The Skater’s Edge
By: Olivia Ellegard, 8th Grader at PCDS
H
ow many people can do the cha-cha or the waltz
and when you add a pair of skates and a sheet
of ice it creates something completely different
known as ice dancing. For Lauren Kobely, a sixth grader
at Phoenix Country Day School, ice dancing comes as
second nature through hours of training and dedication.
Because of this dedication Lauren is constantly at the
rink whether it be to practice a new dance or to watch
her brother’s hockey practices. With her determination
she finally secured a spot in the 2013 National Solo Ice
Dancing Championships at the Olympic Training Center
in Colorado.
When Lauren was just six years old she started ice
dancing. Her mom used to ice skate so Lauren’s parents
thought that ice dancing might be something fun for her
not knowing how much she would accomplish. She loved
it from the beginning and never has second thoughts even
when she is having trouble mastering a new move. Lauren
didn’t just immediately learn how to ice dance she had to
take gradual steps to become as talented as she is today.
First she learned how to ice skate and then she began to
take ballroom dancing lessons so that it would be easy to
combine the two. Today, now eleven years old, Lauren is
still ice dancing. She practices three days a week for about
an hour to an hour and a half. During these practices
her and her coach usually choreograph the dances or
practice previous dances she has already learned.
Throughout the season Lauren competed in many
competitions in order to make her way to nationals.
She was ranked seventh in the Western United States
and therefore was invited to participate. During the
qualifying round Lauren competed the Blues and the
Tango. For this round she placed 4th so her and five
other competitors would move on to the final round.
For the championship round Lauren did the Waltz,
which she mentioned was her favorite dance.
While competing Lauren said that she didn’t
watch the other competitors because it would
make her nervous and in the end this paid off
because she received eighth place!
For this past season she competed at a
Preliminary level but next season she
will move up to the Pre-Bronze level.
After this recent accomplishment
Lauren hopes to perfect her axel jump,
which is where a skater starts with a
forward takeoff, does a 1½ rotation
and then lands facing backwards. But
her ultimate goal is to complete all her
gold dances (the highest level) before
she goes to college. Z
Photos by Maya Abou-Hadair, 8th Grader at PCDS
Writer, Olivia Ellegard (right) with Lauren Kobley, Ice Dancer
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