For Nisky 12-year-old and her sister, skating is a family affair
Between morning skating practices twice a week, gym workouts twice a week, and after-school practices, it’s no wonder why Olivia Serafini is among five other skaters from the North Atlantic region who will be competing in the U.S. Figure Skating Junior Nationals Dec. 14 to 19.
I’m nervous, but not as nervous as regionals, said Serafini. `I’m just happy I made it.`
Serafini finished fifth overall in the Intermediate Ladies Division at the 2010 North Atlantic Regional Figure Skating Championships held Oct. 16 to 20 in Hackensack, N.J., to qualify for the Junior Nationals competition in Strongsville, Ohio.
Skating since the age of 3 alongside older sister Helen Serafini in `learn-to-skate` programs, Olivia, now 12, has been competitively figure skating since second grade, according to her mother Annie Serafini.
`I was hoping I would [make Junior Nationals]. I knew that there were some great skaters so I knew that I had the potential,` said Olivia.
A student at Van Antwerp Middle School in Niskayuna, she has set herself apart from the other students as one of the only competitive figure skaters in upstate New York and one of only three skaters from the area who competed at the regional event in New Jersey.
`I’m happy for her,` said her sister, Helen, on her sister’s accomplishment. `It was really exciting when she made it. You have to overcome your nerves. I don’t think Olivia has as many nerves as I do. She makes it look easy and loose.`
Helen also competed at the regional event in Hackensack, but did not qualify for Junior Nationals after being seeded in a tough group during the event. Helen will be moving up to the novice level next season after finishing her second year in intermediates.
`They’re the only kids out of this area that compete in figure skating,` said Annie. `It’s hard work; there are highs and lows, but they’re doing it for themselves.`
Olivia is one of the two girls from the North Atlantic Region that has a double axel in her program going into the Junior Nationals competition. More competitive techniques in routines mean higher scores overall for the competitor, but they also mean greater challenges pulling off the tougher parts of the routine.
`She’s really been trying the tough stuff,` said Annie.
Olivia and her sister work on their craft daily, perfecting jumps and double axels for later competitions during morning and afternoon practices at the Schenectady County Recreational Facility in Glenville with coach Liz Commerford. The sisters also work out at a gym ` weight lifting and physically conditioning themselves. `Morning ice` usually runs from 6 to 8 a.m., right before school, and is done twice a week. The girls also skate in the afternoons four days a week.
Olivia said she loves to skate, but sometimes the work and long hours take a toll.
`I want to skate,` she said. `But sometimes it’s hard to get up.`
The girls also balance work with practice, often doing homework before and after skating at the rink. They are able to keep grades up while going to regional events and still find time to have a social life ` a part of their lives that their mother has stressed is important.
`They have a good work ethic, but they also have a life,` she said.
Commerford praised the sisters.
`I couldn’t be more proud of both girls. They work so hard and have such a strong desire to continually improve their skating skills,` said Commerford in a statement. `This was one of the toughest groups of competitors we have seen. The fact that Olivia advanced to Nationals is incredibly exciting for all of us, especially in an Olympic year. It has taken a lot of hard work and dedication to get to this point. … We will be working even harder in the next two months!`
Helen said Commerford has been a great mentor.
`She’s really close to us; she’s the best coach in the area,` said Helen, a sentiment echoed by her mother.
The girls have worked with Commerford since they started skating as young children, and she has coached the sisters for the past eight years. Their mother said skating is really a group effort, with Commerford and the Serafini sisters both working hard toward the same goal. Alongside their traditional training, the sisters also look at video clips and search online for information that will help them hone their skills.
Since the regional event, Olivia has been working with her coach to increase the difficulty of her spins and has introduced a harder entrance to her double axel in the hope of gaining a few more technical points toward her overall score. She has also worked on a triple salchow, but is unsure if it will be placed in her program or not at nationals, according to her mother.
`I’m thrilled,` said Annie Serafini. `It’s wonderful to reach this level of competition out of this area. We’ve been gunning for this since March.“