Message from the President

While the imminent closure of Ice Skate Memorial City has brought tremendous uncertainty to our community, I want you to know the Board has been working diligently to support the future of MFSCH.

After a successful Memorial Trophy event, I traveled to Colorado Springs to attend the U.S. Figure Skating Leadership Impact Summit and Governing Council. While these events provided valuable opportunities to learn about the future direction of our sport, I attended together with Karen R., with a vital mission: to gather information, resources, and ideas that could help guide the future of MFSCH. We spoke with club leaders from across the country, U.S. Figure Skating staff, and fellow volunteers about how clubs can thrive, adapt, and continue serving their members—even when faced with a rink closure.

The most important message I want to share is this: MFSCH is not closing.

Our club will continue to exist, continue to serve our members, and continue to provide a skating community for athletes, families, coaches, officials, and supporters who call MFSCH home.

Membership renewal for the 2026-2027 season opens June 1 in EntryEeze. Whether MFSCH is your primary club or your secondary club, I encourage you to renew your membership and remain part of our community. While some of our programming may look different in the coming year, our mission remains the same: supporting and encouraging figure skating within our community, cultivating a spirit of mutual respect and support among skaters, both competitive and recreational, of all ages and abilities. We aim to host regular test sessions, create off-ice opportunities, and celebrate the achievements and camaraderie of our club community.

Your membership matters. Renewing sends a strong message that our community remains united and is committed to supporting each other. I encourage every member to attend our Annual General Membership Meeting on Saturday, June 13, from 9:30–10:30 a.m. in the Memorial City Party Room or via Zoom Link (Meeting ID: 927 0687 5009 Passcode: 947826). This meeting will be an important opportunity to discuss the future of MFSCH, share what we know about the months ahead, answer questions, and gather input from our membership as we chart our path forward together. If you are unable to attend, please complete a Proxy here https://forms.gle/nuJuVt6KME6KbmX17

The ice beneath us may be changing, but the strength of this club has never come from a building. It comes from our members—the skaters, families, coaches, volunteers, officials, and supporters who have built this community over many decades.

I hope to see you at the Annual Meeting on 6/13 at 9:30a.m. at the rink or on Zoom, and I thank you for your continued support, commitment, and belief in the future of MFSCH.

Warm regards,

Wendy Barnard
President
Memorial Figure Skating Club of Houston

Message from the President

📃2026 Memorial Trophy Recap

If I missed you, please let me know! Thank you for your service ! MemorialFSCH@gmail.com

🎙️Annual General Meeting - Attendance Required - Proxy Link Provided

1. Call to Order

2. President's Report

3. Annual Report of the Board

4. Treasurer's Report (Current financial status - Fiscal year overview - Questions from membership

5. Memorial Trophy 2026 Recap (Event statistics - Volunteer recognition - Thank you to Sugar Land Ice & Sports and event partners)

6. State of the Club: Life After Memorial City

7. Vision for MFSCH's Future

8. Membership Discussion and Q&A

9. Membership Renewal and Volunteer Opportunities

10. New Business (Any member-submitted business, any additional Q&A)

11. Adjournment

📃Annual Report | July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026

A Year of Delivery and Dedication

Navigating Significant Operational Challenges

Leadership and Representation

Community Through Adversity

Looking Ahead

📝 Reminders

Membership Renewal via EntryEeze Opens 1 June 2026

HITS Send-Off Party - 20 June 2026 12-1pm

2026 National Theatre on Ice Competition 23-27 June 2026

🤝Community Connection - U.S. Figure Skating Charts Course for the Future

📚 Congratulations to traveling MFSCH Skaters

👏 Notes of Appreciation - Thank you!

📸 Showcase your skater!

