Sheila Thelen has been a coach at the Figure Skating Club of Bloomington in Minnesota for the past 32 years. However, teaching skating is just part of her busy life dedicated to improving skaters’ training.

Thelen created several products skaters use on and off ice to help their skating techniques. She also hosts numerous seminars and is part of an online coaching staff.

“I’m thrilled to have met Trevor Laak, the founder of iCoachSkating.com, before he founded it,” Thelen said.

After meeting at Grassroots to Champions seminars, Thelen joined his company as a consultant and helps with their online marketing.

“iCoachSkating is truly a revolution in how coaches all over can improve their knowledge and improve their skaters,” Thelen said. “Every problem a coach has ever had, Trevor has a video to fix that problem. It’s fun to see skaters and coaches learning new techniques and skills on iCoachSkating, and it’s fantastic that skaters and coaches can join the website.”

iCoach, however, is just the beginning. She’s also a very successful entrepreneur, creating several products skaters use to improve various elements.

“My first big product I created was the ‘Jump Ease Skating Harness,’” Thelen said. “I learned a lot about business and how to make a company fun.”

Her second product, Champion Cords, taught her to embrace something new at the time: a business website.

“I really learned how to create a website, and to work with patents (USA Patent:  7,214,171), skate shops, seminars, packaging, staff and manufacturing,” Thelen said. “Champion Cords are fantastic for teaching a skater to feel alignment position, muscle memory awareness and technique.”

Thelen since added the Champion Skating Harness and Champion Electric Spinner.

“Both of these products help the skater learn vestibular balance and air position,” Thelen said. “Truly how you train modern day rotation. It’s actually fun to see people installing this gear in their homes. They are also great for seminars. We haul in a harness, install it and train coaches how to use it.”

Her Champion Developmental Seminars keep this busy coach traveling to clubs with many top coaches.

“Each seminar can be custom designed to feature a guest coach,” Thelen said. “We bring in tons of gear and help the coaches develop skaters at all levels. We are absolutely honored to have an amazing staff of coaches to help.”

Thelen even created a fun jewelry piece with her Champion Achievement Charm bracelet. The charms include all the jumps and spins, a perfect and fun way for skaters to keep track of their progression.

“As your skater progresses through the sport, add a charm to the bracelet,” Thelen said.

Thelen will host a booth featuring all her products at the upcoming May PSA and CFSA conferences in Chicago and Moncton NB, Canada. A two day seminar with World Coach Ravi Walia is scheduled for June at the Bloomington FSC.

Her skating harness and electric spinner also recently became part of physical therapy research and development work with autistic children, something Thelen is extremely proud of.

“This work is so important to me,” Thelen said. “Improving children’s, skaters and families’ lives.”

Education:     Bachelor of Arts, Hamline University, St. Paul, Minnesota.  (1991 Graduate)    Double Major:  Communications/Marketing and Anthropology *Research Emphasis:  Public Speaking/Osteology (Human Bone Research).  *Senior Residential Advisor.  *Twin Cities Business Women’s Scholarship Recipient.  *Speaker at Hamline 1990 & 1991 Leadership Conference. *Academic Policies Committee and Sub-Committee. * Self PAID 100% of Education. * Dean’s List.

Experience:    Owner/Designer/President of Vestibular Training Services LLC (2019-Present) *Applying Figure Skating Harness training – to helping physical therapists in the fields of:  Autism & Post Concussion/TBI.  Patent Pending.  We are going to change the world.

Owner/Designer/President of Champion Cords/Seminars/Harnesses/Spinners (2012-Present) *Providing seminar for coaches worldwide alongside World & Olympic Coaches.  Specializing in figure skating technology, harnesses & developing all levels of figure skaters.  *Creating leadership in coaching and mentoring.  Number one in figure skating harnesses & coaches training.  *Known worldwide for coaching excellence.  Research and development for multiple skating training tools

Grassroots To Champion Seminars (2008-2016) Executive Director. *Coordinate 19 National/World/Olympic Coaches in 30+ National and Internationals seminars per year.   Coordinate all:  schedules, travel, hotel, ground, product, pre and post seminar.   *Marketing.  *Negotiate contracts with 10 Corporate Sponsors & National Organizations.  *Manage week long International Seminar Dorms/Food/40+Coaches/100+ skaters from around the world. *Dartfish Specialist  *Recruited by World & Olympic Coach – Audrey Weisiger.  *Number 1 in Figure Skating Seminars in North America.   *Sales increased 348%, since position was created.  Agent/Representative for 8 Olympic/World Coaches.  Created a 501c3 for Young Artists Showcase.

