONE SPORTS, CITY INTELLIGENCER JOURNAL, LANCASTER, PA. After gold at Keystone Games, Blakinger eyes bright future Allison Bruner Zone Sports Correspondent Most figure skating judges would agree that it takes something special to qualify as an Olympic athlete. But exactly what "ingredients" have led skaters such as Dorothy Hammill, Katarina Witt, and Oksana Baiul to the top? Coach Ray Laub, director and head coach of figure skating at the Lancaster Ice Rink believes that these ingredients are manifested in his 9-year-old student, Keri Blakinger, who won the gold metal in Beginner Freestyle Skating at this year's Keystone Winter Games. "Along with the athletic ability, you need self-motivation and dedication." Laub said. "Keri has all of that.

Plus, skaters like Oksana Baiul enter the Olympics at very young ages. Keri is still only nine years old and she has so much potential." At this winter's Keystone figure skating competition, Blakinger, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Dan Blakinger, siezed the opportunity to display I her talent in the freestyle program. Blakinger chose a series of selections from the Annie soundtrack, and she skated in a self-picked costume that she felt best portrayed her musical theme.

"When you skate to music, you present yourself on ice and try to carry out the theme of the music or interpret the music," Laub said. "Keri was great with the technical part, but she was especially good at interpretation. That is why she got the gold." Blakinger never expected to win the gold medal. "The girl who beat me in the competition before (the Keystone Games) was competing with me that day," Blakinger said. "I was really surprised that I beat her, because she is taller and a very fierce competitor." Blakinger recalls that as her name was being called to compete she panicked, because she was wearing several layers of clothing that had to be removed before entering the rink.

But as soon as she stepped onto the ice she focused her mind only on skating. "I said to myself, 'You can do well, Keri. Do it, do it, do Her performance was almost perfect, Blakinger said. "The only thing that could have been better was that I had a bent knee on a lutz jump. I wasn't sure if the judges would take off for that." Blakinger competed in the beginner level for ages 9 and below against 10 other girls.

However, Laub said, "Keri actually skates on a much higher level than she competes in. She is already working on axle jumps, which is a rotation of one and a half turns." Laub said that Blakinger is a very quick learner. "She is like a sponge that sucks in and learns. I never have to push her. She listens to what I say, and then she goes and practices it," he said.

The reason for her self-motivation, Blakinger said, is her love for figure skating. She enjoys performing the jumps and the spins, and she said, "It's lots of fun to be out on the ice knowing I have control, and that I won't run into the boards and kill myself." Blakinger also said that if she ever falls she would pick herself right back up again and add the missed jump later in her performance, the way that Baiul did in the '94 Winter Olympics. Such determination and selfmotivation will one day lead Blakinger to become a high-level skater, Laub said. "The sky is the limit for her," he added. Blakinger responded to her coach's faith in her talent, "Then I will be in the Olympics some day.

Ireally will." Laub said that teaching such a student as motivated as Blakinger is easy. "It's fun to teach such an 'up' person and her enthusiasm makes my job so much easier." Blakinger said that her enthusiasm is what gets her out of bed at 5 a.m. because she can not wait to get out on the ice. After her morning practices she attends Lancaster Country Day School where she said she must try to quickly finish her Keri Blakinger begins her figure skating lessons at 5 a.m. homework during every minute of free time.

Blakinger said she also finds time for studying while traveling back and forth to practices and competitions. However, she also reserves time for socializing with her friends, usually over the phone. "My dad complains about that sometimes, but I really like talking on the phone," she confessed. Because of her busy schedule, Blakinger said that she had to tape all of the Olympic figure skating competitions. She said that after following the course of events involving Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan, which lead up to the competition, she believes that Harding is a great athlete, "but I'm sorry about what she's had to go through." Blakinger also said that she hopes to follow in the footsteps of Nancy Kerrigan.

"She deserved the gold because her artistry is better than Baiul's." Keri Blakinger is the daughter of Dan Blakinger, a 1970 State Wrestling Champion. Dan Blakinger said that as long as his daugher remains interested and determined, he and his wife will support her pursuits to increase her talent at figure skating. Summers Scot Celley Zone Sports Correspondent Kris Summers of Conestoga Valley knew that she had done well at the County Rifle League Championships. She had shot during the third line and received her score of 200-18x during the fourth. "I knew it would take a lot to beat it," Summers said.

So, Summers had to wait through two more lines to find out if she would top the field of 30 from CV, Elizabethtown, Garden Spot, Manheim Central and Manheim Township who competed in the basement of Conestoga Valley High School. After the last line cleared, she looked through a scope towards the end of the range to see if her marks had stood. And they had. "It was exciting," Summers said. Summers edged Manheim Central's Chris Connor, who finished second with 200-15X, and Matt Zimmerman of Elizabethtown scored 200-15x for third.

