I
Skating To The Top
BY LOU ANN GOOD
LANDIS VILLE—When Carol
Lee Shirk first moved to the Lan
caster County, she accompanied
her husband Glen Shirk, the coun
ty extension dairy .agent, to a 4-H
roller skating party. Since Carol
had never skated before, Glen, a
more experienced skater, wasn’t
especially thrilled with accompan
ing his wife on skates. Five years
later, he still doesn’t like to skate
with Carol. But his reasons have
changed, for Carol now skates cir
cles around him.
This novice turned pro has twice
won the regional figure roller skat
ing title, which propelled her into
national competition. She has
placed seventh in national compel-
ol Lee Shirk has won more trophies and ribbons than she
can count. Last year, she placed seventh In national
competition.
Skating divisions are divided Into groups by age. When
Carol started she needed to skate against people who had
been skating since childhood. This meant she needed to
work extra hard to catch up and surpass them to win her
seventh place national standing.
ition, and she doesn’t plan to retire
until she has captured the number
one spot
Carol claims she doesn’t have a
natural knack for skating. What
she does possess is
determination —lots of it. “I’ve
worked a lot of hours,” Carol said.
“A lot of the younger kids can’t
understand my dedication,” she
said as she recalls her commitment
to classes both in dance steps and
in fiqure skating. But Carol knew
that since she has had a late start
compared to the average competi
tive skater who begins practicing
in childhood, she had a lot of
catching up to do.
Actually, when Carol began to
take classes, she didn’t forsee that
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it would become her one consum
ing interest. “Everything just sort
of happened,” she says. During.
one of the teaching sessions,
Herven Mann, an experienced
dance skater, wandered over and
joined Carol in a dance. Her teach
er and the audience were
enthralled and despite Carol’s pro
tests of inadequacy, both her
instructor and dance partner prop
elled her into perfecting her dance
skating and later solo figure
skating.
Carol confesses to being
extremely shy. She said, “My
mother still can’t believe that I
skate in front of crowds, because
I’ve always been so timid.”
Although she captivates audi
ences with her intricate dance
steps, the shyness has not left her.
“I still get scared,” Carol admits.
“Just let me see a judge with a pen
cil and I’m terrified. It’s as scary as
speaking before a crowd. You try
to block everyone else out and try
to remember all you’ve been
taught, but sometimes nerves just
take over and you make mistakes.”
Carol doesn’t believe skating in
front of judges will ever get easier
for her.
But if, Carol is scared, she gen
erally hides it well and carryies out
her routines with dazzling skill. “It
seemed like a long time before I
got any medals,” Carol recalled.
“I’ll never forget the first time—l
felt terrific.” Each medal since
then advances her another step.
Carol’s success has surprised
Carol Lee Shirk and her dancing partner Herven Mann
dominate the roller skating competition In Maryland, Penn
sylvania and New Jersey.
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skating achievements.
even her. She said, “I didn’t expect
it at all.” She paused then added,
“Sometimes I wonder how far I
could have gone if I had started
skating when I was a kid. It’s so
much easier for kids to skate. They
don’t fear falling and they don’t
have as far to fall.”
Carol admits that her 38 years
limit her. There are some competi
tions that she can’t enter due to her
age. Nonetheless, when her skat
ing experience is compared with
the average skater, one realizes
what an amazing record she holds.
Her skating highlight has been
making it to the nationals. “I never
thought I’d see that,” Carol admits,
the thrill of it still lights her face.
Carol refers to much of her life
as before and after. Before skating
she worked in a Chiropractic’s
office and sold her handicrafts
such as wood burning at craft
shows. But after six months of
Ufamesfead
skating, Carol took the plunge, quit
her job and put her efforts into per
fecting her skating skills.
Seldom has Carol found skating
frustrating. She did hit a low point
at the 1986 National competition
when she skated “a bad figure.”
She explained, “I had put a lot of
hard work into it, hoping to do my
best.” After the disappointing
event, Carol took three months off
because “I needed a break.”
When she started skating again,
it took her several months to regain
her former skill. “It’s challeng
ing,” she said. “I’m constantly
learning more advanced dances.”
During competition, Carol sel
dom watches other skaters. “You
can pick up bad habits by watching
and we each have our own unique
style. Pros teach differently.” It’s
that difference, Carol believes, that
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