Freshman Amber Wright has a big passion for figure skating, practicing every day at the rink with her team with strength and resilience to get better.

“Ice skating has been in my life so long that it feels like it’s a part of me, and I don’t know what I would do without it,” Wright said.

Wright’s interest in figure skating started very young, her love for the unique sport growing more every year as she devoted more and more time for the sport and becoming better and better.

“When I was 2 my parents took me to the Mills Mall, and I saw the ice rink there,” Wright said. “I put my face up against the glass watching other people figure skate, so my parents had me do public sessions.”
“When I was 5, they signed me up for lessons,” Wright said. “Now I’ve been skating for 13 years.”

Her days consist of school and skating, coming home from school and going to practice and still trying to make time for her homework and friends. But there are some challenges to juggling skating, school, and friends.

“Yes, it conflicts with school and my social life,” Wright said. “Sometimes my friends plan stuff and I can’t go because I either have practice or a competition, and I can’t do activities at school because of it.”

Still, Wright said this routine has become normal.

“I’m used to it now so it doesn’t bother me too much,” Wright said. While her schedule may seem repetitive, Wright said her love for the sport and the variety of tasks during her skating practice keep it fresh.

“For practices we usually warm up a bit, then we get started with our program and we either keep running through our program the whole practice or we change some things up that need to be changed,” Wright said.

With all the practices, and conflicts, the stress definitely can get to someone. She works through her doubts about skating and works
harder.

“I have thought about quitting,” Wright said. “I just never did it because I would be giving up a part of my life.” Wright said it has helped that her hard work is paying off. Last April
she and her team won a national championship. That success, and her love for the sport, keep her going.

“Skating makes me motivated to get up in the morning,” Wright said.