Junior
Willie Traeger practices moves before competing,Traeger's practice
is extremly strenuous.
Most
children dream of becoming someone big - a movie star, an astronaut, a
ballerina. For one junior at Flathead High, her dreams came true - and
are still continuing.
"I loved watching skating on TV," says 16-year-old
Willie Traeger. "And when we moved to Montana, I found there was
a rink here, and I wanted to take lessons."
Starting at the age of 10 with hard training almost
every day, Traeger has had the chance to participate in many competitions.
Traeger trains in Whitefish from November through March.
During the summer, she trains in Spokane, Wash. Currently Traeger skates
in the mornings for about two or so hours. Then during the evenings she
gets more practice in.
"I go to Canada to rent ice (a rink) in the off
seasons for practice," says Traeger.
Traeger skates in four to five competitions per year.
Her most recent competition was Oct.. 10-15 at the Northwest Pacific Regional
Championships in Spokane. With a tough group of 45 other kids competing
against her, Traeger took eleventh place.
There are different divisions for ice-skating: pre-preliminary,
preliminary, pre-juvenile, juvenile, intermediate, novice, junior, and
senior. Traeger competes in intermediate, and is currently working on
her novice tests.
For each level there are two tests, a move and a free
skate test, and both must be passed in order to move up to the next level.
The moves test consists of different sequences of edges, turns, and footwork
combined into separate moves. This test is done with absolutely no music.
The free skate test involves skating with certain required elements. If
you complete all elements successfully, then you pass. The free skate
test is done with music.
"My favorite elements are the camel spin and double
salchow (jump)," Traeger says. "The hardest elements are the
double flip and double Lutz."
Traeger's parents are also very proud of her achievements.
"I'm really proud of her, she works really hard,
and is really good at doing what she does," says her mother, Dallas
Traeger.
"She has been doing really good, with school and
in skating, we are really proud of her," says her father, Bill Traeger.
"She does long hours and that is really good for a 16-year-old.
The hard work is worth it, Especially when you finally
accomplish what you have been working towards." Traeger has learned
how to motivate herself and said it teaches her responsibility. Along
with the hard work, Traeger has had to give up the first half of the school
day.
"Since I am deprived from the ice in Montana year
around, I can have a goal to go to the Olympics, but it's not really a
realistic goal," she says.
Traeger plans to skate through college and see where
it takes her from there. Traeger thinks that she might have a chance for
the 2006 Olympics.
"My goal for my skating is to pass all of my tests,
land my double axle before I graduate high school," she says, "and
maybe become a professional skater during or after college and perform
in ice shows around the world."
