Golden Dreams: Emily Bratti ’16

When Emily Bratti ’16 put on her first pair of skates as a 5-year-old at a friend’s birthday party, little did she know the experience would ignite a passion for ice skating that would take her to the elite international ranks of ice dancing. Now age 20 and ready to begin her third season of international competition, Emily and her ice dance partner, Ian Somerville, are well on their way to fulfilling their Olympic dreams.

Although she began as a freestyle (individual) skater in her early years, Emily soon discovered that she preferred the footwork and more technical aspects of ice dancing. She began dancing with a partner and, by age 15, she was participating in novice-level competitions. “Skating with a partner was a challenge for me at first because I was always so focused on doing my own thing,” she says, noting that she had several partners before connecting with her current partner, Ian, in 2021. “But I came to realize the huge benefit of training with someone who shares your dedication and has the same goals you do.”

“The confidence, independence, and time management skills I learned at Langley are key skills that I use every day as a competitive skater.”

She believes the key to success in the sport is finding the right partner. And joining with Ian – whom she considers her best friend – seems to be the crucial ingredient to her rapid rise. The pair moved to Michigan in the summer of 2021 to train with coach Greg Zuerlein and legendary ice dance Olympic medalists Charlie White and Tanith Belbin White.

Emily and Ian achieved almost instant success, winning their very first competition together during the 2021-2022 season and qualifying for international competitions as part of Team USA. Competing against Olympian teams, they scored well at competitions in Austria and Croatia before placing fifth at the U.S. Nationals in January 2022 – a result that earned them the second alternate spot for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. “We thought it would take a few years for us to become competitive, but our results last season made us feel we could be taken seriously as part of Team USA,” says Emily, who is also a part-time student at the University of Michigan where she’s studying physics and astrophysics.

During the 2022-2023 season – which ran from August to January – the pair celebrated their first international win in Austria, placed fourth in Italy, and were selected to compete at their first higher-level Grand Prix competition, Skate Canada, in October where they finished sixth and recorded a personal-best score. “Canada was the first place where we experienced a huge crowd watching us skate,” says Emily, adding that she loved the energy of the fans. “I think that’s the achievement I’m most proud of so far because we skated our best despite the stress we felt going in.” They wrapped up their second season in January with a fifth-place finish at the U.S. Nationals out of 15 teams that qualified.

These impressive accomplishments don’t come without a cost, however. Emily and Ian train eight hours a day, five days a week at the Michigan Ice Dance Academy yearround. Depending on their competition schedule, they can spend more than four hours per day on the ice, supplemented with several hours of strength training in the gym and ballet. And with this much training comes the likelihood of injuries. Emily has suffered several concussions, tendonitis in her knee, multiple injuries requiring stitches, and a facial bone fracture and significant damage to her teeth after a bad fall.

“Probably the mental side is the most challenging part of the sport and everyone, including me, gets very nervous before a competition,” she notes. Despite the physical and mental challenges, Emily says there’s nothing like the feeling of gliding across the ice with her partner and nailing a turn or a twizzle. “Skating offers me a wonderful creative outlet to express myself and connect with the audience,” she adds. “I love mastering the technical aspects of a program and traveling the world to compete with the best and share my passion for skating.”

Like all skaters on Team USA, Emily’s ultimate goal is, of course, the Olympic Games. But she and Ian also hope to bring more attention to ice dancing and to be remembered for their technical prowess, with or without an Olympic medal. Although retirement is hopefully a long way off, and she hasn’t had time to focus on her plans after skating, Emily may choose to one day pursue her love of science and space or possibly coach the next generation of ice dancers.

So what was life like for this rising star during the seven years she spent at Langley from second through eighth grades? When she wasn’t honing her skills on ice, Emily enjoyed playing the flute in the band and excelling on the track during track and field meets. “I think I’ve always loved performing for an audience in one way or another!” she laughs.

She highlights the eighth-grade capstone trip to Costa Rica as one of the most unique bonding experiences of her entire life and remembers it as the first time she used her Langley Spanish skills in the real world. She credits Mrs. Gustin with teaching her not only how to write, but also how to fully apply herself. And she dubs Mr. McKinney as one of her favorite teachers of all time –and the person who cultivated her love of science.

“I think Langley really did a great job of shaping its students into hard-working, respectful, and all-around good people,” says Emily, who still stays in touch with a number of her Langley classmates. “I missed a lot of school because of my skating, and the teachers were always so supportive and so accommodating. The confidence, independence, and time management skills I learned at Langley are key skills that I use every day as a competitive skater.”

So will we see Emily on Olympic ice at the 2026 Winter Games in Italy? With a little luck and a lot of hard work, this Langley grad will give the biggest performance of her life.

IN MEMORIAM:

Remembering Lucy Daoust

Lucy Frank Daoust, who served as Langley’s director from 1964-1978, passed away in October 2022 at age 96. During her 14-year tenure at Langley, she led the school through a period of unparalleled growth while focusing on academic excellence and the personalized attention for which Langley was known. She doubled the school’s enrollment from 180 to 360, expanded its nursery through grade 3 program to include grades 4-8, and built three new buildings on campus. Watch for a more in-depth remembrance of Ms. Daoust in the summer 2023 issue of the Experience.