1.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
2.
Boston
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Boston is the capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. Boston is also the seat of Suffolk County, although the county government was disbanded on July 1,1999. The city proper covers 48 square miles with a population of 667,137 in 2015, making it the largest city in New England. Alternately, as a Combined Statistical Area, this wider commuting region is home to some 8.1 million people, One of the oldest cities in the United States, Boston was founded on the Shawmut Peninsula in 1630 by Puritan settlers from England. It was the scene of several key events of the American Revolution, such as the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, the Battle of Bunker Hill, and the Siege of Boston. Upon U. S. independence from Great Britain, it continued to be an important port and manufacturing hub as well as a center for education, through land reclamation and municipal annexation, Boston has expanded beyond the original peninsula. Its rich history attracts many tourists, with Faneuil Hall alone drawing over 20 million visitors per year, Bostons many firsts include the United States first public school, Boston Latin School, first subway system, the Tremont Street Subway, and first public park, Boston Common. Bostons economic base also includes finance, professional and business services, biotechnology, information technology, the city has one of the highest costs of living in the United States as it has undergone gentrification, though it remains high on world livability rankings. Bostons early European settlers had first called the area Trimountaine but later renamed it Boston after Boston, Lincolnshire, England, the renaming on September 7,1630 was by Puritan colonists from England who had moved over from Charlestown earlier that year in quest of fresh water. Their settlement was limited to the Shawmut Peninsula, at that time surrounded by the Massachusetts Bay and Charles River. The peninsula is thought to have been inhabited as early as 5000 BC, in 1629, the Massachusetts Bay Colonys first governor John Winthrop led the signing of the Cambridge Agreement, a key founding document of the city. Puritan ethics and their focus on education influenced its early history, over the next 130 years, the city participated in four French and Indian Wars, until the British defeated the French and their Indian allies in North America. Boston was the largest town in British America until Philadelphia grew larger in the mid-18th century, Bostons harbor activity was significantly curtailed by the Embargo Act of 1807 and the War of 1812. Foreign trade returned after these hostilities, but Bostons merchants had found alternatives for their investments in the interim. Manufacturing became an important component of the economy, and the citys industrial manufacturing overtook international trade in economic importance by the mid-19th century. Boston remained one of the nations largest manufacturing centers until the early 20th century, a network of small rivers bordering the city and connecting it to the surrounding region facilitated shipment of goods and led to a proliferation of mills and factories. Later, a network of railroads furthered the regions industry. Boston was a port of the Atlantic triangular slave trade in the New England colonies
3.
Brookline, Massachusetts
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Brookline /ˈbrʊkˌlaɪn/ is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, in the United States, and is a part of Greater Boston. Brookline borders six of Bostons neighborhoods, Brighton, Allston, Fenway–Kenmore, Mission Hill, Jamaica Plain, the city of Newton lies to the west of Brookline. At the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732, Brookline was first settled in 1638 as a hamlet in Boston, but was incorporated as a separate town in 1705. Brookline is especially notable as the birthplace and hometown of John F. Kennedy, Brookline was known as the hamlet of Muddy River and was considered part of Boston until the Town of Brookline was independently incorporated in 1705. It is said that the name derives from a farm once owned by Judge Samuel Sewall. According to the United States Census Bureau, Brookline has an area of 6.8 sq mi. The northern part of Brookline, roughly north of the D-line tracks, is urban in character, as highly walkable, Brookline borders Newton to the west and Boston in all other directions, it is therefore non-contiguous with any other part of Norfolk County. Brookline separates the bulk of the city of Boston from its westernmost neighborhoods of Allston–Brighton, Brookline falls under the USDA 6b Plant Hardiness zone. As of the census of 2010, there were 58,732 people,24,891 households, the population density was 8,701.0 people per square mile. There were 26,448 housing units at a density of 3,889.6 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 73. 3% White,3. 4% Black or African American,0. 12% Native American,15. 6% Asian,0. 03% Pacific Islander,1. 01% from other races, and 3. 0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5. 0% of the population,36. 7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10. 1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the family size was 2.86. In the town, the population was out with 16. 6% under the age of 18,11. 7%, from 18 to 24,37. 3% from 25 to 44,21. 9% from 45 to 64. The median age was 34 years, for every 100 females there were 82.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.1 males, the median income for a household in the town was $66,711, and the median income for a family was $92,993. Males had an income of $56,861 versus $43,436 for females. The per capita income for the town was $44,327
4.
