If you asked most students at Huron High School about a figure skating team, you would likely be greeted by many different confused faces.
“Yeah, we are pretty unknown,” said freshman Victoria Wilkinson, “I think more people know about pretty much any other school related activity than our figure skating team. Maybe it’s because it’s unified, or because there is only three people from Huron on it!”
Since the Ann Arbor Figure Skating team is unified, it means that it pulls students from Pioneer, Community, and Skyline as well as Huron. It’s a great way to meet new people that don’t attend your exact same school, and socialise with ones you already know, but don’t see often from the rink.
“I absolutely love the sense of community that the Ann Arbor Unified Figure Skating Team offers,” said Wilkinson, “I love being able to meet new figure skating friends that attend different schools, and of course getting to talk to the ones I already know from the rink”
Many skaters on the team skate often outside of school, so the Figure Skating Team is viewed as a way to have fun and meet new people while doing the sport you love.
“I skate six days a week for about two hours outside of school, so the Figure Skating Team is just a way I can relax and enjoy the sport without the stress of major competitions, and earn a varsity letter along the way,” said Wilkinson.
The team is organized into three different levels, A, B, and C. Depending upon the level of each skater, A being the highest, and C the lowest. There are also three different categories on each of those levels; spins, jumps, and moves.
“The Highschool competitions are unlike any other area of figure skating,” said Wilkinson “, Instead of competing a program, you compete in a singular element, like a singular spin or jump whose level varies depending upon if you are an A, B, or C, skater. It is like this until you go to states, if you make it, where a skater can decide if they want to compete a program or pattern dance solo on top of competing their element.”
The Ann Arbor Unified Figure Skating Team ended up making it to states in the A category, after “sweeping” every single competition, and winning districts, and though states ended up being a bit of a loss, achieving eight place, it was the friendship that Wilkinson made along the way that really mattered.
“I don’t really know why we placed the way we did,” said Wilkinson “, We performed like we always do, and we had been winning every single competition before this, but I’m not going to turn one not so great competition into a bad season. I had so much fun this year competing on the Figure Skating team, and am so excited to do it all again next season.”