Meet the Coaches

Nicholas LaRoche is the United States Junior Men's National Champion and has a very familiar face in the sport of Figure Skating. Having grown up in Gardner, Massachusetts Nicholas trained in the Los Angeles area and was seen on figure skating television broadcasts for many years. Nicholas had a stellar career which earned him four Regional Titles, three Sectional Titles, a National Title and being ranked 10th in the World.  Having been named to the United Figure Skating Team for over 10 years, Nicholas represented the United States in various International and World Competitions which included a highlight of being named to the World Figure Skating Team. 

Nicholas was awarded the Massachusetts "State Award" which is handed to one athlete in the state of Massachusetts each year for their outstanding successes in his or her featured sport, and he has been featured in various magazines and publications throughout his career. Nicholas' Story has been featured in three different books highlighting the triumphs and strengths he endured while being a professional athlete. 

In 2009, Nicholas became a full time coach and is known for his expertise and strong knowledge in jump technique. Having been a dominant power house on the ice, he was also brought into the Los Angeles Junior Kings Organization where he served as the edge and power specialist for the hockey players. Being able to translate his figure skating knowledge  over to the hockey world took them by storm and he became one of the top sought after coaches in California. 

After his competitive career Nicholas and his sister founded the US Athletic Foundation which went on to help skaters with financial assistance to continue their training needs. The US Athletic Foundation handed out assistance for over five years and also was the base for Nicholas's own prime event, An Evening On Ice. An Evening on Ice was the largest portion of raising funds for the US Athletic Foundation and was of the nations top premier Live Figure Skating shows. 


Nicholas is the new addition to the Lace Em Up Coaches and is excited and looking forward to helping expand their figure skating, learn to skate, and hockey skating programs. 

Jo Ann Schneider Farris has participated in figure skating for most of her life as a competitor, coach, and author. Jo Ann was the Figure Skating Expert for About.com for 10 years. Jo Ann began skating as a young child. She won a silver medal in the junior dance event at the United States National Figure Skating Championships and is a US Figure Skating Double Gold Medalist. She coached figure skating and has trained skaters of all ages and levels. In addition, Jo Ann taught hockey players to skate and gave instruction in power skating. She is the author of two skating books: How to Jump and Spin on In-Line Skates, the only book of its kind on inline figure skating, and a personal memoir, My Skating Life: Fifty Plus Years of Skating. Jo Ann also has contributed articles that have been included on the US Figure Skating website and the icenetwork.com website, in SKATING Magazine, Ice Skating Institute's magazine, the Professional Skaters Association magazine, and she also wrote about ice skating for Examiner.com. She is a member of the Professional Skaters Association, The Broadmoor Skating Club, and U.S. Figure Skating. Jo Ann is a graduate of the famous Hollywood Professional School, a school that once was in southern California where many serious figure skaters attended, including Peggy Fleming. She is also a graduate of Colorado College and holds a teaching credential from California State University Long Beach. As a figure skating competitor, she trained under World Ice Dance Champion and Olympic Coach Doreen Denny and also Darlene Gilbert, who has trained international and national teams.