The 2026 Winter Olympics began in Milano and Cortina, Italy on Feb. 6. The Winter Olympics have events such as hockey, skiing, curling, and another well-known sport: figure skating.
Figure skating is the art of dancing on ice. Skaters spin, jump, and glide with precise technique and skill. Nebraska doesn’t have as many opportunities for skating as other states, but that doesn’t stop Bellevue West students.
“Like when we [travel] to Colorado, they just spend all day at the rink,” senior Janiyah Willis said. “But I feel like a lot of people here, like where skating is less popular, don’t really make it their whole life.”
Willis started ice skating when she was in the third grade.
“It was really a good outlet for me,” Willis said. “2016 is when I first moved back to the states, [we are a] military family, so I found out about it, just ended up picking up an interest.”
While Willis has been skating for quite some time, sophomore Tiana Mugure started last year.
Mugure talked about her lack of experience on the ice before she began skating. She never skated recreationally, figure skating being her first chance to do the mundane things like tie the laces on her skates. However, it’s more than just a sport to Mugure.
“It’s really fun to do,” Mugure said. “And you get to meet so many new people that you have your journey [with].”
It is a time-consuming hobby.
“I’ve spent like two hours pretty much every morning there,” said Willis.
Mugure spends lots of time with figure skating and track and field, which can prove to be difficult.
“So I have track conditioning, and then I have to get the figure skating.” Said Mugure,“So I don’t really have time for my homework, and that’s why, like, my grades have been dropping recently.”
Despite it all, Mugure loves the sport.
“I want to do it after high school, because it’s, like, really fun, and I love my teammates, and I love my coach,” Mugure said. “So far, she’s really nice,”
For anyone interested in figure skating, it’s important to leave your comfort zone and have fun.
“You meet such great people during figure skating,” Mugure said. “You just need to get yourself out there. And also don’t be scared of falling, because everyone falls. It’s not embarrassing.”
