They take the ice in a dazzling display of athleticism and artistry, as they soar and spin to the delight of the crowd. They leap into the air and execute two jumps as if they are frozen in time, when in reality it occurred in under a second. Their grace and skill make it seem effortless, but the truth is that it takes years of hard work and many failed attempts to master the sport.
“I wanted to quit so badly because all you do is fall. You fall over and over again,” junior Lorissa Zhou said.
Figure skating is unlike any other sport as it is a unique combination of dance and gymnastics, but on ice. Given the slippery surface, figure skating requires pinpoint execution.
“It’s very precise,” Zhou said. “Everything happens so quickly that if one thing is messed up, you can end up sliding across the ice.”
Failing is a routine part of figure skating. However, this does not make failing any less easy and is one of the reasons why figure skating is a mentally draining sport.
“You just have to go for it and be comfortable failing and be determined enough to not get rattled,” senior Arcadia Thornburg May said. “I think people need to realize that you just stand back up.”
As opposed to individual skating, which is what Zhou competes in and what you might have seen in the olympics, Thornburg May competes in synchronized skating. As its name suggests, synchronized skating involves groups of around 16 skaters moving in unison to create beautiful shapes and movements.
“I think it’s really rewarding when everyone works together. It’s hard to explain but feeling the energy move from one person to another is really powerful,” Thornburg May said.
All in all, figure skating not only provides great exercise but advice that has carried over into other aspects of Thornburg May’s life.
“I really started to enjoy the sense of accomplishment in the learning process itself. It’s so easy to focus on the outcome instead of the process, and I think it’s really important that you work towards your goals systematically, in a way that’s effective for you.”
Photo courtesy of Lorissa Zhou
