Originally, she had planned to pursue engineering. “I fi gured out what I don’t like,
and I don’t enjoy computer coding, or programming, so I’m defi nitely not going to be an engineering major, I don’t think,” Flatt said. “I’m going to be pre-med. That was always the second path I thought about taking. My biology courses will be wonderful.” So far, they fi t her competitive schedule, which includes Hilton
HHonors Skate America in October. “It comes right after my fi rst biology midterm, and I won’t be stressed then, which will be nice,” she said.
— Lynn Rutherford
ROSSTON TEA PARTY U.S. Figure Skating announced in June that Boston will host the
U.S. champion Ashley Wagner meets up with some of her friends in downtown Colorado Springs during her SKATING magazine photo shoot. Wagner was joined by (l-r) Drew Meekins, Caitlin Yankowskas and Joshua Reagan.
they’ve never been in the same class before. “It’s going to be fun,” White said. “I’m really looking forward to it.” — Mimi Whetstone
DRIVING MISS MIRAI Mirai Nagasu, the 2008 U.S. champion, added a new bullet point
to her already impressive résumé this year. She’s a 2010 Olympian, a three-time U.S. medalist and now, a licensed driver. “I get to drive myself to and from the rink,” Nagasu said. “It’s nice
because I have time to relax, even though changing lanes is pretty scary.”
Nagasu, 19, makes the 30-minute drive to the rink each day in her
dad’s pickup truck and believes her off -ice accomplishment is a big step in both maturity and responsibility. “I’m really proud of myself for being able to handle it,” Nagasu said. “It’s like my fi rst step into independence.”
— Mimi Whetstone
SCIENCE REIGNS SUPREME The U.S. Department of Education has launched a major initiative
to encourage the nation’s girls to study science and math, but some of U.S. skating’s leading ladies don’t need any coaxing. Right after Champs Camp, Gretchen Donlan moved into
her new digs at Boston University, where the 18-year-old plans to pursue a high-tech curriculum. “I know that I’m majoring in biology. I’m defi nitely a
math-and-science kind of girl. I might also take a swing dance class, but that will just be for fun. I think I might take four classes later in the off -season but I’m really in no rush. I love school, so if it takes me longer than four years to graduate, I’m totally fi ne with that.” Another 18-year-old, Christina Gao, is also heading
to Boston to study at Harvard University. She, too, may major in biology, perhaps with an eye toward medicine, after an inspiring experience this summer. “It was a high school senior internship
thing, shadowing a doctor at a Cincinnati hospital,” Gao, a native Ohioan, said. “It was really cool. I got to go into the OR [Operating Room] and see surgeries.” Meanwhile, on the West Coast,
Stanford sophomore Rachael Flatt has already said yes to a pre-med major.
2014 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships, and that news was certainly welcomed by Boston resident and two-time reigning U.S. bronze medalist Ross Miner. “It’s going to be really cool. I knew we had a bid in, but I didn’t
know before anyone else that we had gotten it,” Miner said. “The president of the club [Joe Blount] came in during the middle of one of my sessions and grabbed the microphone and announced that we had been selected. I was excited and it’s going to be great to have a hometown crowd rooting for myself and everyone else who skates here.”
The Skating Club of Boston celebrated its 100th anniversary this
year, and Miner is excited to add to the history of one of U.S. Figure Skating’s founding clubs. “We have a lot of history at The Skating Club of Boston,” Miner
said, “and I am excited that the U.S. Championships will help to further promote that.”
— Josh Ellis
FROM SENIOR TO FRESHMAN Agnes Zawadzki, the 2012 U.S. bronze medalist, is beginning a
new chapter in her life. Zawadzki graduated from Cheyenne Mountain High School in Colorado Springs, Colo., last spring and began college at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs the week of Champs Camp. Zawadzki thinks the transition from high school life to college life could make things easier for her. “Even though it’s a little hectic, I feel like I have more time to
breathe,” Zawadzki said. “I don’t have to rush from the rink or school or back, and I have more time to do my homework now, which is nice.” Zawadzki starts her collegiate career with three classes this semester.
— Josh Ellis
LEARNED THE WAY FROM SAN JOSE Three-time U.S. champion and World medalist
Johnny Weir not only announced his comeback to competitive skating at the 2012 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships in San Jose, Calif., he also had the opportunity to get behind the microphone as a commentator for
icenetwork.com’s coverage of the event.
Weir put what he learned from the experience into his training.
“I really enjoyed being at the U.S. Championships
as a commentator because I got to see what I would be up against this year and what the guys were doing,” he said. “When I saw how well everyone was doing, it really lit a fi re under me, and when I got back to training and back on the ice, it was a whole new story, because I knew what I would be up against.”
— Josh Ellis SKATING 15
PHOTO BY BLUE FOX PHOTOGRAPHY
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