MILWAUKEE — Sixteen-year-old Marilyn McCoy Sprung has her sights set on the Olympics, and her journey began on the same ice where beginners are learning to skate today.
McCoy Sprung started skating when she was 4 years old and now competes at a high level. She recently won a Junior bronze medal at a national dance solo competition in Salt Lake City. For her, the rink is more than a competition venue.
"Skating is my safe place. It's my home if I'm having a bad day, being at the rink is where I can feel the most free. It's how I truly show who I am," McCoy Sprung said.
Watching Alysa Liu win gold inspired the 16-year-old to chase her own Olympic dream.
"I think that was so incredible for her. She came back gunning for that top spot, and I think she deserved it. That was such an amazing program she very inspirational. I think all of the women from the US are inspirational in their own ways. They really defined for what US figure skating is," McCoy Sprung said.
Her next goal is finding the right partner to take her to the biggest stage in sports.
"My current goal and dream right now is to find an ice dance partner and to compete someday with an ice dance partner at the Olympics," McCoy Sprung said.
The Learn to Skate program at the Pettit National Ice Center has been helping skaters of all levels develop their skills for years. Mackenzie Neuendorf has been running the program there for the last 10 years.
"So with my own teaching, it depends on where the skater wants to go with their own skating. US Figure Skating has several different disciplines that you can go into. And it's not always about being competitive, some skaters want to come out here and be the best skater that they can be, while others have the goal of trying to do competitions," Neuendorf said.
The program costs $99 for six weeks of classes at the Pettit National Ice Center. Skaters can also participate in public skating after each class at no additional cost.
I'm Rod Burks reporting for TMJ4 Sports from the Pettit National Ice Center, where Olympic dreams begin.
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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