For the love of skating

The cold air gusts around her, filling her with exhilaration. Her hair is pulled back into a low ponytail, but her bangs sweep across her face in small strands as her movements become faster and more abrupt. Her cheeks and nose turn pink from the icy atmosphere but she doesn't even mind.

Everything around her seems to be whispering 'keep going.”

She soars around the rink with her head held high, skidding through the ice in a way that makes her feel graceful, strong and beautiful. Her heart beats loud and passion overcomes her. She hears nothing but the sound of her leather skates as they brush smoothly over the icy arena. She goes faster, faster, making it completely around the rink in only 30 strokes.

Suddenly, she is transformed, she is somewhere new and all her troubles and worries are left far behind her as she skates off into her very own icy dream world.

Mount Vernon sophomore Emily Tvedt has been living this skater dream since she was 4 years old. She remembers watching TV when she was younger, her eyes glued to the screen when she saw all the strong, beautiful women in pretty sparkly dresses swirling through the air with the most elegance.

'I wanted to be like them,” Tvedt said.

As Tvedt got older, she never gave up that dream and now she is more passionate about skating than ever. Even in her younger years of skating, Tvedt stands tall and proud for her audience.

The first time Tvedt went skating was Christmas Day when she was about 3 years old.

'I was so shaky,” she said, smiling as she thinks back. 'I was with my mom and my aunt. It was so intimidating and I remember being really frustrated as I watched everyone else soar past me with such ease.”

She didn't let that stop her though. In fact, it lit a burning desire inside of her. Soon, Tvedt was begging her mother to let her take skating lessons.

Tvedt goes to skating lessons at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena three or four times per week. Normally, her sessions last for about an hour. Members of her team are supposed to wear their leotards and tights to class every day, but Tvedt laughs and calls herself 'lazy” in because she'd rather just throw on a T-shirt and some leggings.

Typically her lessons focus on basic skills and improving their technique. They even learn how to 'safely fall” to reduce the amount of injuries. Tvedt loves practices, but said if she could change one thing about them, she would want the system to have a better weight lifting/strength building program.

'Skaters need to be strong,” she said. 'It's hard to find times in my day to work out on my own and I feel like I would get more done if my teammates could be there with me. It's something I think could really benefit us all.”

Tvedt's team means the world to her and from the way she puts it, they feel the same about her.

'I love my teammates and we are all so close,” she said. 'It's so cheesy to say this but I really do think of them as my family. Even when I've had a horrible time at practice and none of my jumps and turns seem to be hitting, they encourage me and build me up, reminding me how awesome I am.”

Tvedt starts to get a bit emotional.

'My senior friends there are my biggest role models and they've honestly been with me every step of the way,” she said. 'I don't know what I'll do when they leave for college next year.”

Throughout the years, Tvedt has been through the good, the bad and the ugly and she has lots of stories that demonstrate that. Her most embarrassing moment happened to her in third grade.

'We had practice that night and I wanted to look cute with my little skater skirt and tights,” she said with a grin. 'I worked hard on putting the outfit together but I really didn't take into consideration the fact that my skirt and tights were very thin and transparent. Out of nowhere in the middle of practice my coach comes over and pulls my skirt up in front of everyone, revealing my underwear. It was so mortifying.”

Tvedt said the earlier a person starts skating, the better. She said it's difficult to skate while your body is going growing and changing.

'Your body goes through so many changes at that time in your life, so your center of balance is hard to locate,” she said. 'It can be done, though, and overall it might make you even better.”

But, she points out, it's never too late to start. But if you go down that path, Tvedt recommends you get the help of a friend or instructor who is more knowledgeable about the sport.

'Don't shoot for the stars the first time you skate or you'll end up either disappointing or hurting yourself,” she said. 'These things take time and you have to be patient. Go slow.”

Tvedt puts together her own music, choreography and costume for competition. She said there are two types of skating competitions she has participated in throughout the years. One of these is called ISI, where competitors show off all their twirls and jumps.

'More people often attend the ISI competitions because they're so entertaining, not only for the audience but for the performers as well,” she said.

Tvedt's favorite ISI performance is one she did dressed as Rapunzel.

'I worked so hard on the show and it turned out being really awesome,” she said. 'Plus I loved the costume.”

The second type of competition is called USFSA, where people show off their basic skills for judges and an audience.

'These are taken so seriously by some people because if you do really good, you could end up making it all the way to the Olympics,” Tvedt said. 'I really don't like to stress about things like that too much, though, because that can ruin your love for the sport.”

Tvedt is wearing a knee brace these days after straining her MCL. She injured herself practicing a double spin.

'I've been working on this move for a long time,” she said. 'It's a hard thing to learn and incredibly difficult to perfect.”

Sitting out on practices can be quite a bore.

'It's frustrating watching all my other teammates out there skating while I'm sitting out,” she said. 'I just want to be out there working on my moves.”

A strained MCL isn't the only injury Tvedt has suffered from skating though. She once fractured her elbow, which required her to sit out for six weeks.

'After being off the ice for so long, it's hard to fully get back to where you were,” she said.

Despite the bruises and bumps, Tvedt never once thinks of giving up.

'It's hard, yes, but my teammates are so supportive of me, I don't want our bond to break,” she said.

Tvedt describes skating as 'the closest thing we have to flying.” She can glide so fast without even hardly moving her feet.

'I take such pride in being able to say that I'm a skater,” she said. 'It's a unique and a beautiful sport that is sadly uncommon in a lot of teens.”

Then after a pause, she said 'one thing is for sure, though, I wouldn't be anywhere near where I am today if it wasn't for the love and support of my family, friends and most importantly, my teammates.”