KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree covers portions of Johnson County, Kansas. Share your story idea with Olivia.
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The world is watching Team USA's medal count climb in Milan. But none more closely than young figure skaters at the AdventHealth Sports Park at Bluhawk in Overland Park.
"They're incredible to watch," said Emma Ryan, a figure skater.
"I love seeing the US men succeeded, and it's definitely an inspiration," said Ethan Suen, another figure skater.
Figure skaters at all levels make the sport look effortless. When in reality, they're training every day, most of them for nearly their entire lives. For these skaters, knowing what it takes makes seeing their home team take the gold even sweeter.
Emma Ryan and Alexis Snyder watch the Olympics for inspiration and ideas. Both girls skate at the senior level, the same as the Olympians we're watching.
"I'm looking a lot at especially jump technique because you might be able to get something off of that," Ryan said.
"The storytelling that each skater has, and then also just aspiring to do the same jumps that they do," Snyder said.
Snyder can perform some of the same challenging jumps as Olympic competitors.
"I can do triple toe, triple salchow, triple loop that they also do. Some people can do triple axel now," Snyder said.
That's one of the hardest jumps, but skaters like Amber Glenn and Alysa Liu make it look easy.
"You have to do three and a half revolutions in the air," said Olivia Kang, a figure skater.
All eyes are on the sport, and coach Sharon Brilliantine says that means new skaters at Bluhawk. The sports park hosts Learn to Skate classes for beginner skaters at any age.
"There's a cycle of skating, and as we approach the Olympics our classes are pretty full. We currently have well over 300 people in our Learn to Skate," Brilliantine said.
Because of the success of Team USA, these young skaters get to watch the sport grow and hope for the same themselves.
"It's a dream to be, you know, at the Olympics," Suen said.
"It feels nice to be in the level where I can only improve," Snyder said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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