Coaches

Meet the Coaches & Staff

Megan O'Donnell
Director & Head Coach

Megan has over 35 years of competitive figure skating experience. She trained at the Detroit Skating Club under Olympic and World Coaches. She is a double USFS Gold Test Medalist, as well as a Canadian Gold Test Medalist. Megan was a regional competitor in freestyle, a National competitor in Ice Dancing and a National Competitor in Synchronized Skating for several years. Megan was chosen to travel to Rouen, France for the Junior World Challenge Cup as a part of a coach’s apprenticeship program to learn about international competition. Megan travels to various parts of the country talking to coaches about team development, technique, as well as program management. She is a member of the PSA. Megan was the UDFSC 2007 Coach of the Year. Megan travels to various clubs as a mentor and choreographer for different teams in the area. Megan has her Master’s Degree in Psychology with a concentration in Mental Health and Substance Abuse Counseling and serves as the school counselor at Oberle Elementary School.

Wendy Deppe

Wendy is a double U.S.F.S Gold Test Medalist in figures and freestyle. Wendy has over 35 years of competitive figure and synchronized skating experience. Wendy was a national competitor in synchronized skating herself representing the University of Delaware as a student. Wendy is an accomplished synchronized skating coach having coached this discipline for 27 years. Wendy has coached several synchronized skating teams ranging from beginning through the senior level. She has taken several teams to the U.S. Synchronized Team Skating Championships over the past 20 years and many of her teams have earned medals at the U.S. Championships. Wendy travels to various parts of the country talking to coaches about team development, technique, as well as program management. Wendy is a member of the PSA. Wendy was the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club 2008 Coach of the Year. Wendy holds a degree in education from the University of Delaware and is currently a 2nd grade teacher at Wilson Elementary School.

Linda Bacon

Linda began coaching synchronized skating in 1990. She has experience coaching youth, teen, adult introductory, juvenile, intermediate, junior classic, junior, masters and adult synchronized skating teams. At the National level, Linda has coached teams in juvenile, intermediate, masters and adult. Linda began synchronized skating in college on the Precisionaires at University of Delaware, skating at the junior level. She has been a National competitor in Synchronized Skating for over 20 years. Linda holds a degree in education and currently teaches 4th grade at West Park Elementary School. Linda currently serves as the Team Manager for the Novice, Junior and Adults Team, as well as one of the Travel Chairpersons for all the teams.

Heather DeSimone

Heather is a proud alumni of the University of Delaware Synchronized Skating Team and Team Delaware Adult. She has prior experience working with pre-juvenile and intermediate divisions. Heather is a clinical school social worker and a private child/family therapist in Northern New Jersey. Heather is a pizza lover, enjoys going to workout classes, and is obsessed with shoes- she owns over 100 pairs!

Melissa Crouthamel

Melissa began coaching in the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club’s Synchronized Skating program in 2002 when she began working with the Small Wonders ISI Team. However, she has been skating in the program since 1989. Melissa began on a juvenile team and moved her way up through teen, novice, junior, and senior. She then spent five years on the collegiate team while getting a degree in Health and Physical Education from the University of Delaware. While on the collegiate team, Melissa was treasurer for four years and served on the National Collegiate Committee. Upon Graduation, she began skating with Team Delaware Adult. In the 2010 season, Melissa was a member of the National Silver Medal winning Adult team, as well as the National Bronze Medalists in 2012. And in the 2018-2019 season, Melissa coached the pre- juvenile team, and was the finance manager for several of the Team Delaware Teams. Melissa is a member of the PSA, teaches in the Learn to Skate Program, and teaches private lessons. Away from the ice all together, she is the Physical Education Teacher at Baltz School in Wilmington, DE.

Hannah Miller

Hannah has been skating for 20 years and is currently still skating on Team Delaware Adult. Hannah is a graduate of the University of Delaware Collegiate Synchronized Skating Team. She is excited to start extending her teaching career into coaching!! When she is not teaching, coaching, or skating, Hannah enjoys her feet in the sand or spending all of her free time with her puppy boy Ripley.

Meghan Ramick

Better known to our skaters as Meggie G, Meghan is an alumna of the University of Delaware Collegiate Synchronized Skating Team and currently skates on Team Delaware Adult. She received her PhD from the University of Delaware in 2017 in Applied Physiology and is currently an Assistant Professor in the Kinesiology department at West Chester University. When not teaching or skating, Meghan enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her husband and their puppy.

Rachel Winer

Rachel has been a part of the Delaware Synchronized Skating Organization for five years and has been a national competitor for four years. In 2009 she mentored the nationally ranked juvenile team, and since then has skated at nationals herself at the intermediate, novice, and junior divisions. In 2010 and 2011 in addition to skating on her own team Rachel was mentor to the juvenile team, which was nationally ranked both years. Rachel has a USFS Gold Test Medal in Moves in the Field, and coaches in the University of Delaware’s learn to skate program. During the 2018-2019 season, Rachel coached the Synchro Skills Team.