Keszler vows to turn Pennies in to Action

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Keszler vows to turn pennies into action
Palm Beach-area fans can skate with the stars for cancer research
Uschi Keszler is determined to make pennies add up for cancer research funding
By Lynn Rutherford, special to icenetwork.com
(07/20/2010) - It was at a 1981 choreography seminar that Uschi Keszler swirled into Brian Orser's life, impressing the athlete and his coach, Dough Leigh, with her theories on movement and "feeling the energy" of skating.

She was "a vital, demonstrative and very attractive German-American blonde who...talked about energy flow [and] capturing an inner feeling" Orser wrote in his autobiography, A Skater's Life.

The Canadian great, who now coaches Olympic champion Yu-Na Kim, ended up working with Keszler en route to two Olympic silver medals and the 1987 world title.

Nearly 30 years after that fateful seminar, Keszler has lost none of her enthusiasm and drive. As one of the owners of the four-surface IceWorks facility in Aston, Pa., site of the annual Liberty Summer Competition, she keeps things humming with style.

And as a cancer survivor, her most heartfelt efforts are devoted to her foundation, Pennies in Action, dedicated to raising funds for medical research.

"This is a concern to every person in world," Keszler, a 1965 German champion and one-time star of Holiday on Ice, said.

"They are estimating that by 2030, 13 million people will die of cancer each year. My goal is this will not happen."

Keszler -- who also coached world ice dance champions Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz and was an integral part of two-time Olympic silver medalist Elvis Stojko's success -- started Pennies in Action two-and-a-half years ago, after having an epiphany at her rink one morning.

"I found a penny on the floor, and I thought, what if everybody does their part and takes ownership in solving this problem, instead of hoping the top two percent [of income earners] do it," she said.

Keszler's logic: loose change, when multiplied, makes a huge impact. So she started the Penny-a-Day Club, comprising a donation of $5 for a one-year membership.

Pennies in Action's efforts center on raising funds for cancer vaccine research at The University of Pennsylvania under the direction of Dr. Brian Czerniecki and his research team. Dr. Czerniecki receives National Institute of Health support, but it falls $14,000 short per patient, and Pennies in Action helps to close that gap.

Right now, the current trial is for the breast cancer diagnosis of DCIS/Her2/neu. Next year the vaccine trial is being expanded to include those with invasive breast cancer.

At Liberty, Keszler and friends worked tirelessly, manning an information table and soliciting small donations via a 50/50 raffle, which coincidentally was won by a medical practitioner.

"I asked him, 'How charitable are you feeling?' and he donated back," the persistent, but charming, Keszler laughed.

"One of the big things is we need 50 more patients to go into this [vaccine] trial, and because people are coming [to Liberty] from all over, we can get the message out. It's still in a clinical trial, so it's not openly advertised, but it's as easy as somebody going to lunch and learning that one of their friends is diagnosed with breast cancer, and suggesting they find out about the trial."

Several of the youth hockey teams that train at IceWorks have pitched in with fundraisers; a tournament held during the Christmas season raised $2800, and a visiting Minnesota team contributed $1400.

The figure skating community is also getting involved. In Florida, adult skater and breast cancer patient Melissa Nicholas has teamed up with Shelley Dodt, breast cancer survivor and Director of the Florida Chapter of PIA, to hold Skate with the Stars on August 7th at the Palm Beach Skate Zone in Lake Worth.

This event, held in honor of local news anchor Kristin Hoke, who recently passed away after a courageous bout with cancer, gives fans a chance to skate with well-known skaters prior to the Skate Zone's Summer Sizzler Skating Show. At press time, expected participants include two-time U.S. pair champion (with Rocky Marvel) Calla Urbanski, among others. The show will be headlined by U.S. pair silver medalists Amanda Evora and Mark Ladwig, and will also feature Michael Chau, who won the 2010 U.S. junior pair title with Tracy Tanovich.

Admission is $5 per person, including skate rental. For tickets call the Palm Beach Skate Zone at (561) 963-5900. Admission for the Summer Sizzler Skating Show is $10 for adults and a jar of pennies for children and students.

To find learn more about Pennies in Action, including information on the vaccine trial, see Penniesinaction.org.

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