Late in 1954, the first permanent artificially frozen ice skating rink in Rochester opened in Genesee Valley Park. Twenty-six dedicated figure skaters persuaded the City Park's Department to allocate two hours twice a week to figure skating sessions. The Genesee Figure Skating Club was born.

On December 16, 1955, the Genesee Figure Skating Club moved into the newly completed rink in the Ritter-Clark Building at RIT. Late in January 1956, barely a month after the new Club had started skating at their new "home", the rink in Baltimore, where the Eastern Championships were to be held in three weeks, burned to the ground. Three days later arrangements were made to move the competition to the Genesee Figure Skating Club. The 1956 Easterns were a huge success and overnight, and the Genesee Figure Skating Club gained a great reputation for hospitality, efficiency and excellence.

In May 1956, the United States Figure Skating Association invited the Club to host what was then the most prestigious of figure skating competitions in the Western Hemisphere, the 1957 North American Championships. Again, the Club rose to the occasion. The largest crowd that had ever witnessed this event, 7200 people, turned out for the finals in the relatively new Rochester War Memorial. It was the largest crowd to use the War Memorial up to that time. National Championships were held in Rochester in 1959, followed by other Sectional and Regional Championships, including the 1980 Eastern Championship held at the new Frank Ritter Memorial Rink on RIT`s Henrietta campus. When RIT moved to its new campus in Henrietta in 1968, the Genesee Figure Skating Club moved too. In October of 1983, Skate America was held at the Rochester War Memorial, adding a major international competition to the long list of events sponsored by the Club.

In subsequent years the Club continued to hold and sponsor major competitions and events that have held us in both national and international esteem, and made our name synonymous with efficiency, integrity and hospitality. The Genesee Figure Skating Club continues to grow and prove itself over and over again.

The Club`s "Skating Spectacular" shows were the first amateur productions of their kind to be televised nationally over 285 Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Stations. "Skating Spectacular" has proven to be a showcase for virtually all United States National and International champions.

From the original 26 founding members, the Genesee Figure Skating Club has grown to hundreds of members. Over the years, the Genesee Figure Skating Club has produced many talented skaters who have gone on to compete at the National and International levels. They include: Jim Sladky, five time National Champion from 1968 to 1972 and inventor of the Yankee Polka; Richard Callaghan, best known as coach of Todd Eldredge and Tara Lipinski; Terri Slater, 1980 Junior Dance Champion; Scott Gregory, two time National Dance Champion in 1987 and 1988; Renee Roca, three time National Dance Champion in 1986, 1993, and 1995; and, most recently, Stacey Pensgen, Championship Ladies competitor and silver medalist at the 2000 Four Continents ISU competition.

 

FOUNDERS OF THE GENESEE FIGURE SKATING CLUB
Nancy Baker
Roger Cash
Milfred Craft
Winifred Eisler
Marcia Ellingson
Barbara Grotzinger
Mary Gundry
D. Wilson Hess
Samuel Hubbard
Benjamin Lull
James Marsh
Robert McCormack
Edna Muntz
Rex Rial
Sarah Rial
Mary Scheffy
Alfred Sertl
F. Ritter Shumway
William Sillick
David Thurber
M. Everett Toomey
William F. Wegner
Paul B. White
Jasper Willsea
Irma Woods
Raymond Yaeger