Courtesy of Victoria Grunberg

SPINNING TO SUCCESS: On April 5, sophomore Victoria Grunberg competed in an international figure skating competition with her team in France. The team took home 3rd place.

Figure skating requires athletes to perform a series of movements, choreography and skills on the ice. For sophomore Victoria Grunberg, figure skating has become an outlet for her to explore challenges and push past her comfort zone.

Grunberg began skating during sixth grade at age 11. 

“I made a friend in sixth grade who ice skated and she was amazing at it,” Grunberg said. “I asked her where she skated, and I went to the rink and skated by myself. I fell over and bruised my tailbone, and it hurt so bad for four weeks straight. After that, I decided to start taking lessons to get better, and I’ve been skating ever since.”

Despite facing challenges early on, Grunberg quickly adapted to new coaches and training.

“Skating is much different than I thought it was,” Grunberg said. “At first it was quite difficult for me because I had never skated before, but once I had gotten the hang of it I improved very quickly and I started learning faster.”

Grunberg said her largest challenges are falling down and making comparisons to others.

“I’ve met many girls even younger than me who have been skating for less time than I have who are simply better than me and improve and learn so much faster,”  Grunberg said. “It was hard to accept that at first [and] I felt really negative and not confident about myself and my abilities… I began accepting it, but the hard parts [of figure skating] are getting used to falling and getting hurt sometimes, and getting used to yourself and being confident in your abilities.”

Grunberg believes it is important for athletes to understand that people learn and progress at different paces. Grunberg attributes much of her own learning to having an open mindset.

“You have to be open to screw up and fail and try over and over again until you feel confident,” Grunberg said. “It’s not about perfection. First, it’s about getting the base down and then improving on top of that. It’s not about being comfortable either. If anything, you’re going to be extremely uncomfortable, and you have to get used to that and be open to new perspectives.”

Grunberg’s sister Linda Mahecha believes Grunberg’s dedication to the sport helped her succeed.

“Victoria is a very curious and artistic person, and ice skating combines both sport and art which is why she was very interested in it,” Mahecha said. “She got to where she is now in ice skating because she’s dedicated, and challenges only make her work harder to achieve her goals.”

Mahecha said Grunberg works on skills in and outside of practice. She practices jumps, turns, and choreography in the rink, while incorporating coordination exercises outside the rink.  

“Even when she’s at home, she practices different skills that help her on the ice,” Mahecha said. “These practices include stuff like balance, and she uses a special tool to help her learn spins.”

This year, Grunberg joined the Atlanta Ice Theatre, on their open team. The team performs routines that combine figure skating with theatre and dancing.

“I’ve never been a part of a team at all, I’ve always just taken private lessons or group lessons and skated on my own or with a few friends, but being on a team is a whole new thing,” Grunberg said. “You rely a lot on each other and you observe other people’s moves and skills and what they can do.”

Her practices take place every Saturday from 5:50-6:50 in the morning. 

“During practice, we usually start by getting our skates on and taking a few laps around the ice and warming ourselves up individually,” Grunberg said. “Then we do group warm-ups … After that, we start our program and choreography.”

Grunberg’s teammate Solian Carter said Grunberg’s passion for the sport helps her teammates stay motivated.

“Victoria during practice can be very motivating as well as motivated,” Carter said. “She [is] uplifting towards me as well as others [and] she practices with her goals in mind. ”

On April 5, she competed with her team internationally in France. They won 3rd place. Grunberg said she enjoyed being in a competition environment and receiving support from other teams, coaches, and teammates.

“I was so proud of myself, this was my first time ever competing and even being a part of any team and I loved it,” Grunberg said. “Everyone is so supportive of you. The coaches are strict but not in a mean way. They want you to do your best and get better and give the judges everything you have.”

In June, she will compete at a national competition in Texas. Grunberg said she looks forward to future competitions, and continuing to skate.

“I’m looking forward to going to nationals to compete in Texas,” Grunberg said. “Nationals in Texas has teams from all over the country coming to compete and this competition lasts about five days straight. I have a feeling I’m going to love it as much, if not more, than the competition in France. I’m so excited for our new program and what else there is to come in the future.”