Listed here are our dedicated coaches who, certified by the USA/RS, can provide expertise in the art of Roller Skating through private lessons or classes. Please seek any one of these coaches out if you have questions about competition skating, test skating, or skating for exercise and fun.

Susan Richardson

Advanced Artistic Coach

Susan has been a coach at the Oaks since 1978. She began her very successful career in roller skating as a child. As a competitor, she represented one of the Portland, OR rinks - first the Imperial Rink (now closed), and then the Oaks.

In her competitive years she was coached by Danny McNeice, Pat Patton, Al Shaeffer, Joe & Rose Blavett, Dale Pritchard & Ray Lenty. Susan enjoyed many successes. She has won or placed at the Northwest Regional Championships in nearly every division of figures, dance, singles & pairs in artistic skating, and won the Intermediate Ladies division in speed. In 1953, Susan & her partner were crowned the United States Juvenile Pairs Champions.

Away from the rink, Susan is a registered nurse (RN) at one of the local hospitals. She also enjoys reading, and "being a couch potato." A frequent visitor to Disneyland & Disney World, she's been accused of having "mouse blood". She and her husband, Gary, travel extensively.

Susan's coaching career has been very rewarding as well. She has coached several skaters to finals at the National Championships, and has had countless Northwest Regional Champions. She teaches all of the artistic disciplines of roller skating. She has also coached many skaters to successful Gold Medals in dance, International dance & figures.

A particularly rewarding and proud moment in Susan's "roller skating life" was in 1978. She had the pleasure of seeing her daughter, Tiffany, and Tif's partner Ric Kolibaba win the National Championships in Elementary Pairs, exactly 25 years after Susan had won the event.

Currently, in addition to her coaching responsibilities at the Oaks, Susan is the USAC Chairman for the Northwest Region. She is also the advisor to the Oaks Club judges' panel, and a member of the Judges' Upgrading Committee for the Northwest. She was a judge at the United States Championships for 7 years.

Susan can be found almost everyday at Oaks rink. She teaches many private lessons & is the instructor for the Slim & Trim class on Thursday mornings.

Bill Moore

Certified Artistic Coach

Bill began his roller skating career when he was a teenager. He first attended a party at the local roller rink then began skating public sessions regularly. His interest grew and he began taking lessons, which led to competing and participation in the proficiency test program. Additionally, he has been active in judging.

Bill was a competitor in the United States Championships in International dance 1975-78, his highest National placement being 11th in 1975. He also holds "gold bars" in both American & International dance proficiency, as well as silver in figures.

Over the years, Bill has been coached by Joanne Schenk, Joan Dreyer, Ray Comella, Larry Langford & Jeanette Bernstein. Before coming to the Oaks, he coached at Salem Skate Palace, Portland Skating Center (formerly, The Imperial, now closed), & at Golden Skate in Vancouver, WA.

When not at the rink, Bill may be found at an antique auction, or haunting the antique shops wherever he may visit. An avid antique collector, he has a house full of beautiful pieces. In addition to his full time job with U.S.West, he is much sought after for his costume designing & sewing.

Currently, Bill teaches primarily private lessons in dance and figures, although he has taught freestyle skating as well. He has had a number of successful students qualify & skate the United States Championships. He has had roller skating as part of his life for more than 30 years.

Cindy Leppin-White

Certified Artistic Coach

Cindy is a "second generation" skater. Her parents both skated at Rollertime in Salem, OR, where she was introduced to skates as soon as she could walk. However, she found them to be a hindrance, and really would have nothing to do with them until age 4, when she started going skating with her mother, who was now skating at the Oaks. She has been skating ever since. Her 20 years of competitive skating were all as a member of the Oaks Skating Club. Cindy competed in all of the artistic disciplines, and speed skating as well. She has placed or won at the Northwest Regional Championships in all disciplines, and competed in the same at the United States Championships. Cindy's most memorable successes as a competitor have been in the area of figure skating, although she has done well in both American & World Class dance. She was Northwest Regional World Class Women Figure Champion seven times.

