Life is about to come full circle for Olympic figure skater Ashley Wagner.
"Skating in the Olympics was absolutely unreal," said the 25-year-old athlete who has been skating for the past 20 years. "I was actually living in this area when I watched Tara Lipinski win the 1998 Olympics, so for me when I was a little kid watching her accomplish that, that is when my Olympic dream began."
A dream that began in Kansas City and took her to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, where she won a silver medal.
"Standing up on the podium and looking out into the crowd and realizing that they're all watching you achieve this life-long dream it is really surreal," said Wagner. "You don't really believe that it's actually happening."
Now Wagner will return to the KC figure skating stage -- or rink -- in January for the 2017 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, an event that could put her on the road to the 2018 Olympics.
"You just focus on events that are right in front of you," Wagner explained. "If I were to be worried about the Olympics right now, I wouldn't be focusing on the right thing. So for me it's kind of about taking it one step at a time."
And while she's training for the championships in January, Wagner's still not taking her eyes off her ultimate goal -- gold in 2018.
2017 U.S. Figure Skating Championships
WHAT: The U.S. Figure Skating Championships are held annually to crown U.S. Champions in ladies, men’s, pairs and ice dancing events. The annual event, held since 1914, is the nation’s most prestigious figure skating event, with past winners including Michelle Kwan, Kristi Yamaguchi, Scott Hamilton, Evan Lysacek, Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto, and Charlie White and Meryl Davis.
WHEN: January 14 - 22
WHERE: Sprint Center
PRICE: Various packages; tickets start at $152.25 for the three-day Championship weekend
MORE INFO: http://www.2017usfigureskatingchampionships.com/tickets/