Upcoming Events & Important Dates Subscribe to the MFSCH Public Calendar to stay informed

📃2026 Memorial Trophy Recap

2026 Memorial Trophy: A Defining Moment. One of the most significant accomplishments of the year was the successful execution of the largest Memorial Trophy ever. Facing genuine uncertainty about ice conditions, we made the decision to relocate to Sugar Land to guarantee we could hold the competition. That relocation effectively required the team to re-plan a 400+ skater competition in just 3 weeks. This was a herculean logistical and operational lift. And yet, the result was a professional, high-quality competition experience for our athletes, coaches, officials, supporters, vendors.

Simply put: We did this for our skaters — and none of it would have been possible without the incredible support of our volunteers.

If I missed you, please let me know! Thank you for your service ! MemorialFSCH@gmail.com

🎙️Annual General Meeting - Attendance Required - Proxy Link Provided

Date: Saturday, June 13th 9:30-10:30 am

Location: Party Room at Ice Skate Memorial City

Join us for the Annual Membership Meeting in person or via Zoom Link (Meeting ID: 927 0687 5009 Passcode: 947826)
A quorum for this meeting is required for our 501(c)(3) organization.

If you are unable to attend, please fill out your Proxy Form by June 12, 2026 at 5 pm: PROXY FORM
If you have a topic you'd like us to discuss, you can submit a question in advance here.
Add to your Google Calendar: Annual Membership Meeting

Draft Agenda:

1. Call to Order

Welcome - Establish quorum - Approval of previous Annual Meeting minutes

2. President's Report

3. Annual Report of the Board

4. Treasurer's Report (Current financial status - Fiscal year overview - Questions from membership

5. Memorial Trophy 2026 Recap (Event statistics - Volunteer recognition - Thank you to Sugar Land Ice & Sports and event partners)

6. State of the Club: Life After Memorial City

What we know - What we don't know yet
July 31 closure timeline - Current discussions with area rinks
Club programming that can continue (Test sessions, Exhibitions, Clinics, Off-ice activities, Social events)
Programming that may be limited by rink availability

7. Vision for MFSCH's Future

Event and club offerings
Volunteering

8. Membership Discussion and Q&A

9. Membership Renewal and Volunteer Opportunities

10. New Business (Any member-submitted business, any additional Q&A)

11. Adjournment

📃Annual Report | July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026

This past membership year tested our club in ways we could not have anticipated. It also demonstrated, in unmistakable terms, the strength, resilience, and heart of the Memorial Figure Skating Club of Houston community.

A Year of Delivery and Dedication

Despite a rapidly changing environment, your Board remained focused on delivering meaningful programming, maintaining strong communication, and representing the interests of our members at every level.

Over the course of the year, the Board successfully:

Hosted two large in-person test sessions, providing critical advancement opportunities for our skaters.
Organized community-building events including our Club Halloween Party and multiple competition send-off events.
Welcomed and integrated Learn to Skate (LTS) participants into club membership, strengthening our pipeline
Delivered a professional virtual program fundraiser, supporting our financial sustainability.
Supported a sold-out Nutcracker on Ice performance, showcasing the talent, tradition, and spirit of our skaters.
Published monthly newsletters highlighting member achievements, club updates, and educational content from U.S. Figure Skating.
Held a Zoom General Membership Meeting in direct response to member feedback requesting increased communication and accessibility.
Expanded our social media presence, improving engagement and visibility for our club.
Delivered a Dress & Equipment Resale pilot directly benefiting our members and providing donations to the club for programming.
Hosted Memorial Trophy: A Defining Moment. One of the most significant accomplishments of the year was the successful execution of the 2026 Memorial Trophy event. With very short notice, the event was relocated to a new facility—effectively requiring the team to re-plan a 400+ skater competition in just weeks. This was an extraordinary logistical and operational lift. And yet, the result was a professional, high-quality competition experience for our athletes, coaches, and officials.

Navigating Significant Operational Challenges

This year also brought substantial operational and financial pressures.

