Our Palm Springs Coaches
Randy Gardner
Elizabeth Manley
Elizabeth Manley
Elizabeth Manley
Elizabeth Manley
Elizabeth Manley
Jeremy Abbott
Elizabeth Manley
Jeremy Abbott
Elin Schran
Leslie Miller
Leslie Miller
Leslie Miller
Leslie Miller
Leslie Miller
And Special Guest
Gracie Gold
Randy Gardner
Randy is a U.S. National and World Pair Figure Skating Champion, two-time Olympian with his pairs partner Tai Babilonia, as well as a producer, director and choreographer. In 1992, to add to an already remarkable list of achievements, Tai and Randy were inducted into the United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame, joining the company of such skating greats as Scott Hamilton, Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hamill and Michelle Kwan. Since then they have received several other honors. In 2016 the ISI Hall of Fame Award. In 2017 they were honored by The Ice Theater of New York for Artistic Excellence. In 2018 they were honored by the City of Los Angeles for 50 years as a pairs skating team.
Mr. Gardner is a skating coach, specializing in teaching private lessons, classes and producing international skating seminars and clinics. He has also provided choreography for some of the best known skating stars in the business, along with numerous television specials, national commercial spots and tours around the globe. He has been one of the on-site coaches for Dorothy Hamill’s Fantasy Figure Skating Camp. His Randy Gardner School Of Skating is now featured at ICE At Santa Monica on an annual basis.
In 2015 he starred, cowrote and produced for the stage, the one man show, Go Figure: The Randy Gardner Story, directed and cowritten by Joshua Ravetch, director of Carrie Fisher’s “Wishful Drinking.” After the initial run at the NOHO Arts Center in North Hollywood, Randy took the play on the road to West Hollywood, Dallas and Delaware. The documentary of the same name was filmed on the tour of the show. “Sharing my story and helping the next generation of LGBTQ athletes find their way is truly one of the most authentic things I can do.”
Elizabeth Manley
Elizabeth is one of Canada's most famous skaters. She is the 1988 Olympic silver medallist, the 1988 World silver medallist, and a three-time Canadian national champion.
As an Executive Life Coach and Olympian Elizabeth Manley has the tools you need to get unstuck and break through any mental obstacles that stand between you and your goals! Learn the Five Second Rule, Mindfulness, and new ways to think outside the box (and throw the box away!). The best project you will ever work on … is YOU!
Jeremy Abbott
He is the 2008 Grand Prix Final champion, a two-time (2007, 2011) Four Continents bronze medalist, and a four-time (2009, 2010, 2012, 2014) U.S. national champion. He represented the United States at the 2010 Winter Olympics, where he placed ninth, and at the 2014 Winter Olympics, winning a bronze medal in the team event.
Elin Schran
Elin Schran founded the Boston Ice Theater, a professional ensemble skating company, in 1999, to create new movement possibilities for the ice and to convey the joy of skating to the audience. As a choreographer and director, she designed the company’s numbers and also performed in every show. The ensemble of up to sixteen skaters worked together for five years performing in a wide variety of venues, including the Opening Ceremonies of the 2001 US Figure Skating Championships in Boston, MA.
In 2004 Elin co-founded Frozen Frog Productions which specialized in developing high-energy shows for audiences of all ages. Frozen Frog was known for its polished “wow factor” custom shows for corporate, as well as private clients who wanted to bring an added element of excitement to their events. Elin choreographed, directed, and performed for all of the company’s projects.
In 2018 Elin created Joy Skate Productions to continue the show production excellence of Frozen Frog Productions with an added outreach and educational component. Joy Skate’s mission is to make the joy of skating accessible to all, and the company achieves this goal by offering camps, workshops, and community events to skaters of all ages, abilities, and skill levels.
She has also created a unique edge class for all ages and skill levels called IceFlow in order to bring a gentle, yoga-inspired approach to skating. IceFlow aims to connect movement with the breath while incorporating twisting, stretching, and gliding choreography. Main objectives of IceFlow include awareness and control of weight transfer, increased comfort with shifting balance points, and a celebration of the joy of skating and being in the present moment.
For over 10 years Elin has specialized in helping adult skaters of many skill levels feel comfortable and confident on the ice while being challenged in a positive way. She is currently the Coordinator for Adult Skating Programs at The Skating Club of Boston. Elin also works as an independent choreographer, sought out for her creativity and positive attitude. Her multi-faceted approach to skating is fed not only by practical experience as a skater in many shows, including Dorothy Hamill’s Ice Capades, but also by a theoretical understanding of the creative process evidenced by her Master’s degree in Critical and Creative Thinking.
Gracie Gold
She is a 2014 Olympic team event bronze medalist, the 2014 NHK Trophy champion, the 2015 Trophée Éric Bompard champion, and a two-time U.S. national champion (2014, 2016). She is also a two-time World Team Trophy champion (2013, 2015).
On the junior level, she is the 2012 World Junior silver medalist, the 2011 JGP Estonia champion, and the 2012 U.S. junior national champion.
Gold is the first American woman to win an NHK Trophy title. She also holds the record for the highest short program score ever recorded by an American woman: 76.43, scored in the 2016 World Championships.
In 2024, Gracie released her powerful memoir. Outofshapeworthlessloser is not only a forceful reckoning from a world-class athlete but also an intimate memoir, told with unflinching honesty and stirring defiance.
Leslie Miller
Leslie Miller has one of the most diverse careers in dance. She was a Radio City Rockette, Founding member of Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Ovation Nominated Musical Theatre Actor, and a Character performer for American Ballet Theatre. She can teach and choreograph in a multitude of genres and styles with authority because of her vast experience on the stage and in the studio. She is passionate about working collaboratively whether she is the dancer, teacher or choreographer. Leslie is a member of AEA, SAG eligible, Nationally Certified American Ballet Theatre Curriculum teacher, a PMA Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher and holds both and Bachelor’s and Master’s of Fine Arts in Dance.
