Meet the Team
Danielle Skinner
Figure Skating Director
Danielle has 24 years of skating experience. She has a passion for skating and choreography, and loves sharing that joy with others. She is a US Figure Skating (USFS) certified coach and a current USFS and ISI competitor. She has 6 years of Synchronized skating experience and is a 2-time USFS National Synchronized Skating competitor. She has passed ISI Freestyle 6, USFS Pre-Gold Solo Pattern Dance, Juvenile Free Skate, and Senior Moves in the Field. Danielle enjoys working with skaters of all ages and abilities!
Genevieve Dewyea-Brown
With nearly 20 years of coaching experience, Genna brings a wealth of expertise and passion to the ice. As a member of both US Figure Skating and ISI, she's dedicated herself to building and growing the USFS NorCal Elite Synchronized Skating team. Genna teaches skaters of all levels and is committed to fostering growth, creativity, and camaraderie on and off the ice. She is a member of PSA and is an ISI Gold Level and Synchronized judge.
Michael Dimalanta
Michael is a U.S. National High Performance Development Team Coach who has coached and choreographed for Regional, Sectional, National and International figure skaters. Michael himself is an International and World Competitor, a 2-time U.S. National Competitor, a Philippine National Champion, and toured internationally for 10 years with Holiday on Ice and Disney on Ice. Michael loves to motivate and work with skaters of all ages and abilities. He specializes in jump technique and also enjoys the creative process of choreography.
Caitlin Etie
Many years of skating experience in USFS including freestyle, moves in the field, dance and synchro. Five time Sectional and four time National USFS synchronized skating competitor. 2013 USFS synchronized skating sectional silver medalist. Enjoys working with all ages and abilities.
Kimberly Graves-Hamm
Kimberly Graves knows what it’s like to be in the spotlight. A former high-level ballet dancer, Graves danced in the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance as a child, later in the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in Canada, and with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. She spent years on the stage performing for crowds and is now taking her talents to the ice, working with some of the country’s top National Showcase skaters.
What separates Graves from other coaches is her approach. She is very detailed with her work and pays attention to every last movement, encouraging skaters to use every part of their body to portray a character. She focuses on musicality, presentation, interpretation of character and smoother connections and transitions. She helps introverted skaters let go of inhibitions and skate BIGGER, projecting to an entire arena while not being afraid of the character they are portraying.
Kaitlyn Landes
Kaitlyn Landes is a professional figure skating coach that has grown up here at Vacaville Ice Sports. She has 8+ years experience as a private skating coach, working with all ages, from 2 years to 60+ years. Her passions are coaching moves in the field as well as synchronized skating teams, working with adults, and also special needs skaters. Some of her skating accomplishments include passing her Gold Moves in the Field test, Pre-Gold Dances, and winning Silver at the Synchronized Skating National Championships in 2019.
Charli Kennedy
Charli Kennedy born and raised in England and is a professional figure skating coach and professional show skater. A former dancer with the British theatre dance association. Charli was the Show director for the Skating club of Vail, Colorado for 8 years. A British, Welsh, Scottish championships Free-skate and Pair team gold medalist, Synchro competitor and was also a British skating team UK member. Charli toured the world for 8 years with Disney on Ice. Charli teaches all levels of freestyle through to senior. Off ice lessons including jump rotation, stretch and Ballet. Her passion is teaching choreography. Especially getting programs competition ready. Watching skaters come to life through performance is the very best.
Michelle Ray Davis
Michelle Ray is a National Figure Skating coach, IJS pundit and motivator who has worked with athletes across the country. Michelle is a member of the Professional Skaters Association and US Figure Skating Association. She has an active role with IJS Judging System as a Technical Specialist for Singles Skating with US Figure Skating for 13 years. She has been coaching Figure Skating for the past 25 years and has been involved in the sport for over 40 years. Michelle loves to coach figure skating and to work with children and adults of all ages to pursue their own dreams of being on the ice and building lifelong memories.
