On January 27, 2024, the BFSC hosted a clinic
with Bloomington-native and 1988 Olympic Pairs Bronze Medalist Jill Watson!
The on-ice portion took place 7:30-9:00 at Frank Southern Ice Arena, followed by an off-ice session next door at Bloomington High School South from 9:30-11:00. Registration was $75 per skater and includes all events for the morning.
The BFSC provided breakfast items from 7:00-7:30 and snacks from 9:00-9:30.
On and off-ice sessions were led by Jill Watson, Heather Lehnert, and Taylor Burdekin.
Jill Watson is a Bloomington native who first started her figure skating career at Frank Southern Ice Arena and returned to Bloomington as an IU student after her success with pairs partner Peter Oppegard as three-time National Champions and Bronze Medalists at the 1988 Olympics. The BFSC exists thanks to her mother! She currently lives in Arizona where she has continued to coach figure skating. Jill was inducted into the US Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2004. Skaters will have an opportunity to have their picture taken with Jill during the clinic.
Heather Lehnert also skated with the BFSC for a time and eventually began coaching BFSC skaters. Jill Watson was her first off-ice coach! Heather completed an independent Batchelor of Arts in Figure Skating and Masters Degree in Kinesiology at IU. Heather has been a National Coach in Germany, where she coached Nicole Schott who would go on to represent Germany in the 2018 and 2022 Olympics. She is currently a coach with the Lincoln Center Skate Club in Columbus, IN. Heather serves as an International Skating Union (ISU) Technical Specialist on US and International judging committees at local through elite figure skating competitions. This season, she will be serving as a Technical Specialist at the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships in Boston!
Taylor Burdekin grew up figure skating in Columbus, IN. She later discovered a talent for speed skating for which she trained in Salt Lake City at the Olympic training facility. She was Short Track National Champion in 2013 and was a 2018 Olympic Trials Competitor. While in Salt Lake City, Taylor was mentored as a figure skating coach and returned to Indiana where she coaches skaters in Columbus, as well as at several other rinks in the area. She also founded the Indiana Stars Skating Academy for enhanced figure skater development.