c_\
amie Silverstein remembers you could still also go to the
her first figure skating corn- Olympics," her mother said. "That
petition. "It was a thrill," she isn't true. You do have to make a
recalls. "It was really differ- lot of sacrifices along the way. One
ent. I really loved it — having the of which is that you have to be in
attention." places where they have the right
The fact that the then 6-year- coaches, the right amount of ice
old Pittsburgh native won the time, etc. And Detroit is one of
event wasn't important; there was them."
only one other competitor. But the
So far, that move is paying off.,_/
thrill she received from pleasing Robin works as a physician's of- -\
her audience sparked her desire to fice manager. Dan, 17, seems to
skate and set her sights on the be a happy senior at Bloomfield
Olympics.
Hills' Lahser and Model high
And to help her achieve that schools. And Jamie is now an elite
goal, her family was willing to ice dancer.
move from Pittsburgh to Bloom-
She and Pekarek, 15, began
field Hills.
skating together regularly
Silverstein, now 13, began Jamie and in June, 1995. The following
partner
as a solo, freestyle skater.
January they won the na-
Justin
She was good enough to
Pekarek are tional novice ice dancing
qualify as a senior freestyler, an up and
championship. Last fall they -`
the top level of competition.
moved up to the junior 1ev-
coming
She had promise, but wasn't
el and finished second in the
team.
among the elite of her age
competition to select the
group.
U.S. World Junior squad, al-
Enter Igor Shpilbland, a three- though they couldn't go to the
time world junior ice dancing world meet because Jamie was
champion from Russia, now a one year too young to skate in-
coach at the Detroit Skating Club ternationally.
(DSC) in Bloomfield Hills. Shpilb-
In January, she and Pekarek
land saw Silverstein perform as placed third in the U.S. ice danc-
a fieestyler and suggested that her ing championships.
emotional, expressive style was
Shpilbland considers the team's
more suited to ice dancing:In ad- results "exceptional. By the time
dition, Shpilbland was training a they won the novice competition
boy, Justin Pekarek, who was po- she had been skating with a part-
tentially a good partner for Silver- ner for just eight months. I don't
stein. remember anything like this hap-
Silverstein travelled to Detroit pening before."
several times to meet and skate
Silverstein's strengths include
with Pekarek before deciding she "personality and presentation on
wanted to move. "Boy partners are the ice," Shpilbland says. "That ,
really hard to find," Silverstein ex- makes her special. Very emotion-'
plains. "Especially ones who are al, a very strong presentation."
well-trained, like Justin ... And it Silverstein says her on-ice emo-
was an opportunity that I really tion is part personality, part per-
couldn't pass up because I want to formance. "Whenever I do my
go to the Olympics." routine I focus on what I have to
But should a family move for the do. And I focus on projecting.
sake of a then 11-year-old's "ca-
"And then, while I'm doing it
reer?" At the time, Jamie lived with for an audience, I'll try to find
her mother, Robin, and brother, someone in the audience and
Dan. Her father, Alan lives in make eye contact with them and (:\
Florida. Two older brothers, Todd, normally I get a reaction. And
now 24, and Brad, 22, left home be- that makes me feel good."
fore the family decided to move.
She also puts in long hours. She
The decision "was difficult," attends Bloomfield Hills Middle
Robin Silverstein recalls. "A good School for a half-day. Two morn-
bit of the decision had to do with ings per week she'll wake up by
Dan. He was a sophomore in high 5:30 a.m. and be on the ice from
school, and a big question at that 6:30-8 a.m.
point was, is it going to be OK for
Her school day begins at 8:30
him? And he said, 'Yes, go for it.'
and goes until noon. She's on the ,
"Sometimes, when you get this ice between 12:30-4 p.m. week- c
opportunity and feel it really could days. She has a one-hour ballet
be something, you just have to take class and between 30-45 minutes
a chance ... You say, well, here we of conditioning every other day.
have this good opportunity, if we Then it's back home. She also
didn't take it, is she going to regret practices on Saturday.
it five years down the road?"
School officials cooperate with
The Silversteins are hardly flexible class scheduling, but she'll
unique. Matthew Gates, the part- eventually need some home tu-
ner of the DSC's other star Jewish toring in order to complete her
skater, Eve Chalom, came from high school education. What she r/
England. "When Jamie first got in- misses most, however, is having
volved in figure skating, I figured more friends away from the rink.
you could stay at home, you could "It's been hard for me, school-
have a normal life, go to school and wise, to make a lot of really good

41

MIKE ROSENBAUM

SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

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PHOTOS BY DANIEL LIPPITT

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74

Jamie Silverstein's skating
goals have led to sacrifices for
herself and her family.

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