Shannon Sakata
Shannon has been involved in the sport for 24 years and has been coaching for 15 years. She works with recreational and competitive skaters, both singles and dance. She has coached skaters at the Regional and Sectional levels as well as National Showcase. She has helped skaters pass their gold tests in both Moves in the Field and Freeskate. She also has multiple students who have passed high level ISI tests including the Freestyle 10 test!
Some of her own accomplishments include, having the privilege of training under Olympic coach Christy Ness. She is a double gold medalist in Moves in the Field and Freeskate. She is a member of ISI and PSA and is an ISI gold level judge. She is the mother to four beautiful children. She also holds a BA in Early Childhood Education.
Megan Tam
Megan has over 30 years of skating experience and has been coaching skaters of all levels for over 18 years. She specializes in ice dance, moves in the field, fundamental skating skills, and adaptive skating. Working with skaters of all ages and abilities, she has coached students at the Junior National Championships, Adult National Championships, National Solo Ice Dance Championships, and numerous regional competitions. She is a double U.S. Figure Skating gold medalist in Ice Dance and Moves in the Field, has passed six International Ice Dance tests, and has passed ISI Dance 10. She is a three-time USFS National Synchronized Skating Championships competitor. She is a member and certified coach with U.S. Figure Skating and holds a B.A. in Social Science from CSU Sacramento and a M.S. in Library and Information Science from Drexel University.
Genevieve Tubbs
Genevieve has been in the skating world since she was 5 years old she grew up competitively skating in ISI and USFS. Now 28 with 11 years of coaching experience she loves to share the magic and FUN of figure skating with all ages and abilities. Genevieve specializes in refining spins and creating competitive spotlight choreography. She is a ISI gold level judge. Just a few of her accomplishments as a coach include her students passing ISI level 7, winning first place in recall event for “most creative choreography”.
Brittany Wong
Brittany started skating over 20 years ago in the Vacaville Ice Sports Skating School and has been teaching in the Skating School since 2006. Brittany’s first love is skating and she enjoys sharing that with children and adults of all ages and abilities, but she especially enjoys working on basic skating skills!
Brittany’s skating accomplishments include passing her gold tests in Moves the Field, Partnered Pattern Dance, and Solo Free Dance as well as competing multiple times at National Showcase, the National Solo Dance Final, and the Synchronized Sectional and National Championships. Brittany is a professional member of ISI and USFS.
William Wong
William has been involved in Figure Skating for over 30 years and enjoys all aspects and disciplines within the sport. He teaches skaters of all ages, skills and backgrounds. From the most basic skating skills to advanced skating maneuvers, William enjoys sharing his knowledge and excitement to this sport. Some of his personal skating accomplishments include passing both Senior Moves in the Field and Freestyle, as well as both Gold Partnered and Solo Ice Dance tests. He has also been named the ISI Coach of the Year in 2017 within Northern California. He holds current memberships to both US Figure Skating and the Professional Skating Association.
Guest Coaching
Joining the team as a Guest Coach at Vacaville Ice Sports offers an exciting opportunity to share your expertise and passion for ice skating with the community. As a Guest Coach, you will have the chance to collaborate with our full-time coaches and work with skaters of various skill levels. Guest Coaches can contribute to their development in a supportive and professional environment, while not having the commitments of full-time coaching staff.
To become a Guest Coach, there are a few important steps to follow. Firstly, you must submit a request to the Skating Director at least 48 hours in advance, expressing your interest in coaching at Vacaville Ice Sports. Additionally, you will need to provide appropriate insurance documents to ensure liability coverage.
As a Guest Coach, you are welcome to join us a maximum of 24 times per year. This allows for a diverse range of coaching knowledge while ensuring that our full-time coaches have priority and can make a living. If 24 days per year does not fit your needs, please contact us about any full-time coach openings and what those requirements look like.
A fee of $30 per hour is required for guest coaching services, with no half-hour discounts. These fees must be paid to Vacaville Ice Sports before stepping on the ice. Head Coaches (if applicable) should be notified and communicated with prior to the Guest Coach working with the skater, to ensure a collaborative and supportive environment.
As a Guest Coach, you can contribute to the growth and development of skaters at Vacaville Ice Sports with less commitment and more flexibility. Please reach out to discuss Guest Coaching today!