Ice rental costs at Memorial City increased by 33% this year.
Memorial Trophy ice costs rose by 45%, significantly impacting event economics.
The club experienced multiple unexpected losses of ice time, disrupting training and programming consistency
Most significantly, the news of the permanent closure of Ice Skate Memorial City effective July 31, 2026 devastated the community.

These challenges required constant adjustment, creativity, and difficult decision-making.

Leadership and Representation

Your club was also actively represented at the national level.

Board leadership attended the U.S. Figure Skating Leadership Impact Summit and Governing Council Meeting, ensuring that MFSCH:

Had a voice in national discussions - Participated in voting on key initiatives.
Stayed informed on the evolving vision and direction of the sport.
Developed a thoughtful way forward for MFSCH.

Community Through Adversity

Perhaps the most defining aspect of this year cannot be measured in events or metrics.

As a community, we supported one another through:

The uncertainty and disruption of lost ice - The emotional impact of the rink closure announcement
The challenges of displacement across multiple training locations

Through it all, our members showed up—for their sport, for their teammates, and for each other.

Looking Ahead

While this year closes with uncertainty around our home rink, it also opens the door to purposeful action.

Club leadership is actively engaged behind the scenes in efforts to:

Identify temporary ice solutions for our members
Support initiatives exploring long-term rink development opportunities in our geographic area.

Most importantly, we have established a clear path forward for the 2026–2027 membership year—one that will:

Keep our MFSCH community connected
Deliver unique, high-value programming independent of a single home rink.
Continue to align with and support the mission of U.S. Figure Skating.

This year proved something important: MFSCH is more than a rink. It is a community built on commitment, resilience, and shared passion.

And that community can continue—together.

📝 Reminders

Membership Renewal via EntryEeze Opens 1 June 2026

Renew your membership using EntryEeze beginning 1 June 2026 for the US Figure Skating membership year 1 July 2026 - 30 June 2027.

Skate Dallas - June 4–7, 2026

The 45th annual event, hosted by the Dallas Figure Skating Club will take place in Allen, TX

National Qualifying Series - Next wave of Registration 10 June 2026

USFS had a successful first wave of NQS registration, which opened May 6 with over 900 entries. The next wave of NQS registration opens June 10. For more information on the Series: 026-27_NQS_Participant_Handbook_83_.pdf - U.S. Figure Skating

Senior Send-Off Exhibition & Party

HITS Send-Off Party - 20 June 2026 12-1pm

Join us in the Party Room to celebrate the skaters headed to TOI Nationals!

2026 National Theatre on Ice Competition 23-27 June 2026

The 2026 National Theatre on Ice (TOI) Competition will take place June 23–27, 2026, at Great Park Ice & FivePoint Arena in Irvine, California, hosted by All Year Figure Skating Club. The National Theatre on Ice is the premier annual U.S. Figure Skating-sanctioned TOI competition, bringing together teams from across the country to compete for national titles. It follows U.S. Figure Skating’s rulebook and current TOI Guidelines, with emphasis on originality, artistry, costuming, and musicality.

Two main segments:

Choreographic Exercise (CE) – A structured program focusing on choreographic elements without props or elaborate costumes, emphasizing movement and expression.
Free Skate – A creative program interpreting a theme or story, using costumes and props.
Judging: Component Judging System (CJS) with five marks (0–10) for each program, weighted equally between CE and Free Skate.
Order: CE programs are performed in random order; Free Skate order is determined by CE placement.

2026 Excel National Festival and Final 15-19 July 2026

Excel Nationals will take place at The Skating Club of Boston in Norwood, Massachusetts, from July 15–19, 2026. The event features both an invitation-only final for higher levels and an open-invitation competition for grassroots skaters.

Invitation-Only Events: Excel Preliminary Plus through Senior; participants qualify via their top two scores in the 2026 Excel Competition Series.
Open-Invitation Events: Aspire 1–4 and Excel Pre-Preliminary; open to all skaters registered in the series.