US Open (tennis)
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The United States Open Tennis Championships is a hardcourt tennis tournament. The tournament is the version of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world. The US Open is held annually, starting on the last Monday in August, the main tournament consists of five event championships, mens and womens singles, mens and womens doubles, and mixed doubles, with additional tournaments for senior, junior, and wheelchair players. Since 1978, the tournament has played on acrylic hard courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Queens. The US Open is owned and organized by the United States Tennis Association, net proceeds from ticket sales, sponsorships, and television deals are used to promote the development of tennis in the United States. The US Open is the only Grand Slam that employs tiebreakers in every set of a match, the first edition was won by Richard Sears, who went on to win seven consecutive singles titles. In the first years of the U. S. National Championship only men competed and this was followed by the introduction of the U. S. Womens National Doubles Championship in 1899 and the U. S. The womens tournament used a system from 1888 through 1918. This view was opposed by another group of players which included eight former national singles champions, the contentious issue was brought to a vote at the annual USNLTA meeting on February 5,1915 and with 128 votes in favor and 119 against it was decided to relocate. From 1921 through 1923, the tournament was played at the Germantown Cricket Club in Philadelphia and it returned to Forest Hills in 1924 following the completion of the newly constructed 14,000 seat concrete Forest Hills Stadium. Though regarded unofficially by many as a major championship beforehand, the tournament was officially designated as one of the tournaments by the ILTF commencing in 1924. At the 1922 U. S. National Championships the draw for the first time included seeded players in order to avoid leading players drawing against each other in the early rounds. Open era The open era began in 1968 when all five events were merged into the US Open, the 1968 combined tournament was open to professionals for the first time. That year,96 men and 63 women entered the event, from 1970 to 1974 the US Open used a best-of-nine point, sudden death tiebreaker before moving to the ITF best-of-twelve point system. In 1973 the US Open became the first Grand Slam tournament to award equal prize money to men and women with that years singles champions John Newcombe, another US Open innovation came in 1975 when floodlights enabled night play for the first time. In 1978 the tournament moved from the West Side Tennis Club, Forest Hills, Queens to the larger USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, Queens, three miles to the north. In the process, the tournament switched the court surface from clay, jimmy Connors is the only individual to have won US Open singles titles on all three surfaces, while Chris Evert is the only woman to win on two surfaces. The US Open is the only Grand Slam tournament that has played every year since its inception
5.
Figure skating
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Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, duos, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport included in the Olympics, in 1908, the four Olympic disciplines are mens singles, ladies singles, pair skating and ice dancing. Non-Olympic disciplines include synchronized skating and four skating, the blade has a groove on the bottom creating two distinct edges — inside and outside. Judges prefer that skaters glide on one edge of the blade, during a spin, skaters use the sweet spot of the blade, which is the roundest portion of the blade, just behind the pick and near the middle of the blade. Skates used in single and pair skating have a set of large, toe picks are mainly used for the take-off on jumps. Ice dancing blades are an inch shorter in the rear and have smaller toe picks, Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level at local, regional, national, and international competitions. The International Skating Union regulates international figure skating judging and competitions and these include the Winter Olympics, the World Championships, the World Junior Championships, the European Championships, the Four Continents Championships, and the Grand Prix series. The sport is also associated with show business, major competitions generally conclude with exhibition galas, in which the top skaters from each discipline perform non-competitive programs. Many skaters, both during and after their careers, also skate in ice shows which run during the competitive season. The term professional in skating refers not to level but competitive status. Figure skaters competing at the highest levels of competition are not professional skaters. They are sometimes referred to as amateurs, though some earn money, professional skaters include those who have lost their ISU eligibility and those who perform only in shows. They may include former Olympic and World champions who have ended their career as well as skaters with little or no international competitive experience. In languages other than English, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Italian, Polish and Russian, the most visible difference in relation to ice hockey skates is that figure skates have a set of large, jagged teeth called toe picks on the front part of the blade. The toe picks are used primarily in jumping and should not be used for stroking or spins, if used during a spin, the toe pick will cause the skater to lose momentum, or move away from the center of his/her spin. Blades are mounted to the sole and heel of the boot with screws, typically, high-level figure skaters are professionally fitted for their boots and blades at a reputable skate shop. Professionals are also employed to sharpen blades to individual requirements, Blades are about 3/16 inch thick. When viewed from the side, the blade of a figure skate is not flat and this curvature is referred to as the rocker of the blade
6.
