Dreams playing out on ice: Figure skating

The sound of blades cutting through the ice fills the air as a sharp wind blows past. Every thought leaves the mind as the feel of being on the ice takes over all senses.

“[Ice-skating] makes me forget about things going on in my life. It’s a stress reliever,” junior Danika Kapeikis said.

“I feel like I leave all my problems, like I can do anything on the ice,” junior Stephanie Coe said.

Figure skating is the art of individuals, duos, or even groups performing on the ice with the use of figure skates. Figure skating has been around for centuries, but it really hit the sports scene in the mid-19th century. Figure skating was the first winter sport introduced to the Olympics, debuting in 1908. There are now four different divisions of Olympic figure skating: men’s singles, ladies singles, pairs, and ice dancing.

For singles figure skating, there is, obviously, only one person on the ice at a time. For pairs, however, there are two skaters skating together to perform almost a dance on ice. Unfortunately for skaters in the Wenatchee Valley, the lack of male skaters make it difficult to do pairs skating.

“I’m going to start doing pairs, but I’ve never been able to do it before,” freshman Hailey West said.

West is going to begin pairs skating with the few male skater in the Wenatchee program.

Figure skating is a tough sport that is made to look easy by the professional skaters spectators usually watch.  A lot of this game is just as much in the head as on the ice.

“Figure skating is as much of a mental sport as a physical sport. Most people think it’s just jumping and spinning, but its a lot in your head,” sophomore Hannah Schumsky said. Schumsky is 15 years old, and has been figure skating for 12 years.

Most people who are figure skaters have been skating for a long time, mainly because they had family members or friends to pull them in.

“My cousin was a figure skater, and she competed. I wanted to be just like her. She was my inspiration,” Schumsky said.

For Kapeikis, figure skating started basically at birth.

“It’s kind of what I do, it makes me me. I’ve been skating basically since I could walk, and I couldn’t imagine not doing it,” Kapeikis said.

For some figure skaters, the inspiration to skate began in different ways.

“My mom got me some learn-to-skate lessons for Christmas one year,” West said.

Even though some people might disagree, figure skating is just as much a sport danger-wise as any other.

“I’ve broken my tailbone, and injured my back because of a few falls at competitions. And I’ve had lots of shin splints,” Coe said.

Along with injury and participation, figure skating also levels out with other sports on the competition field. On average, a competitive figure skater will have the opportunity to compete in approximately seven competitions that take place in Washington, Canada, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. To get ready for these competitions, most competitors practice six to seven days a week and spend about two to four hours on the ice per practice.They also have to do off-ice training, which helps ward off injury.

With so much practicing needed to stay on top of figure skating, it would seem that these committed individuals wouldn’t have time to participate in anything else, much less have time for school.

“You have to be really committed. Sometimes it gets overwhelming because of time. I also volunteer as a coach for beginner skaters, which takes up my time, but I feel like I’m giving back to my sport,” Coe said.

Figure skaters would love to see this sport make an even bigger showing than it already has.

“(More people) should try skating because it is something different and it’s a challenge,” Kapeikis said.

“[When I’m skating] I can accomplish all my goals, and fulfill all my dreams,” Coe said.