Summers, a CV junior, has been shooting competitively since her freshman days, and recreational for about two years before that. Last year, Summers finished third in the county championships, and made it her goal to win this year's event. Throughout the season, she helped CV record a league record of 6-2 (10-2 overall) by consistently placing in the top five, and never shooting below a 98 out of Keri Blakinger hopes to one day compete in the Olympics. PI wins Lancaster Kris Summers shot 200-18x to win the Lancaster County Rifle League 100. Her average for the season was 99.5, and helped to keep CV behind Elizabethtown in the league standings.

In his 31 years as a shooting coach, CV coach Russ Latschar Aerobics marathon set to benefit United Cerebral Palsy Intelligencer Journal photos by Roxanne McRoberts rifle title Intelligencer Journal photo by Scot Celley championship. has coached 14 county champions. He said that Summers has improved since he began coaching her. "She's gotten a lot more consistent," Latschar said. "Her concentration's gotten better, and the biggest thing is concentra- tion." Now that she has captured the county rifle crown, Summers is not sure what she will aim for next.

"My goal was to get first place," she said. "I haven't thought about it yet." Roxanne McRoberts Zone Sports Writer Leotards, exercise shoes and sweatpants will be the dress-ofthe-day when more than 250 health enthusiasts and a dozen or so local and national aerobics instructors gather to step, slide and stretch in the Lancaster Workout '94. The four-hour low impact aerobics marathon will benefit United Cerebral Palsy of Lancaster County and is slated to take place on March 19 between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the McCaskey High School gymnasium.

According to director of development Brown, the aerobics marathon believed to be the largest of its kind in Lancaster County. The workout has been promoted at area fitness clubs and through many of the local exercise instructors. Brown said, "The idea of the workout is to have fun and benefit UCP. It's a really neat thing to see that many people exercise together. It's great to get people motivated, to get people out and Aerobic dance lovers of all levels are encouraged to take part.

every hour by the instructor but Ten-minute, breaks are taken participants are encouraged to exercise at their own level for as long as they feel comfortable. One of the major sponsors, Suburban Cable 10, will broadcast the workout live. The Lancaster Workout Committee includes Nan Chamberlain and Joy Hilt of the Lancaster County Racquetball and Health Club; Maureen Dressman, YWCA; Julie Bowers, Aerobic Dance with Julie; Leslie Randall-Scott, Workout with Leslie; Jennifer Bonacuse, East Hempfield Sports Complex; Khay Rutt, Figurifics; Jennifer Smith, Figure Firm Spa; and Ron Mabel, UCP board member and chairperson of the workout. Four master instructors from the area who have won national championships will offer their expertise throughout the four hours along with the local talent. The four masters are Charles Little, Harold Sanko, Paul McKean and Robert Sherman.

The local instructors who will lead the group are Bowers and Dressman for a warm-up, Beth Egan and other instructors from Joan's Body Shop, Rho Daly of the East Hempfield Sports Complex, Stephanie Biber and other instructors from FormFitness, and Joy Hilt and Shawn Hyson from the Lancaster County Racquetball and Health Club. Participants are asked to gather sponsors in advance of the workout and collect the sponsors' money in order to turn it in on the day of the marathon. A minimum sponsorship of $25 per participant is required and spectators will be asked to make a donation upon entering the gymnasium. The prizes, which are cumulative, include an official 100 percent cotton Lancaster Workout '94 T-shirt for those raising over $50; a fit strip from the Sharper Image Look, $100; and audio exercise tape from Dynamix, $250; a video exercise tape, $400; and sneakers from The Inside Track, $500. A special grand prize, valued at over $300, will be awarded to the participant turning in the most donated money in excess of $800.

All donations must be turned in on the day of the workout to count toward the prizes. In addition to Suburban Cable 10, other major sponsors include Val-pak, WLYH-TV 15, Elizabethtown Sporting Goods, School District of Lancaster and Hotel Brunswick. Patron sponsors include Dynamix, Charles Little, Brookshire Printing Company, Sharper Image Look and Lancas- 1018. Intelligencer Journal photo by Roxanne McRoberts Among those getting ready for the aerobics marathon are, front row, instructor Leslie Randall-Scott (center), her twin sister Nancy Seibert (left), and Laura Reed (right). ter General Sports Medicine.

Special thanks go to The Inside Track and Ron Martin Signs. Donations of pretzels, fruit and water are being made by Ham- monds Pretzels, Stauffers of Kissel Hill and Grayson Mountain Water. Creative Growth Opportunities and Natskins, two sporting clothes and fitness merchandise vendors, will also be on hand at the gym with discounted merchandise. Other activities sponsored by and benefiting UCP of Lancaster County include Holiday Gift Wrapping at Park City, Shoot Out in November, Casual Day, Truckin' For Bucks in August, Cadillac Dinner, Holiday Wreath Promotion (co-sponsored by Miller Brewing Company, a national UCP sponsor), and a Holiday Greeting Card Promotion. Anyone wishing to take part in the workout can obtain a sponsor sheet by contacting UCP at 397-1841 or 800-995-9581..