Sheila Thelen, Inc., (2003-Present)   Owner-President.  *Inventor and design engineer of athletic training aids *National & International Guest Speaker.  *Product Design. *Contract Negotiations.   *Patent Writing.   *Patent Number:  7,214,171.  *Created all product marketing and information.  *Product is used by World & Olympic Skaters and Coaches.  *Endorsed by the Professional Skaters Association International.  *Presenter at Fall Regional & International Seminars.  *Presenter ON ICE: at PSA International Conference, Canada Figure Skating National Conference, ISI International Conference, England/UK NISA Conference, Iceland FSA.   *Endorsed by National/World/Olympic Skaters and Coaches.  *Monthly article in PSA Magazine.   *Featured Specialist on:   iCoachSkating.com  *Named TOP FIVE Coaches by iCoachSkating.

Professional Figure Skating Coach.   City Facilities, MN (1987-Present) Self Employed.  *Teaching beginners through senior competition levels.  *Head Professional.   *Senior Synchronized Skating Line.   *Consultant – Israeli Figure Skating Association.  *Teaching ages: 2-30.  *Master Rated Coach by the Professional Skaters Association International. *Strong USFSA/ISI Coaching Experience.  *Specialty in Dartfish Computer Software (for computer jump analysis).  Consultant to coaches & skating schools.

                        St. Croix Valley Recreation Center.  Stillwater, MN (1998-2008) Skating Director.   *Manage and oversee MAJOR Skating School & Entire Figure Skating Program. *Manage all private lessons.   *Supervise all self employed skating coaches.   *Hosted ISI & PSA Fall Regional Seminars.   *Payroll.   *Database.  *Assign Skaters to Coaches. *Director of Winter Exhibitions.   *Director of Spring Ice Shows.  *Advertising Manager.  *Silent Auction Manager.  *Created registration program enabling 500+ in person registrations in 1 ½ hours. *Manage arena staff.  *Power Skating Coach with Junior Gold Teams & High School players.   *Coach multiple high profile clients & The Herb Brooks Foundation.

                        Jump Ease, Inc.  Lino Lakes, MN  (1997-2004)  Owner/President.  *Inventor and design engineer of multi-use harness systems.  *National Guest Speaker and Trainer.  *Coordinated staff & engineering department.  *Contract negotiations including the New Boston Gardens/Boston Bruins & the Gaylord Entertainment Center (Nashville Predators).  *Endorsed by the Professional Skaters Association International.  *Managing Partner.

                                        Arad Archaeological Center, Arad, ISRAEL   In conjunction with the Israeli Antiquities Authority.  (July 1991-1992)  *Director of Recruiting.  *Site Supervisor.  *Lecture Series.  *Create all marketing materials.  *United States Group Coordinator.  *Only American on Staff.   *Semi Bilingual.  *Primary Archaeological site:  Tel Keroith.  *Trained guide:  Masada.  *Burial Excavations Manager:  Tel Arad.

                                        Paisley Park Recording Studios.  Chanhassen, MN (Spring 1990-Spring 1991) Internship.  *Assistant to Mr. Dressel, Head of Studio.  *Assist in daily management of a major recording studio and stage.  *Handle records on past clients and assisted with new clients.  *Studio Assistant.  *Tours.  *First Intern ever at Paisley Park.

