Getting the Edge Blog

The past several years have brought seemingly constant and evolving changes to our sport of figure skating.  We have experienced ongoing modifications to the International Judging System (IJS), an increased emphasis on jumps, and new skills seem to be taught at younger...

Our fall 2019 season culminated with many skaters having worked extremely hard throughout the summer and fall. So many athletes competed in numerous competitions as they prepared for our larger Regional and Sectional events, which recently concluded throughout the coun...

The 2019 Professional Skater Association Conference was in Palm Springs this year. Coaches from across the nations gathered for professional development, networking and seeing many friends. This year, I was honored with the opportunity to facilitate a presentation for...

Inspiration comes in all sizes, shapes, colors and configurations.  I never know when I will see or feel something that inspires me to create choreography.   

In late February, I traveled to Colorado Springs to choreograph a new long program for my student of...

When Kumiko Hamada, editor of the Japanese publication World Figure Skating, asked me to share my thoughts and experiences about working with Tatsuki Machida for their special tribute edition, I was honored.  Over the three seasons that Tatsuki and I collaborated we de...

After the ISU Congress we all find ourselves in a frenzy about the newest updates and changes to take affect for the new competitive season.  Sometimes these changes are minor and other times, like now, they are substantial. The Europeans have a bit of an edge over the...

Shirley Hughes has tapped Phillip Mills to lead her summer seminars many times. This year he focused on skating and choreography skills with an eye on the new IJS rule changes.

Those of us who have been in and around figure skating for many years remember the legendary Don Jackson. He was the 1962 World Figure Skating Champion and devoted his life to figure skating as a world class skater, show skater, highly regarded coach as well a global a...

In thinking back over time about some of the great alliances I have been fortunate to be involved in during my career, the one that I think of first is the ten years I spent working with Carlos Fassi at both the Broadmoor rink in Colorado Springs and at Ice Castle in L...

As I was sitting at the gate at San Jose International Airport waiting to board my flight home to Southern California, I found myself overcome with emotion.  I assumed this was triggered by the wonderful four days I just spent working in the Bay Area with two of my for...