Tennis
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Tennis is a racket sport that can be played individually against a single opponent or between two teams of two players each. Each player uses a racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over or around a net. The object of the game is to play the ball in such a way that the opponent is not able to play a valid return, the player who is unable to return the ball will not gain a point, while the opposite player will. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society, the sport can be played by anyone who can hold a racket, including wheelchair users. The modern game of tennis originated in Birmingham, England, in the late 19th century as lawn tennis and it had close connections both to various field games such as croquet and bowls as well as to the older racket sport of real tennis. The rules of tennis have changed little since the 1890s, two exceptions are that from 1908 to 1961 the server had to keep one foot on the ground at all times, and the adoption of the tiebreak in the 1970s. Tennis is played by millions of players and is also a popular worldwide spectator sport. Historians believe that the ancient origin lay in 12th century northern France. Louis X of France was a player of jeu de paume, which evolved into real tennis. Louis was unhappy with playing tennis outdoors and accordingly had indoor, in due course this design spread across royal palaces all over Europe. Because of the accounts of his death, Louis X is historys first tennis player known by name. Another of the enthusiasts of the game was King Charles V of France. It wasnt until the 16th century that rackets came into use, and the game began to be called tennis, from the French term tenez, an interjection used as a call from the server to his opponent. It was popular in England and France, although the game was played indoors where the ball could be hit off the wall. Henry VIII of England was a big fan of this game, during the 18th century and early 19th century, as real tennis declined, new racket sports emerged in England. This in turn led to the codification of rules for many sports, including lawn tennis, most football codes, lawn bowls. In 1872, along with two doctors, they founded the worlds first tennis club in Leamington Spa. Evans, turfgrass agronomist, Sports historians all agree that deserves much of the credit for the development of modern tennis, according to Honor Godfrey, museum curator at Wimbledon, Wingfield popularized this game enormously
7.
Pair skating
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Pair skating is a figure skating discipline. International Skating Union regulations describe pair teams as consisting of one lady, the sport is distinguished from ice dancing and single skating by elements unique to pair skating, including overhead lifts, twist lifts, death spirals, and throw jumps. Pair teams also perform the elements of skating in unison. The discipline requires similar technique and timing on all elements of the performance in order to create an impression of two skating as one, serious skating accidents are most common in pairs. In February 1908, pair skating made its first appearance at the World Championships and its Olympic debut took place in London in October 1908. The discipline has been dominated by Canada, China, Germany, Pair skating has evolved significantly since its early beginnings. Some elements common in the sport were not introduced until decades later. Pair skaters execute a variety of elements, some of which are unique to the discipline, each element receives a score according to its base value and grade of execution, resulting in a combined technical elements score. At competitions, a technical specialist identifies each element, elements may be assigned a level of difficulty, ranging from B to Level 4. A panel of judges determines GOE, ranging from +3 to -3, the GOE may be weighted according to the elements base value. The ISU defines a fall as a loss of control with the result that the majority of the body weight is not on the blade but supported by hands, knees. Women are referred to as ladies in ISU regulations, Pair lifts are mostly overhead, rotational, and require ice coverage, i. e. to travel a distance across the ice. According to the current ISU rules for competition, the man must rotate more than once. Lifts are categorized by the hold at the moment the lady passes the mans shoulders, legal holds are, Armpit holds are not generally used in elite senior competition. Lifts without rotation are termed carry lifts, in current competitive skating, they are incorporated into lifts that include rotation before or after, unlike in the past where they would more typically appear as separate lifts. Lifts below the shoulders are termed dance lifts and are counted toward the choreography mark. Stationary lifts, lifts performed on the spot without ice coverage, are counted in choreography. In some twists, the lady performs a split before rotating and this is credited as a difficult feature if each leg is at least 45° from the body axis and legs are straight or almost straight
8.
