She gracefully slides on the ice. She spins, twirls, and leaps through the air. This is the definition of a sophisticated skater. Madison, Maddie, Ortiz, East Leyden senior, is busy both in and out of school. She shares about her love for ice skating.
Maddie has been skating from a young age. She says, “I began ice skating at the age of three years old after being inspired by the figure skaters I saw in the Olympics. Now, I have been skating for 15 years.” Ortiz spends hours at practice. She was completely shocked when she found out her team had a shot at being World Champions. “ A moment in my skating career that I would deem as my “I made it moment” would be the second I dropped into my ending position at the end of my free program performance at the World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships. Having completed a nearly perfect performance, I knew that our chances at winning Worlds were heightened significantly, and it was something I had dreamed of for as long as I’ve been skating.” This doesn’t mean there weren’t any setbacks. “My first year representing Team USA was one awful setback in my skating career. My team and I had skated an unfortunate performance, landing us in fourth place at the Spring Cup located in Milan, Italy. Prior to this competition, we were promised to be on the World Team, but due to the unfortunate skate we had put out, we were pulled from the World Team in an incredibly immature and unorganized manner, leaving us emotionally broken and mentally drained.” She recalls, “We had thought that this might be our last chance to compete at worlds, but obviously that was not the case, and we demonstrated resilience with our incredible comeback two years later.”
Maddie shares that her team plays a crucial part in keeping her motivated. “The roster differs every year, but each year we foster a tight bond through the hardships we endure with training and competitive experiences,” she says. Being an elite athlete is extremely tough behind the scenes, so going through the same things as a team creates an incredibly strong bond—one that could never be broken. Although being on the team is rewarding, it comes with challenges of its own such as keeping up with schoolwork. “I always make sure to avoid procrastination because if I procrastinate while I’m in school, then the work only increases as I’m away for competition.” Maddie continues, “Getting work done is one thing, but excelling at each subject is another, and that takes immense discipline and sacrifice. While I could be hanging out with friends or taking advantage of leisure time, I will always be studying for the next thing as I know that without doing so, I may not have the opportunity to learn the material in full later.”
Ortiz has many plans for the future. “I recently committed to Boston University to study majors in the physical therapy realm. I definitely plan to coach as well,” she says with a smile. For now, Maddie will continue to shine on the ice, but she hopes to pass her talents and knowledge on to others in the future.
