When my mom was pregnant, instead of speculating whether she was having a boy or a girl, she guessed whether she was having a figure skater or a hockey player. My whole family grew up on the ice. My three brothers played hockey through high school and my two sisters figure-skated, but only for a few years. I started skating in the Carriage Club ice show when I was four because it was something my sisters did and I secretly wanted the fun costume too. Over the years, I started to love it. 

Each winter, we’d learn new tricks varying between spirals, jumps and spins. I remember when I was younger, I had just learned a new skill called the waltz jump and was super nervous because I had only learned the skill one week before the showcase. My coach knew I was nervous and she gave me some amazing advice. She told me to balance not only with skating but also in life as well. I am a busy high school student and having balance both on and off the ice is so important. 

One of my favorite parts of skating is that you can choose how competitive you want to be. You can either skate year-round or have it as a fun hobby in the winter. When I was younger, there were often girls older than me in my group, and I realized that they continued skating for the fun of it and not the competition. I decided this is what I wanted to do and so I have continued to skate every winter but haven’t progressed as far as some of my peers who have taken it more seriously. 

Since ice skating is not a school-sponsored activity, it is also a great opportunity to interact with people from a variety of schools. This has given me the opportunity to develop friendships with lots of different people. Many of the people I met went to my grade school, Visitation, so it was always fun to know the older kids when I was in grade school.

The friends I’ve made from ice skating are very supportive, and everyone is always quick to make sure I’m OK. The good news is that almost everybody who takes skating class falls, so it never feels too embarrassing. Skating shows you how there are times that you might fall, but you always have to get up and try again.

My sisters aren’t skating anymore, but I’m glad I’ve continued to make new friends over the years, and I still think it’s fun to wear a new costume for the ice show every February.