Go, Figure, Skate Student Spends her time on the Ice
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t is something people see on television every four years during the Olympics. In Nebraska, the most popular sport is football. Other sports are not put in the limelight very often. Figure skating is a sport that many people participate in but, like mentioned before, they are not often set in the spotlight. Sophomore Riley Swinton has been skating since she was eight years old. “It was for my birthday,” Swinton said. “I wanted to do a figure skating lesson, and then it kind of stuck.” Although most people can skate, and it is actually a popular activity during the winter season, figure skating is more complicated. It is made up of precise movements and perfect angles, in order to do a move properly. On top of figure skating, Swinton participates in many other activities, such as soccer and class officers. With all of the other
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activities she is involved in she must find time to practice her skating. “I practice everything,” Swinton said. “You just practice on what you want to work on.” Swintions chosen sport does include competitions. Ice skating can be more individualized because you do not have to worry about the skills of a possible remember when you are going to compete solo. This is one of the many reasons Swintion enjoys this activity. For competition, Swintion competed in multiple different categories. “Most people do multiple,” Swintion said. “I usually do compluzaries, jumps, and free skate.” For the most part Swinton was able to have a claim to this sport in Gretna, with not many people participating. It was just another thing that made the sophomore stand out when she talked about her activities.
