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Alyssa Stump and Harrison Sokol perform in the juvenile ice dance division.


Skate to life experiences


BY MIMI MCKINNIS


Rise, fall, rise again. No matter who we are or what challenges we’ve faced, we can all take our first steps onto the ice and achieve greatness. While Learn to Skate USA is proudly endorsed by U.S. Figure Skating, USA Hockey and US Speedskating, the program’s therapeutic track is also supported by Special Olympics, giving everyone the chance to be transformed, forge friendships and experience all the ice has to offer.


Through Learn to Skate USA’s therapeutic program, athletes with permanent physical, developmental or intellectual disabilities can take to the ice and reap the benefits, including fun fitness and cardiovascular conditioning, increased strength, improved balance, better flexibility, socialization and increased self- esteem.


Sixteen-year-old Harrison Sokol knows the benefits of ice skating better than most. After multiple setbacks and diagnoses, he has persevered to become one of the few athletes to compete in both Special Olympics and U.S. Figure Skating events.


This is Harrison’s story in his words.


I’ve had to overcome a lot of obstacles in my 16 years. I was diagnosed developmentally delayed at age 2, so I’ve had to work harder than my non- disabled peers just to reach normal milestones. I am diagnosed with autism and I strive to be a role model for people with disabilities.


At age 3, I put on a pair of skates, jumped up and said one of my first full sentences: “Mommy, I like my shoes. Mommy, I really like my shoes!” I’ve been skating ever since.


62 MARCH 2017


When I was 10 years old, I had to come off the ice to have corrective surgery on my pronated feet. The doctors lengthened both of my Achilles tendons and put titanium implants between the bones of the arches of my feet. When I got back on the ice, I had to learn how to skate all over again.


Since then, I’ve become one of very few skaters who have competed on both the Special Olympics track and U.S. Figure Skating’s standard competitive track. I’ve won gold medals at Special Olympic events around my hometown of Scottsdale, Arizona, and competed in ice dance at my first U.S. Figure Skating sectional championships last year.


I’ve gone from a self-contained special education classroom in a preschool to honors/AP dual enrollment in high school. I just earned my driver’s license and I’m working toward an associate degree from Paradise Valley Community College, that I plan to receive at the same time as my diploma from Horizon High School. In 2018, I want to pursue a bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University.


More than that, I plan to skate as long as life will allow and would one day like to represent Team USA in international competition. I have an innate desire to learn and do well. I strive to inspire others to do the same. The ice has taught me that life’s obstacles do not get in the way of achieving my hopes and dreams. Through skating, I know the joy of getting better every time I try something new. I know that when I fall, I get right back up, and I know that challenges can be overcome to achieve greatness.


PHOTOS BY CYNTHIA SLAWTER PHOTOGRAPHY.


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