BSM is full of many different students who participate and compete in many different sports and activities. One of the lesser-known sports is competitive figure skating. Sophomore Jordan Stanke has spent 9 years skating competitively, both individually and for a team. Over the years, it has become a large part of her life.

Jordan currently skates for the Elk River Figure skating club and the Northernettes Synchro skating club. She competes in both the individual and team synchro competitions for these teams. She started skating at the age of 7, and says she started from . “My dad wanted me to play hockey so I went to the rink for a learn to skate class. When I went, I wore figure skates instead and never ended up actually playing hockey,” said Stanke. Since that time Jordan has dedicated many hours and weekends to the sport.

On average, Jordan practices skating for 17 hours a week, about 3 hours per day. During these practices, the team works on the long and short programs, and more basic things such as footwork, spins, and jumps.

Jordan’s skating has allowed her to visit many different states for different competitions, from places like Boston and Cape Cod to even Canada. This year alone, she visited michigan, kansas, chicago, and Portland for the National Synchro Competition. “I really like having the opportunity to travel and see places for competitions,” said Stanke.

With a sport that has taken up so much of her life, she definitely has her pros and cons about the sport. Jordan likes the competitiveness and the team atmosphere of synchro. “I like skating with the team better because there is less pressure, since it is not just you on the ice,” said Stanke. Another one of her favorite moments of the sport is landing a jump, and the feeling of accomplishment of completing it after working on it for months or even years.

But with a sport that can be challenging and time consuming, she has her dislikes as well. The long hours and practice can be very tiring and time consuming. “Some nights I don’t get home until 10:15, and then I have to start my homework,” said Stanke.

Overall, skating has been a large part of Jordan’s life for the last 9 years. All the time she has spent practicing has paid off, since she has won numerous trophies and awards over the years. Just this year, her synchro team placed 5th at nationals.