I love making beautiful figure artwork on the ice, an intense meditative practice that develops internal energy, relaxation and mental focus to generate power. Each figure — a named pattern of movement — is a puzzle to be solved inside my body. I am learning blade magic, drawing power from each edge to skate forever on one foot! I also love the external performance-focused energy of fancy (free) skating, where the figures support me flying around the rink as my body becomes the art. I live in the world of John Curry, one of beautiful lines and graceful movements, making magic to transport the audience with moving sculpture and flights of fancy.
Each October, we get together in Lake Placid for the World Figure & Fancy Skating Championships. For a week we live and breathe Loops, Swirling Mirrors, Maltese Crosses,Swiss S, Winged Diamond Crosscuts, all-original Creative Figures — and many more, all on black ice! Three-turns and brackets are not just ways to turn our body, but also how we draw pointy shapes. And then we share our Fancy Skating in a kaleidoscope of beautiful choreography, dance magic, cross-foot spins and soaring spirals. The Champion Division features the world’s best skating artists, but there are events for all ages and levels and also plenty of workshops. I won Gold overall for 2024 and 2025 in the International Open (18 and up) division. With hard work and hours of daily practice, I hope one day to qualify for the Champion Division. In 2025 I also won second place in the associated art contest, with my digital collage of mountains, loops and a young flying Tenley Albright!