Cindy has been coached primarily by Susan Richardson & George Kolibaba. Other coaches she's worked with include;
Caroline Diewold, Joan Dreyer & Bill Duncan. Also an active judge, she has judged the US Championships several times, been a speed referee, and is a gold level artistic proficiency test judge. Cindy has achieved her Gold Medal proficiency in speed skating, figure, American dance, International dance & loop figure, and the gold level in freestyle. She has twice been honored with the Oaks Skating Club "Skater of the Year" achievement award. The highlight of Cindy's competitive skating career came in 1991. That was the year she skated to the finals, and then placed 8th in World Class Women Figures at the US Championships. She was subsequently named the Northwest Regional "Artistic Skater of the Year" for 1991.

Cindy has been coaching since 1992. She has been fortunate enough to have skaters receive placements at the NW Regional Championships, qualifying them for the US Championships. She has also coached at the US Championships and had skaters make finals or place. Currently, she is Vice-Chairperson for the Northwest Roller Skating Teachers Assn. In her life away from the rink, Cindy has a full time job as Corporate Treasury Administrator with Blount, Inc., in Milwaukie, OR. She and her husband, Jeff, sped a lot of their spare time working in the yard of their home and cooking together. They also enjoy traveling when they can, especially to the Oregon coast & to a cabin on the Santiam River that Jeff's family owns. Cindy enjoys teaching private lessons in all artistic disciplines of roller skating. She originated the Dance Drill class that takes place on Saturday mornings, and has been involved with precision team.

Tiffany McKinnon

Certified Artistic Coach

Tiffany was "born into" the sport of roller skating. Both parents are involved in the sport, and she had skates on as soon as she could walk. She skated her first competition at age four. Another "native" to the Oaks, she has been coached by George Kolibaba, and her mother, Susan Richardson. Tiffany has skated every artistic discipline of roller skating, including fours, which is no longer a competitive event. Throughout her life, she has won or placed at the Northwest Regional Championships in all of those events at one time or another. She has also been a Northwest placement in speed skating. Her successes at the United States Championships have been many. Tiffany has been strongest in singles & pairs, but as an adult has done very well in the Classic figure event. Tiffany has achieved the Gold Medal proficiency in freestyle, and the gold level in figure, dance & speed. Also active in the judging program, she has judged the US Championships several times & is qualified to judge up to the Gold Medal in proficiency tests. She has been honored with the Junior Oaks Skating Club "Skater of the Year" achievement award, and the Oaks Skating Club Sportsmanship award.

Without a doubt, the highlight of Tiffany's competitive career came in 1978 when she, along with partner Ric Kolibaba, were crowned the United States Elementary Pairs Champions. She is particularly proud of that because they received all of the judge's first place ordinals in elimination & in finals. They placed 4th in Freshman pairs before retiring from pairs skating.

Away from the rink, Tiffany is a full time business analyst with Oregon Cutting Systems. She and her husband, Fred, enjoy traveling, especially to any of the Disney theme parks. She has two daughters and two step sons. The entire family enjoys skating. Her husband Fred placed fourth at the United States Championships in JO figures his first year of competing. Her eldest daughter has already competed at nationals in figures, freestyle, solo dance, team dance, creative solo and pairs.

Tiffany teaches primarily freestyle, figures and creative solo, and some dance. She teaches mostly private lessons. She was one of the coaches of the freestyle class before it was merged into the Junior Olympic class program. Tiffany has also been involved with precision team. She is also the current Treasurer for the Northwest Teachers Association. The highlight of her teaching career so far has been at the 2004 United States Championships. Two of her figure skaters medaled, and one of her dance skaters medaled in team dance.

George Kolibaba

• Advanced Artistic Coach
• Advanced Speed Coach
• Rink Management
  

George is one of the "natives" at the Oaks. He began skating in 1960 when he belonged to a roller skating club at his high school here in Portland. His involvement in the sport has continuously grown. He competed for about 10 years, then began coaching.

As mentioned before, George has always skated for the Oaks Skating Club. He has been coached by Dale & Jeanne Pritchard, Ray Lenty & John Clark. George has won or placed at the Northwest Regional Championships in dance, figures & freestyle, and competed in the same events at the United States Championships. He has attained the proficiency "Gold Bar" in dance & figures, and silver in freestyle. His involvement has included speed skating & judging as well. He is both an artistic and speed judge, qualified to judge at any contest, as well as all levels of proficiency tests. George has been a recipient of the Oaks Skating Club "Skater of the Year" achievement award.

