Ice-skating is a common winter tradition for many Saint Louisans, but for one former Ladue student, skating is more than just a fun pastime. Freshman Aya Takai, who recently moved to Michigan to further pursue skating, traveled to East Lansing, Mich. this December to compete in the 2012 U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships.  At this national competition, Takai competed in ice dance with her partner, Jason Cohn, as well as in singles.

“Ice dancing is very different from singles skating because you have to work as a team for your pattern dances and free dance to look good,” Cohn said. “It’s harder in some ways and easier in others.”

At sectionals earlier in the year, Takai and Cohn took home a gold medal in ice dance and Takai placed first in singles.  Their placements qualified them to attend the national championships.

“Aya and I skated very well, but we still were pretty surprised,” Cohn said. #

After advancing, the team continued training for nationals. For nationals, Takai had to prepare a total of five routines.

“I had my short and long program for freestyle. For dance, we had 2 compulsory dances, and one free dance,” Takai said.

All of their hard work paid off in the end. The team placed sixth at nationals.

“Nationals was exciting with both of us competing in Singles and Ice Dance,” Cohn said.  “Placing sixth in the country was pretty good, especially since fourth through sixth was decided by less than a point.”

However, Takai’s journey to nationals was a long one. She began skating nine years ago.

“The first time I went skating was on Fourth of July because the rink was the only place open that day,” Takai said.

After enjoying the experience, Takai began taking skating lessons once a week for half and hour.  At age nine, she decided she wanted to compete. Since then, her training has become more rigorous.

“I skate about 20 hours a week, before and after school.” Takai said. “I get a few lessons a week with my amazing coach, Debbie Howe. I practice with my partner, Jason, only in the morning, mostly during our lessons.”

Throughout the year, Takai has to balance schoolwork, friends, and skating. Skating practices often last for hours.

“Aya is a strong skater, and she works hard to improve,” Cohn said.

Fitting so many hours of practice into one week is no easy task.  Many skaters at Takai’s level are homeschooled, but she has found a different solution.

“There is not that much time to practice after school. [So, I] have a funky school schedule to fit my skating in,” Takai said. “I come to school for the last two periods of the day [and] I take the courses that I missed online.”

Her unusual schedule has its pros and cons. Although it allows her to practice more, it can also produce some challenges.

“Since I only have four classes that I take at school, I don’t have many classes with my friends,” Takai said. “I tend to miss out on a lot that goes on.”

Despite this, she hopes to continue skating and try to place at nationals in singles next year. But Takai also has aspirations to become an orthopedic doctor in pediatric sports medicine.