LAKE PLACID, NY. (WCAX) – Collegiate figure skaters from all around the country are competing in 43 events at the Olympic Center in Lake Placid for the 25th Annual Intercollegiate Figure Skating Final.
Sixteen of the top intercollegiate figure skating teams will compete all weekend to take home the national title.
The competition brings together students from all over to the North Country.
Ashley Wu created the figure skating team at the University of Washington two years ago during the summer before her freshman year.
Wu says the team placed in a competition earlier in the season.
“That’s the first time that has ever happened for us so we were like wow we are doing really good. But it still seemed that nationals was kind of out of reach because we knew other teams were very good,” Wu said.
It is the University of Washington’s figure skating team’s first time making nationals.
Wu, their captain, says last year they had a third of the skaters they have now.
“Seeing the team grow to where we are now with 18 skaters is really exciting for me and just really inspiring,” Wu said.
For University of Denver student Ian Kang – this isn’t his first time on nationals ice.
It’s Kang’s third year at the competition, and he says men in this sport have a different experience than women.
On Saturday, he is competing in the senior excel free skate, and is the only man in his group.
“The group sizes are a lot of the times just, at least in the jumping events just me and one other person or just me so I don’t get the opportunity to like compete against a ton of people,” Kang said.
Stacie Krimsky, a former competitive figure skater and now coach at NYU for the past seven years, says – compared to other sports – skating creates a different type of sportsmanship.
“One of the most amazing things about collegiate skating everyone if friendly with everyone else, everyone supports everyone else, not even friendly there are good friendships formed between schools,” Krimsky said.
“You can hear it in the background probably of all the yelling and screaming is that people do that for other teams too and other skaters,” Kang said.
Throughout the weekend women and men competed in events ranging from high beginners to seniors. The final standings will be announced Sunday afternoon.
