The music starts. Lilah Gibson ‘24 takes a deep breath and begins to skate. The familiar melody of “Lift Me Up” by Rihanna plays over the speakers as her skates slash across the ice. She moves like a swan and leaps into a jump. She lands. She’s alone on the ice. Just her and her skates, and the music. Before she knows it, her program is over.
“Skating is important to me because, aside from things that I learned on the rink, I feel like it teaches me discipline, time management, and other skills that I can use for the rest of my life,” Gibson said.
Everything was going well for Gibson. She was a talented skater, aspiring to compete at Nationals and even skate for Team USA. That is, however, before something unexpected happened. Unexpected and devastating.
“I got a stress fracture in my ankle,” Gibson said. “It was an overuse injury.”
The sport of figure skating utilizes the whole body—every muscle—but the ankles are essential, especially for doing advanced jumps. To some, this injury, while painful, can seem insignificant. But to a figure skater, it’s disastrous.
“Originally, when I went to the doctor, we tried taking a week off and then getting back to it,” Gibson said. “Never, never imagined I would be off for that long, so it was pretty heartbreaking.”
Now, with a month and a half off the rink, Gibson found herself struggling with all of her new free time.
“I struggled to find things to fill my time because I was used to being so active. I couldn’t train at all,” Gibson said. “I started doing things like the Peloton to fill up my spare time, and also just going on walks.”
Finally, her long-awaited return to the ice came.
“Coming back has been weird, because I wasn’t able to jump,” Gibson said. “But it has given me a new perspective and renewed my love for the sport.”
Even during her time off the ice, she still kept in touch with her coaches and peers, which made her transition back to the ice smoother.
“I was still doing a lot of off the ice, and then I was also coaching. I was still involved, and I would see my coaches once or twice a week, so that was nice,” Gibson said. “And coming back has been great. Everyone has been really happy to have me and I’m starting to jump again, which is exciting.”
The timing of Gibson’s return was perfect. It was just before the high school team’s All Colorado competition.
The day of the competition finally arrived. The announcer called the names of the elements the skaters would perform. The air on the ice was cold and crisp. Teams of skaters sat on blankets on the ice by the boards. The sound of cheering and support was deafening.
Gibson stepped onto the ice to do her first element. She skated fast and gracefully. She triumphantly leaped into a split jump. The crowd went wild, and her teammates screamed with excitement. She went into her other two elements, executing each one perfectly as all the other teams watched. The cheers got louder every time.
The results of the competition were in. In Gibson’s category, the team won first place.
“I liked that it makes skating, which is such an individual kind of sport, more of a team sport.” Lilah said. “It brings people together.”