George has had much success as a coach. He has coached numerous skaters to placement at the Northwest Regional Championships in all artistic disciplines, as well as indoor speed. Many of those skaters have gone on to be finalists or placements at the United States Championships. In 1978, he experienced the thrill, both as a coach and a parent, of seeing his son, Ric, and partner Tiffany Richardson, become the US Elementary Pairs Champions.

His involvement in roller skating goes beyond just coaching. George is US Chairman of the Indoor Speed Technical Committee, US Speed Committee Chairman, voting member of the National Governing Body Board of Directors for roller skating, and chairman of the National computer scoring. He is also a frequent Director for the Indoor Speed US Championships. At the 1999 National Championships, George was recognized with the National Special Recognition Award and induction to the USARS Hall of Fame for his dedication and service to the sport. He continues to be honored and recently received the 2002 MM Shattuck Award for Distinguished Service.

George is a key member of the management staff at the Oaks. With his management duties & coaching schedule, he is extremely busy. When not at the rink, he especially enjoys flying. He is an FAA instrument flight rating, licensed single engine pilot. He loves to fly and work on airplanes. George and his wife, Sharon, have 3 children, who have all been skaters. All three have their own families now & and George is a doting grandparent.

The 1993 and 2000 recipient of the Northwest Artistic Coach of the Year award, George teaches all disciplines of artistic skating, and continues to be involved with speed skating. His park management duties have stolen some of his time from coaching. Elected U.S. President of USARS since 2001 has George spending a lot of time on the image of USARS, both domestically and internationally.

Dale Pritchard

Advanced Artistic Coach

Dale has been involved with roller skating since he began skating at the Oaks Rink in 1936. His career in the sport has spanned several decades. Although never a competitive skater, he achieved his Gold Medal in dance. His past coaches include; Pat Pattison, Tony Mayo, Bill MacMillan, Fred Bergin, Dick McLaughlin & Dean Songer.

In 1942 Dale began his coaching career. He has coached at Rollerbowl Seattle, Rollarena Medford and at the Oaks. Most of the Oaks coaching staff has at one time or another been one of Dale's many students. He has enjoyed numerous successes with his skaters. Over the years he has produced a very large roster of Northwest Regional champions and United States Championship placements. Dale has also coached many skaters to their Gold Medal in all of the disciplines of roller skating.

As with most of the coaching staff at the Oaks, Dale has been active in both proficiency test and competitive judging. He has been on the National panel of judges for the United States Championships. The training of judges has been one of his activities in the sport as well.

Dale has been involved in every aspect of the sport of roller skating. He has served on the U.S. Skating Teachers of America (SRSTA) Dance & Speed committees, was vice-president of Roller Skating Rink Operators of America (RSROA), and has been a US Amateur Confederation (USAC/RS) board member & hockey representative.

Many honors have come to Dale in his long career in roller skating. A few of his most meaningful include, life memberships in SRSTA & USAC/RS, and induction to the Northwest Region Hall of Fame. Years ago when the Oaks put on their annual floor shows, Dale was the driving force. He had a lot of fun with those shows & has directed about 12 of them.

Away from the rink, Dale mostly enjoys spending time with his wife, Jeanne, (who has also been a very successful roller skating coach) and his two children and their families. Being with his family is what he enjoys most. In the past, he was an avid skier, and still enjoys golfing.

Dale has made a few attempts at retiring from coaching, but his love of the sport keeps bringing him back. He helps with the classes, especially on Saturday mornings, and continues to teach a few private lessons.

Joan Dreyer

Advanced Artistic Coach

Joan has been involved in the sport of roller skating since she was a teenager. She took the evening classes from Dale Pritchard, at the Oaks, and the rest is, as they say, history.

