[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he audience holds their breath as Senior Joy Chen leaps into the air, preparing for a triple Axel jump. When she confidently lands with grace on the ice, the crowd explodes into rounds of cheering and applause.
Chen began skating at the tender age of six. Waking up as early as 3:30 a.m. every day, she attends ice skating practice an hour drive away at a rink in Anaheim. She dedicates a total of around 24 hours every week and has competitions around once a month.
“At first, it was just one of those things that parents make you do. It was either piano or skating,” Chen said. “But, I really started to like it in sixth grade.”
She qualified for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, meaning she is among the top 50 ice skaters in the nation, but decided against it because she would have had to move to Northern California to train. If she had moved, there would have been a high possibility of her attending an online high school, which she thought would not have been a wise decision for her future because she wants to attend college.
Balancing academics and athletics is definitely a difficult task. She often sacrifices sleep in order to attend practice and complete all school work. Chen uses all the precious time she has. For instance, she studies in the car on her way to practice.
Figure skating can be a very rewarding experience though. Her favorite part is going to competitions because she can meet new people, especially when she is competing on an international level. However, skating also guarantees regular cuts and bruises. Chen’s worst injury caused by skating was a torn posterior cruciate ligament, which was corrected through surgery.
“I was pretty lucky to have only torn my PCL, which is a ligament in the knee because I was still able to practice soon after surgery, as long as I didn’t put too much pressure on it,” Chen said. “I know many people who broke their legs and were out for a long time.”
Even though skating is difficult and requires much time and dedication, Chen keeps going back to it. For her, it is a hobby and a stress reliever. If accepted to a school on the East Coast, she plans on continuing to skate since rinks will be easier to find there than in Southern California. Skating has helped her build up her perseverance. She practices routines repeatedly to refine them.
“It’s difficult at first, because you fall a lot. But, sometimes you just have to suck it up and push yourself,” Chen said. “It’s definitely a ‘practice makes perfect’ situation.”
TCHS School Newspaper