State Skating Championships

Planning a career in figure skating

Amanda Kennedy of Hillsboro has been figure skating for 10 years since she started at age 5. Now, she's beginning to plan how to make a living out of skating once she's older.

Amanda talking about her plan while competing in last month's Show-Me State Games at the Webster Groves Ice Arena. She competed in six different figure-skating events during the three-day weekend, Jan. 11-13.

Amanda Kennedy

The Hillsboro High School freshman practices her skating either six or seven days a week. But, she doesn't expect to become a professional figure skater.

Rather, she said, "I'd like to open up my own ice rink."

And, she's trying to convince her friend, 14-year-old Allie Rosemann of Webster Groves, to join her in business.

Allie is another girl who's been skating for 10 years. She said she started skating at the Webster Groves rink at age 4 when she was in pre-school.

Like Amanda, Allie has a heavy practice schedule. She takes lessons five days a week and usually competes on the weekends.

Allie Rosemann

Allie belongs to the Metro Edge Figure Skating Club in Webster Groves. Her team was the host for the Show-Me State Games.

The games had events for skaters ages 4 and up which included both individual and team events. The Games ended Sunday with a family exhibition along with synchronized team events.

Amanda and Allie skated in several individual events and then paired in the 2-person jump and spin events Saturday evening.

Some of the most colorful events were those teams participated in synchronized skating.

Allie skated with her Metro Edge club while Amanda represented the Creve Coeur club.

The synchro teams have 13 kids on the ice at once going through planned maneuvers. Asked if team members ever run into each other, both smiled and said, "Sure."

Bumping-and even falling-happens especially among the "tot" teams, with skaters as young a 4. But, the kids didn't get discouraged. They just jumped up, caught up with the rest of the team and finished their routines.

Of course, the skating gets better and the routines more complex with the older skaters.

The synchronized skating is getting increased attention worldwide. For instance, synchro teams will put on exhibitions in the next Winter Olympic Games in Italy in 2009.

That should mean the event should become a regular Olympic event in the 2013 games.

And, skating officials feel synchronized skating will allow some skaters to extend their competitive skating life. Skaters can continue in synchronized skating beyond the time when they are no longer skillful enough to vie for individual titles.

Amanda and Allie are about halfway up the skill ladder for individual and team meets.

At the State Games, Amanda skated as a novice while Allie was ranked as an intermediate skater. Allie said she hopes she'll be ready for novice skating next year.

They are into such things as double lutz, double loop and double toe loop jumps. Next will come the double axel and triple soulcow maneuvers, which are standards in televised figure skating competitions.

(For complete results of last month's Show Me State Games figure-skating event, you can go to the Metro Edge club's website at www.metroedgefsc.org.)

Allie said her best skating experience so far has been competing in regional figure-skating events in Cedar Rapids, IA, and Minneapolis, MN. Amanda listed her best skating experience as competing in the World figure skating in Chicago last year.

Asked about her worst experience, Allie listed the 2005 State Games of American event. She said, "I went up for a jump and fell. The blade of my skate came down on my wrist and I got a cut that required seven stitches." You can still see the stitch marks.

Amanda said her worst experience was at a regional competition where she "singled" about every jump that was supposed to be a double.

About the future, Amanda said she wants to get a degree in parks and recreation at the University of Missouri-Columbia. That would prepare her for opening the skating rink.

She wants Allie to join her. But, the Hixson Middle School student said she's more interested in becoming a manager of political campaigns.