Pennies in Action got the final approval as a 501 (c) (3) public charity

This is the best Christmas present. After almost 2 years we got our final papers from the IRS . We filed 4/28/08 and received the final approval 12/14/09. This means that our hands have been untied to start fundraising in a big way.
Thru the generosity of the Seifert family fund we had been able to start a term fund at University of Pennsylvania so we could start immediately our efforts to raise funds for cancer vaccine research. It all had to go thru the Trustees of the University but because of the term fund all moneys went directly to the research….
Now we are able to deal direct thru Pennies in Action.
The new trial is showing amazing results so far.
Pennies in Action wants to raise funds and awareness for a Immuno therapy center and a cancer think tank so that the brightest minds get together and eliminate the threat of cancer in the next decade. But I need every bodies help. This is a global threat and affects every body to some extent. I am the first one in my family to have had cancer and I had 2 kinds. So I felt first hand that no one is save.
If every body gives just a little we can do this.
Remember economic down turns are temporary, but the affects of cancer are permanent.
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I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Holiday season !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some of the losses in skating since we got rid of school figures

It is 18 years since we eliminated figures in skating. I am always working on analyzing what we lost because of that. And how to put back into the grammar of skating to fill the void.
One of the major things is that the skating side is not getting educated anymore and the free-side is taking over to much.
In order to not change edge and have flats in turns you needed to stay properly over your hip. As we concentrated on the print it was a natural development. We always were told “ stand over the hip” Doing it hours a day it was inevitable to get a good amount of that.
Recently I watched a tape of Janet Lynn and it was amazing how controlled she was on the skating side. Which is partly the reason that she had such great run on the blade . As my coach Helmut Seibt always said the run of the blade is supreme to everything else… As Elvis Stojko put it “ The blade rules…”
As we took away the education of the print the blade made it seems the blade has lost its voice.
It is amazing how few skaters now have true blade control. Imagine a concert pianist having very little sense of touch in his or her fingers…
We lost accuracy, sense of symmetry , true flow during transitions and true sense of circle.
In my humble opinion all these things are contributing to all the injuries we are having in skating. When properly aligned over the skating hip, skating is low impact. If not it becomes very high impact and our hip knee and ankle joints are not able to endure the daily abuse…

Another success story for the breast cancer vaccine trial

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.
Here is another testimonial about a new success story for Dr. Czerniecki's breast cancer vaccine trial at the University of Pennsylvania. If anyone gets diagnosed with breast cancer please let them check it out and see if they are elegable for this trial. I was diagnosed 4 years ago and much to my dismay was not but so many are...
By next year in America alone 1 000 000 women will have been diagnosed with DCIS ( ductal carcinoma in situ)

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A recipient of the vaccine : I am so thankful to tell people that this vaccine works! My biopsies and lymph nodes are all disease free! I can't wait to start helping other people because even though I am very happy for myself, I will never feel completely happy until I know we have done all we can to just get rid of cancer for everyone forever. Ev...en though it might seem like baby steps, each step is so important and each person healed is such a celebration! Thanks Uschi for all your love and encouragement!S.D.

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Please tell everybody about this.
For more info check
www.penniesinaction.org

Win Gold by beating cancer

In light of the upcoming Olympic games, Pennies in Action is having another fundraiser.
Pennies in Action measures donation into distance. Every penny is ¾ of an inch.
48 pennies is a yard and 84 480 ($ 845) equals a mile.
The Olympic flame travels 6092 miles from Athens to Vancouver .Let’s see how much distance we can cover between now and the end of the Games.
You can donate on line at www.penniesinaction.org or send checks to
Pennies in Action
3100 Dutton Mill Rd
Aston PA 19014
USA

Our dear friend Bob rest in peace....

A few hours ago our dear friend Bob passed away. He fought a brave fight against cancer, but after much suffering lost it tonight….
We will miss him terribly. He has been a dear friend of ours since I first came to America many years ago.
He had such a sunny disposition and took everything life handed him in stride. He always said” it is what it is…”
He made our time in Florida so happy. My husband will miss him so much. They shared so many things.
We must solve this horrible suffering caused by cancer.!!!!
They are so close and it is so upsetting that funding stands in the way. It again comes down to money…
I will give it my last breath to help to get rid of this horrible disease. I promise you that Bob...
I made the start with www.penniesinaction.org
I know you are in a good place now. We will always love you and never forget you….

Another Corey story....

And how I love them and love to share them.
The other day my two grand kids were talking about their Christmas list. So Corey said “ Omi , for Christmas Justin and I would like play station 3 for the two of us. I know we have play station 2 but a lot of the new games are not made for that. Besides we have had it for 17 years!’
I said “ but Corey you are only 11” To that he answered “ I know but it sure feels like it….”
I can always count on the two of them to come up with it…

coachable does not equal controllable

In my career as a coach I have often seen, that children have been called not coachable because they were not controllable.

I applaud a child that refuses to be controlled.

Our job as coaches is to guide . But we should never forget the 3 basic human rights.

1. Right to clear information

2. Right to your own perception

3. Freedom of choice

I do understand that this could be misused or misinterpreted.

My Dad told me the first day I started coaching.

“Uschi you better realize that you will have a large influence on young people, sometimes more than their parents. Do you feel you can handle that.? It is about them and not about you. Always remember there is no place for you on the podium.”

As a coach you have many chances as an athlete you have one career…

We should try to help them stand on their own two feet and eventually take ourselves out of the equation. Remote controlling a student, does not built their strength…

I have and always will put my students first. I hope my Dad is proud of me( he died 26 years ago) I have never forgotten his words…..