Ice dancing
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Ice dancing is a discipline of figure skating that draws from ballroom dancing. It joined the World Figure Skating Championships in 1952, and became a Winter Olympic Games medal sport in 1976, as in pair skating, dancers compete as a couple consisting of a man and a woman. Ice dance differs from pair skating by having different requirements for lifts, couples must perform spins as a team in a dance hold, and throws and jumps are disallowed. Typically, partners are not supposed to separate by more than two arm lengths, originally, partners were supposed to be in a dance hold the entire program, though modern ice dancing has lifted this restriction somewhat. Another distinction between ice dance and other skating disciplines is the use of music in the performances, in ice dancing, dancers must always skate to music with a definite beat or rhythm. Singles and pair skaters more often skate to the melody and phrasing of their music and this is severely penalized in ice dance. In some non-ISU competitions, solo dancers may also compete, there are two segments in ice dance competitions, the short dance, and the free dance. The free dance is the most heavily weighted in the scoring and is used as a tiebreaker, until the end of the 2009–10 season, competitions included one or more compulsory dances, an original dance, and the free dance. In compulsory dances, all teams in a competition perform the same standard steps. One or more dances were skated as the first phase of competitions in ice dancing. The patterns for most dances either cover one-half or one full circuit of the rink, the International Skating Union would publish the compulsory dances that would be performed prior to each season, and CDs were later drawn for specific events. The compulsory dance was discontinued in all ISU competitions after the 2009–2010 season, the 2010 World Championships were the last event to include a CD, and Italians Federica Faiella / Massimo Scali were the last dance team to perform one in competition. The original dance was the second of three parts in ice dancing competitions, for the original dance, the ISU would designate a rhythm or set of rhythms each year that all dancers must perform to, or a specific theme, such as folk dance. The competitors were allowed to choose their own music and choreography, the length of the program was shorter than the free dance, and the skaters had to adhere to more rules. Closed partnering positions and close skating were also important for the original dance, the OD and CD were last performed in the 2009–10 season and were replaced by the short dance in the 2010–11 season. Following the 2009-10 season, the ISU congress voted to change the format of ice dance events and make them similar to pairs. Thus, the new dance was introduced at the start of the 2010-11 season. Skaters are free to choose their own music, so long as the tempo is appropriate, the free dance is a part of an ice dancing competition
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Olympic Games
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The Olympic Games are considered the worlds foremost sports competition with more than 200 nations participating. The Olympic Games are held four years, with the Summer and Winter Games alternating by occurring every four years. Their creation was inspired by the ancient Olympic Games, which were held in Olympia, Greece, Baron Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee in 1894, leading to the first modern Games in Athens in 1896. The IOC is the body of the Olympic Movement, with the Olympic Charter defining its structure. The evolution of the Olympic Movement during the 20th and 21st centuries has resulted in changes to the Olympic Games. The IOC has had to adapt to a variety of economic, political, as a result, the Olympics has shifted away from pure amateurism, as envisioned by Coubertin, to allowing participation of professional athletes. The growing importance of mass media created the issue of corporate sponsorship, World wars led to the cancellation of the 1916,1940, and 1944 Games. Large boycotts during the Cold War limited participation in the 1980 and 1984 Games, the Olympic Movement consists of international sports federations, National Olympic Committees, and organising committees for each specific Olympic Games. As the decision-making body, the IOC is responsible for choosing the host city for each Games, the IOC also determines the Olympic programme, consisting of the sports to be contested at the Games. There are several Olympic rituals and symbols, such as the Olympic flag and torch, over 13,000 athletes compete at the Summer and Winter Olympic Games in 33 different sports and nearly 400 events. The first, second, and third-place finishers in each event receive Olympic medals, gold, silver, the Games have grown so much that nearly every nation is now represented. This growth has created numerous challenges and controversies, including boycotts, doping, bribery, every two years the Olympics and its media exposure provide unknown athletes with the chance to attain national and sometimes international fame. The Games also constitute an opportunity for the host city and country to themselves to the world. The Ancient Olympic Games were religious and athletic festivals held every four years at the sanctuary of Zeus in Olympia, competition was among representatives of several city-states and kingdoms of Ancient Greece. These Games featured mainly athletic but also combat such as wrestling. It has been written that during the Games, all conflicts among the participating city-states were postponed until the Games were finished. This cessation of hostilities was known as the Olympic peace or truce and this idea is a modern myth because the Greeks never suspended their wars. The truce did allow those religious pilgrims who were travelling to Olympia to pass through warring territories unmolested because they were protected by Zeus
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Single skating
