How young Wichita figure skaters are getting a taste of the national championships
Young Wichita figure skaters are getting to share the ice rink with their skating role models during the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, running through Sunday, Jan. 26.
Six members of the Wichita Figure Skating Club are serving as sweepers, the skaters who skate out after performances to clear the ice of any gifts thrown into the rink.
“What’s fun about that is that they get to be on the ice with their role models, and they get to see the skating up close, and get to be a part of the event in that way,” Jolene Taylor, the president of the Wichita Figure Skating Club, told The Eagle. “So they’re all very excited to get to do that.”
The Wichita skaters you will see on the rink at Intrust Bank Arena this weekend are Alistair Billingham, 9; Lily Estephan, 11; Ruby Watts, 14, and three siblings — Harper, Mia and Zoe Caulkins (ages 7, 5 and 12).
Zoe, who has been skating for 6 years, said her favorite part about being a sweeper has been seeing other skaters.
“It’s been really exciting watching other people skate,” Zoe said. “It’s been just a good experience to just see everybody.”
When asked what her favorite part about ice skating is, she said “pretty much everything.”
“It’s not just one thing I like, it’s just probably everything about it,” she said.
Mia and Harper both agreed that the best part of sweeping was getting to pick up the stuffed animals.
Because of the size of Wichita’s Figure Skating Club, Kansas City also sent skaters to participate, which makes the number of sweepers about 30.
“They’re usually competing against each other, so it’s fun that they get to do something together,” Taylor said.
How to see the U.S. Figure Skating Championships
The rhythm dance and women’s free skate portions of the championships are taking place Friday. Saturday and Sunday are your last opportunities to watch the Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships at Intrust Bank Arena before it wraps up with an ice show on Sunday.
Here’s a look at the upcoming schedule:
Saturday, Jan. 25:
- Men’s short program (groups 1 and 2): 9:58 to 11:34 a.m.
- Free dance (groups 1 and 2): 11:50 a.m. to 1:21 p.m.
- Men’s short program (group 3): 1:36 to 2:23 p.m.
- Free dance (group 3): 2:38 to 3:23 p.m.
- Pairs free skate: 6:35 to 8:52 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 26:
- Men’s free skate: 1:47 to 4:51 p.m.
- Prevagen Skating Spectacular: 7 to 9:30 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased on selectaseat.com/skating. If you can’t make it in person, NBC will be streaming the competitions on Peacock.
