“Please welcome, representing the Princeton Skating Club and the North Jersey Figure Skating Club, Cherie Sun...” — the rest of the dance felt like a blur. My shadow dancing partner, Gloria, and I were first to skate after the standard three-minute warm up, so my legs did not stiffen as they usually did from pre-competition skating nerves. What I do remember is finishing my introduction and skating up to my starting position. The rest of the performance was just smiling and muscle memory. Before I knew it, my time on the ice was over, and my coach was applauding. I sighed with relief.

Qualification for the National Solo Dance Final is based on performance from the competitions in the National Solo Dance series where the highest scoring skaters in each section qualify. One of the events is shadow dance, which involves two skaters skating a compulsory ice dance side-by-side, similar to a ballroom dance on ice. Judges give two scores: one for execution and another for component. Execution is graded on a scale from plus five to minus five, focusing on skating quality, synchronization, and closeness. The component score is based on skating skills, performance, and timing to the pattern dancing music. We travelled to Kalamazoo, Michigan the day before the competition and attended the pre-competition party at Gull Meadows Farm near the rink. There, Gloria and I were able to meet other skaters participating in the final. Afterwards, we went out for a big dinner and slept early in preparation for the next day’s competition.

The day of the final, we woke up at 7 a.m. and went down to get breakfast in the hotel. I tried to eat as much breakfast as I could since I knew I had a long day ahead of me. Around 8:30 a.m., we went to the rink for practice ice, which we purchased ahead of time to get adjusted to the new rink and get “our legs under us,” an expression my coach likes to use: When you skate earlier in the day, you are more warmed up and therefore have a better feel for the ice. It was the first time I had seen the rink; my eyes swept around the massive space with the bleachers full of buzzing spectators. The side of the rink banner read “2021 National Solo Dance Final.” That’s when it hit me: this is a big deal.

It was time to begin my competition routine. First was makeup and dressing, which took about an hour. The next step was getting to the rink. Once we arrived, Gloria and I stretched, listened to music, and did off-ice extension activities with our coach. After about 30 minutes, it was time to put on skates and make our way over to the competition. When we got there, the Zamboni was still surfacing the ice, and when it finished, there were a few minutes to allow for the ice to dry before we stepped on for our three-minute warmup.

photo: [credit name = "Kevin Phelan"] photo illustration: [credit name="Wenya Huan"]

Overall, this was one of the best experiences of my life. We skated well, and although we didn’t medal, we placed sixth in the country. I was able to meet and watch some excellent skaters; there were about 170 from all over the country attending the competition. Since we spend so much time together, shadow dancing has made Gloria and me closer through our practices and travel to competitions. Still, even after the season, we get food every Friday after practice, laughing at our inside jokes and updating each other on our weeks. It was a unique opportunity to be a part of a team with skating being an individual focused sport. Part of the reason we were so successful was because of our strong relationship. When you get along, you are able to work better together. We have gotten to the point where we are not afraid to be honest with each other with our skating, allowing us to fix issues faster, and with skating being a detail-oriented sport, this is key. I can’t wait to compete in the series next year to try to win a spot at the final again.