🤝Community Connection - U.S. Figure Skating Charts Course for the Future

U.S. Figure Skating recently hosted its inaugural Impact Summit in Colorado Springs, Colorado, marking an exciting and week focused on shaping the future of the sport through new initiatives and long-term planning.

Kevin Rosenstein Elected President of U.S. Figure Skating

U.S. Figure Skating is pleased to announce the election of Kevin Rosenstein as the organization's new president.

Rosenstein has been judging internationally for the past 29 years, including at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, World and Junior World Championships and at the Grand Prix Final. He also serves as a technical controller and referee domestically. He most recently served as the chair of the strategic planning committee. Professionally, he is the global practice leader for strategy at the architectural firm Gensler in Los Angeles, California. He has an undergraduate degree from Stanford University and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. Kevin Rosenstein Elected U.S. Figure Skating President; New Board Seated, Bylaws Passed - U.S. Figure Skating

Impact 2030: New Strategic Plan Announced

U.S. Figure Skating recently announced its new strategic plan, Impact 2030. The plan was approved by the Board of Directors and was recently shared with attendees of the Impact Summit and delegates of the 2026 Governing Council in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The new Strategic Plan centers around three core pillars – Community Growth, Competitive Excellence and Commercial Success – which we informally call the 3 Cs. Underlying the 3 Cs is a foundational thread around Organizational Leadership. All of these pillars are inextricably linked and directly tied to our role as the national governing body for figure skating. Impact 2030: U.S. Figure Skating Announces New Strategic Plan - U.S. Figure Skating

State of the Sport Address – CEO Matt Farrell

U.S. Figure Skating CEO Matt Farrell delivered his first "State of the Sport" address. The speech was delivered on May 23 to delegates of the Governing Council as part of the inaugural Impact Summit. Farrell recently passed the one-year mark after taking on the role of CEO in May 2025. The talk focuses on the year in review as well as priorities for the future of the organization. The timing comes near the close of the fiscal year for U.S. Figure Skating.‘State of the Sport’ Address from U.S. Figure Skating CEO Matt Farrell - U.S. Figure Skating

📚 Congratulations to traveling MFSCH Skaters

42nd Margaret Faulkner Springtime Invitational hosted by Ann Arbor FSC:

Courtney Bessell - Senior Emotional Performance - 1st Place

Ellen Joowon Seok - Adult Gold Women Free Skate - 6th Place

👏 Notes of Appreciation - Thank you!

For showing up on short notice when we really needed help:

Melissa Poteet

Isaac Fulton

Pei Pei Tan & Audrey Lee

Chuck Hsiao

Christina Pan

Priscilla Garcia - For late night set-up of another amazing balloon arch for the awards podium.

Karen R. - For sorting out Practice Ice as a result of a USFS EMS "glitch" and keeping us on Schedule Sunday with top notch Sweeping skills.

Triniti Brown - For managing "All things Officials" - and multiple travel and transportation changes.

Annabelle Helin - For the Sunday Early Morning Scramble, for ending up in Urgent Care and coming back for more until the end.

Yifei Gu - For managing expenses, reimbursing officials on site, take down efforts, while always smiling.

April Sharr - Satisfying the Officials & Coaches with the right food selection. (Even heard a coach said he had dinner reservations but ate dinner at the rink anyway!)

Catherine (Ridley) Curley - For filling in when needed on her own competition day and providing excellent Socials.

Courtney Nicholas - For going above & beyond including multiple trips to storage before and after the event, medal gift assembly, hospitality set up, awards set up, sorting out practice ice challenges, take down efforts, and nightly tablecloth laundering.

📸 Showcase your skater!

Got great skating pics or videos? Share them with us and you might see them on our club Instagram or Facebook! We love it all—fun on-ice clips, learning a new skill, practicing a program, milestone moments, and more!

📤 Send Your Skating Pics!

Questions? Contact Catherine Curley at socials.mfsch@gmail.com

Upcoming Events & Important Dates
Subscribe to the MFSCH Public Calendar to stay informed

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