Awards:          *Top 1,000 Employees in the State of Minnesota, by the Quality Council of Minnesota (1993).  *1998 Who’s Who of International Entrepreneurs.    *2008 & 2010 Top FIVE Coaches by iCoachSkating.com   *2010 United States Figure Skating Association – Sports Science Award Nominee

Dr. Velasquez utilizes his background as an interpersonal neurobiological neuroscientist and doctorate in leadership as a ‘Combat Sports Brain Performance Coach’. Specializing in what he dubs as a ‘Fight Sport Neuro Cognitive’ approach to MMA performance, Dr. Velasquez works with top fighters, applying the latest neuroscience technologies and methodologies to push the vanguards of athletic conditioning

Dana Sutton is a tutor, coach, and parent with decades of experience working with children and young adults. While raising her children, she spent evenings tutoring students from primary through to first and second year post-secondary, as well as coaching and instructing various athletics. Dana currently owns her own business providing consulting, payroll and accounting services for businesses in the Okanagan. A keen athlete while growing up, Dana enjoyed fastball, ringette, volleyball, hockey, martial arts and skiing (both in water and downhill). These days, when she isn’t busy with work or grandchildren, Dana can be found reading a book or riding her motorcycle (an Indian Scout) throughout the Okanagan, where she lives with her husband, Ray and their two Old English Sheepdogs, Guinness and Misty. Guinness, Misty and Bailey (Misty's predecessor) can be found as background characters in many of her stories.

"When I was raising my children I always focused on being open with them.  I don't believe there are any "off-limit subjects". If my children were asking about something, or had been exposed to something, then I worked hard to help them understand using age-appropriate language; even when the topic was uncomfortable for me.

When I started writing children's books, and especially with the topic in Maddie Finds Her Place, I really focused on that strategy.  My experience is that, if the language is framed well, then children at each age level receive exactly what they need and are capable of understanding the conversation."   ​-  Dana Sutton

Dr. Juliette Engel moved to Moscow in 1999 and founded the Angel Coalition to combat human trafficking. Over the next ten years, the Angel Coalition grew into an underground railroad that assisted thousands of victims. She also co-founded Moscow’s municipal orphanage staff training center, Women and Children First, and a nationwide program of community center support for single mothers, the Babushka Brigade. Her life was a constant collage of travel and adventure with a cluster of Russian colleagues and friends. She sweated in banyas and jumped into frigid Siberian lakes, traveled by train and bus to small villages on the steppes, and ate blinis with honey in Novgorod and smoked fish on the shores of Lake Onega. She sailed the great Volga River, delivering aid to orphanages and getting to know the kids, watching them grow over the years and trying, often in vain, to keep them safe. She came back to America in 2010 when her protégé was murdered by traffickers and Russian Military Intelligence warned her that she would be next. She is currently living in the Washington DC area and writing her memoirs.

TEDx Speaker | Podcast Host | Consultant | Speaker | Founder of the Company Achieving Success 

A ten year resident of Arlington, Virginia, Dr. Ben Pearl has been a practicing physician in the Arlington and McLean area since 1992.

Recently selected as one of the Washingtonian Magazine’s top sports doctors, he is a graduate of the Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine. He is a consultant at NIH and he is on an advisory board at FDA.

Dr. Pearl was recently featured in the Washington Post Magazine depicting his passion for skiing and teaching. He has had television interviews with Dr. Nancy on MSNBC on barefoot running and provided foot health information for News Channel 8.

Dr. Pearl is a fellow of the American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine. He is the team podiatrist for the District Track Club, an elite Olympic development track team in Washington DC.He serves as medical director for the SUNY New Paltz high school cross country camp. He offers foot and ankle care to patients of all ages.

He has also been a consultant at the National Institutes of Health and the FDA, and is currently a Fellow of the American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine.

Dr. Pearl has a special interest in sports medicine, which is enhanced by his own participation in running, bicycling, and ski instruction.

Dr. Pearl has authored a number of articles on podiatric health. He also blogs regularly on foot care and athletic performance at Docs for Jocks.

It is my honor to serve as Golden State Republican Women President.  This year promises to be transformative to Republican women in California and we are excited to start the groundwork!

These last two years have seen unexpected changes in California and in our country which have led to a decline in our culture and traditional way of life.  We are now committed to blunt the attacks on our republic and to restore in our state the values of faith, family and freedom we have long cherished.

In contrast to the current progressive culture which continues to divide Americans, creating  a growing sense of malaise and discontent, GSRW offers hope for a brighter tomorrow… and that tomorrow begins today!

