Lucia A
Since she was six, figure skating has been a critical part of Lucia A. ‘25’s life and identity. She was first introduced to the sport at figure skating birthday parties and began taking lessons afterward. After a while, Lucia eventually decided to stick with it; and it was one of the best decisions of her life.
Practice truly does make perfect for a figure skater, and Lucia has developed a unique sense of discipline; training multiple times a week for hours on end. One of her favorite things about the sport is that there is always room for growth and new skills to work on and master. Pulling from a long list of skills, Lucia is currently most proud of her double salchow jump, biellmann and side spin techniques. Whether she’s on or off the ice, Lucia is always busy; her training includes mental preparation, physical therapy, stretching, watching competition videos or training for competitions— which she started participating in a few years after beginning lessons.
Unfortunately, in August, Lucia hurt her right foot while training and was unable to compete for months following. She’d never been injured before, and acknowledges that there is a long road to recovery. But, Lucia still continued to exercise and train while waiting to be fully recovered. Re-strengthening her foot has been difficult, especially having to start over with physical therapy. Unable to put large amounts of pressure on her foot, Lucia was spending her training time on spins, which she is able to do easily and without pain.
Besides developing discipline and learning how to navigate uncertainties, Lucia journey as a figure skater has taught her about self-love. She believes that figure skaters have both mental and physical strain on their bodies, and self-motivation is crucial to overcome it. When doubting herself while training or during competitions, Lucia reminds herself of an important fact; if you don’t believe that you can do something, you won’t be able to do it. This mindset pushes her to improve as a skater, embark on new challenges and skills and overcome hurdles and mental blocks. As a senior, Lucia doesn’t want to end her figure skating journey after graduating high school. She hopes to continue skating in college and continue to grow as a skater and person on and off the ice.