She has been active in many aspects of the sport of artistic roller skating. A very accomplished dance and figure skater herself, she has enjoyed numerous successes as a coach. Joan has had the unique pleasure of seeing at least twenty of her students medal at the US Championships in dance skating - both American and International style. The current reining US Masters Dance champion team (Bob & Sharon Behrendt of Maui, HI) is a product of Joan's coaching. In 1990, Joan was honored as the Northwest Region Coach of the Year.

Joan is very devoted to the sport, and to seeing that roller skating will always be the wonderful activity that it is currently. She is vice president of the Northwest Rollerskating Foundation, which is an organization dedicated to the advancement of competitive roller skating in the Northwest region.

When not at the rink, Joan is employed as a registered nurse, case manager. She also enjoys genealogy and spends much of her free time doing that type of research. Joan's love of roller skating is "in her blood" completely, as one of her children, her daughter Cindy Armstead, has several US Championship medals, and her grandchildren are participating as well.

Joan teaches private lessons in figures and dance, including international style dance, and is quite active in the classes at the Oaks, including the Junior Olympic program.

Norma Willison

Certified Speed Coach

Rink Management

Norma has been an active participant in the sport of roller skating since she was a young girl. She got her start as a child because her father enjoyed roller skating and made it a family event they all did together. She took it a step further, and became a very successful speed skater.

Coached by Ron Cogdill, Norma has skated competitively for the Imperial Rink (now closed), Gresham, Beaverton (also closed), Powell Valley, Oregon Valley and the Oaks. She points out that although there are many locations, it was all the same "club".

In her competitive career, Norma has enjoyed much success. She achieved placements at the Northwest Regional Championships 1964 - 1974, which qualified her to compete at the United States Championships those same years. In 1972, she won the silver (2nd place) in Senior Ladies speed at the U.S. Championships. She has also attained the Gold Medal speed proficiency award. For a time, Norma was also a speed skating judge.

In addition to being the senior speed skating coach at the Oaks, Norma is also part of the management staff at Oaks Park. She is kept extremely busy as the rink manager. When she can get some time to herself, she claims her favorite pastime as "sleeping".

Norma can be found almost every day at the rink, or somewhere in the park seeing to business.

Amy Hamblin

Certified Artistic Coach

Amy got her start in the sport when she attended Saturday morning classes at a rink in Delanco, NJ. The inexpensive lessons were in conjunction with a skating session where the parent was allowed to skate for free when the child skated. She was impressed with techniques demonstrated and she knew she wanted to learn more. That was about 1985 and she has been an active participant and competitor since.

Amy has skated for Holiday Skating Center in Delanco, NJ, where her coach was Elvin Griffin. She also skated at Rollerama, in Levittown, PA for John Heffner before coming to Portland. She came to the Oaks when she was fourteen.At the Oaks, Amy’s primary coach has been George Kolibaba. She has also worked with Brenda Charlson and Cindy White. She has had many successes in all of the artistic disciplines. She has placed at the regional level and competed at nationals in freshman through World Class in figures, as well as in solo dance, team dance, loops and freestyle. She has achieved the “gold bar” in both figures and American dance.

Amy has twice attended the Artistic Academy in Colorado Springs, CO, held at the Olympic Training Center. She is also an artistic judge and referee. Amy has been honored with the Oaks Skating Club “Rookie of the Year” award early in her career, and the “Lloyd Siebert Sportsmanship” award.

She states that her favorite moment in roller skating did not occur while competing. It happened one Saturday morning when she was at the Oaks for practice, soon after moving to Portland. “I was the first person to skate onto the floor that morning. The rink was silent. I will never forget the way the light reflected off the floor’s smooth surface, and the crackling sound the wood floor made under my wheels. It was then that I knew I had found my skating home.”

Amy’s first year of coaching was the 2002 skating season. She is active with the Saturday morning classes, Junior Olympic classes and Chipper’s Pre School skating class. Amy is also still competing in the Classic division of figures and solo dance.

Married to Kevin, and a full time mom to two young boys, Amy is very busy away from the rink as well. She enjoys
church and is involved with the Youth Group there. She is also secretary for James John School PTA Executive
Board. Her favorite pastimes include reading, camping and trips to the beach.Amy enjoys teaching classes and does private lessons as well, focusing on the completion of achievement tests. She has also been involved with precision team.