There has never been a time when our message has been more needed nor more welcomed!  California is looking for strong leadership and direction that will guide us back to the personal freedoms and opportunities that once made our state golden.

As divided as Californians appear to be, there is much more that unites us.  Our citizens want secure borders, quality education, safe streets, a return to law and order, free and fair elections, respect for our military, police and first responders, and the freedom to practice our faith openly without fear. Republicans highly value the dignity of the individual and of all human life.

Our basic tenets bind us together and have weathered the test of time throughout our country’s history.  Yet as world history goes, we are still a young nation.  We have relied on our Constitution and foundational documents which have kept us strong and free for over two centuries.

There are those whose primary aim, however, is to destroy our government, our laws and our very way of life.  Our inaction makes them bolder and more dangerous than ever! That is why there is no greater urgency than at this time to unite with one goal and one voice.  We must motivate, educate and activate.

We in Golden State Republican Women welcome women of all ages, all ethnicities, and all stripes of Republican values and we ask you to join us in this fight.  Unity is our strength and together we must and we WILL win!!  A win for California is a win for the United States of America.

More About Golden State Republican Women

In 2023 a group of 47 politically active Republican women in California saw the need for a new statewide Republican women’s group in the state.  Our group wanted to participate in politics by pulling together thousands of women in the state of California who share our same values, are interested in and excited by conservative politics, have a positive mental attitude, and the ability to be kind to one another.

At this pivotal time in California history it is vitally important that all Republican women have a voice and a platform to work with the California Republican Party to effect critical changes that will restore our state to its values of faith, family and freedom.

On August 2nd and 3rd, after many planning meetings on Zoom, and after naming our organization the Golden State Republican Women, we met in person to gel together our desire to found a strong Republican women’s statewide organization.  Lead by President Janet Price, 1st VP Gretchen Cox, and other hard-working women, the Golden State Republican Women pored over ideas, wrote a set of Bylaws, voted on a logo, and met in sub-committees to discuss and plan the foundations of our alliance.

Golden State Republican Women (GSRW) applied for a charter at the California GOP, and was accepted to apply.  There was a floor vote on October 1, 2023 at the CAGOP Convention in Anaheim and GSRW obtained our charter on that date!

We further plan to:

Bring dozens of independent Republican women’s clubs together as a unifying organization and support our wonderful, hard-working Republican officials and candidates in California.
GSRW will provide the opportunity to engage with, support, and influence Republican legislators, representatives, political experts and other local, state, and national leaders.
GSRW will conduct leadership training events.
GSRW will continue to provide regular legislative updates on bills, vital statewide information, a quarterly newsletter, and an informative website.
And Golden State Republican Women will work hard to attract young, Republican women,  as well as women of all ages and ethnicities in California to our organization.

The 18 Founding Clubs of Golden State Republican Women and Their Regional Locations

REGION 2 – Thank you to Regional Director Tabitha Gomez
Chico Evening Republican Women 
Sacramento Republican Women

REGION 4 – Thank you to Regional Director Barbara Hallmeyer
Clovis Fresno Republican Women
Kings County Republican Women
Merced County Republican Women

REGION 5 – Thank you to Regional Director and 3rd VP Nancy Wofford
Conejo Valley Republican Women 
Westlake Village Republican Women
Simi Valley / Moorpark Republican Women
Thousand Oaks Republican Women

REGION 6 – Thank you to Regional Director and Parliamentarian Pro Tem Valerie Evans
East San Gabriel Valley Republican Women
Valley Unity Republican Women

REGION 7 –  Thank you to Regional Directors Val Emick and Gale Hunt
San Bernardino Republican Women
San Gorgonio Pass Republican Women

REGION 8
Capistrano Valley Republican Women
Fullerton Republican Women
La Habra Republican Women

We wish to thank each of these Founding Clubs, because they have been the “wind beneath our wings”.  These ladies have been the most supportive, active, willing to help, and exceedingly kind “Republican Women” as can be possible!  Thank you so much!

We also wish to thank our Planning Committee members, without whom we would not have been able to take up such a monumental task.  Thank you, Ladies!  We’re going to bring conservative values back into state leadership in California!  Now let’s go get ’em!