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Single skating is a discipline of figure skating in which male and female skaters compete individually. Single skaters perform jumps, spins, step sequences, spirals, single skating competitions consist of a short program and free skating, usually performed within a day or two of each other. Skaters are separated into groups, and generally there is a draw to decide the skating order. For the long program, the groups are organized according to a skaters placement after the short program. Short programs at the senior and junior levels are two minutes and fifty seconds long, skaters are penalized if they skate over that time limit. Skaters must perform certain required elements as part of the program and these elements have varied over the years. The short program is the more exacting of the programs because all the elements must be completed. The free skating programs are 4 1⁄2 minutes for men,4 minutes for ladies, skaters are allowed a time margin of +/-10 seconds, and are penalized for going outside that range. Figure skaters competing in an ISU-sanctioned event are judged under the ISU Judging System, competitors often choose music in consultation with their coach and choreographer. For long programs, skaters generally search for music with different moods, in competitive programs, vocal music is allowed only if it contains no lyrics or words, however, judges do not always penalize violations. At the 2011 World Championships, Florent Amodios long program music included words, in June 2012, the International Skating Union voted to allow music with words in competitive programs beginning in the 2014–15 season. Figure skates for single skaters possess a set of jagged teeth called toe picks on the front of the blade than skates used by ice dancers. The toe picks are used primarily in jumping and footwork, the inside edge of the blade is on the side closest to the skater, the outside edge of the blade is on the side farthest from the skater. In figure skating it is desirable to skate on only one edge of the blade. The apparently effortless power and glide across the ice exhibited by elite figure skaters fundamentally derives from efficient use of the edges to generate speed, skaters and family members may design their own costumes or turn to professional designers. International Skating Union The history of figure skating, photos and autographs Washington Post
11.
World Hard Court Championships
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World Hard Court Championships was an annual major tennis tournament held from 1912 to 1923, principally in Paris, France. The venue was the courts of the Stade Français in Saint-Cloud, Paris, with one exception. The French Championships were also held at a different venue at the time and this would change in 1925 when the current four Majors began to be designated as such. The WHCC was not played in 1924, when Paris hosted the Olympic Games and its tennis tournament, also held on clay courts, from 1928, the French Championships moved to Stade Roland Garros. Anthony Wilding was the only multiple champion in the singles event, winning the title in 1913 and 1914. World Covered Court Championships Detailed history of World Hard Court Championships Detailed results of World Hard Court Championships
12.
Skating Club of Boston
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The Skating Club of Boston is a not-for-profit figure skating club based in Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 1912, it is one of the oldest skating clubs in the United States, Figure Skating, the governing body for the sport in the United States. The Clubs mission is to promote interest, access, education, Figure Skating, and to children and adults of all ages, abilities and means. The Club has over 800 active members from across New England, the club owns its own rink in Brighton, Massachusetts, built in 1938. An annual competition, the Boston Open, is held each fall, in the spring, the club puts on an ice show known as Ice Chips, which is said to have had the longest continuous run of any club skating carnival in the world. Its first presentation was in 1912, the club is affiliated with Team Excel which is a synchronized skating organization with several teams. The Club also manages several of its own ice theatre teams, the Club operates a high performance skating program for youth interested in accelerated training, both on and off the ice. The Club has hosted the United States Figure Skating Championships seven times, in 2016, the Club will host the ISU World Figure Skating Championships, a first for the city of Boston. The Club also hosted the 2011 U. S, Synchronized Skating Championships and the 2013 ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships. Like many other skating clubs in North America, The Skating Club of Boston includes many social and volunteer activities along with skater development, the Club supports a junior activities program encouraging leadership and community activities with its junior members. Membership is open to everyone interested in joining, and there are a range of membership types to accommodate different budgets and interests. Turner Laurence Owen Maribel Owen Maribel Vinson Paul Wylie Current coaches at the club include Mark Mitchell and Peter Johansson, the Skating Club of Bostons Theatre On Ice program consists of multiple competitive teams that have competed around the world. Their adult ice theatre team, Imagica of Boston, swept the medals at the 2008 and 2009 International/National Theatre on Ice competitions. Imagica of Boston is directed by Tasney Mazzarino, ACT I of Boston, is The Skating Club of Bostons Senior Theatre On Ice team. They are the 2013 U. S. National Theatre on Ice Gold Medal Champions and they have been selected to be one of three U. S. Senior TOI teams to represent the U. S in Paris, France at the Nations Cup and they are also the 2012 U. S. National Theatre On Ice silver medalists, and were selected by U. S. Figure Skating to represent Team USA at the 2012 Nations Cup International Championships in Logrono, Spain. ACT I of Boston is also the 2005,2006, &2007 International ice theatre Champions,2008 &2009 International silver medalists, and 2008 &2009 U. S. National silver medalists
United States
Edith Rotch