Figure skating is an under recognized sport, yet in 2015 in the Illinois High School Competition, our figure skating club placed second.
The club trains year-round for the event, which took place this year on Feb. 21. Following last year’s strong showing, the club matched its high expectations by coming in second at the competition, held at the Oakton ice arena in Park Ridge.
Sophomore skater Natalie Ye said, “I was excited for the competition because last year we did really well, and I wanted to keep up the legacy.”
The club also trains for an annual ice show, an event that requires everyone’s participation. Beth Lopiccolo, co-sponsor of the figure skating club, said the coaches work with all of the skaters to put the number together.
“I enjoyed last year’s glow in the dark performance,” said Ye. “It was amazing hearing the audience’s reaction to our glow in the dark costumes.”
New Trier’s figure skating club meets every Sunday evening throughout the year. “At the beginning of practice the co-heads Rachel Klem and Eric Stinehart teach the group a number and run through it,” Hill said. “Sometimes we will do a little bit of improvisation if our co-heads are stuck at a certain point and want input from the rest of the club. Once the number is finished, we try to perfect the routine.”
Senior skater Haley Wint added that everyone’s input is important. “The community that the club creates is very inclusive and welcoming,” Wint said. “It’s fun to spend time with fellow figure skaters, especially when working on a routine together.”
Lopiccolo said skaters start at the alpha level and work up.
The majority of skaters in the club are freestyle 4-8 with the highest level being freestyle 9. Skaters in freestyle 1-9 begin to add more complex moves in their routine such as single jumps, triple jumps, and spins.
Depending on their level a skater spends months training for competitions, and the team spends around eight months training for competitions.
Skaters participate in the Ice Skating Institute (ISI) or the United States Figure Skating Association (USFSA), depending on their level and preference, with USFSA being the more competitive organization.
“All of our skaters compete at ISI,” Hill said. “Typically once you get to freestyle 7 or 8, skaters start participating in the USFSA realm. Skaters may do both, although some skaters who skate non-competitively stay with the ISI.”
“USFSA has a standard way of judging based on the level and moves performed as well as the quality of the move,” Hill said. Certain moves on the list of possible jumps or spins for each level get more points because they are harder to execute.
One of the skaters who competed at a highly competitive level is senior Eric Stinehart. “Stinehart competed in nationals, which is an amazing competition,” Hill said. “He competed at the senior level, which is the highest level skaters can compete at.”