Taylor Firth gliding, spinning, jumping for joy

by Donna M. Webb
Grand Island Dispatch, February 9, 2006

Taylor Firth glides along the ice. She recently placed 14th at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Spokane, Wash. (photo by David Hummel)

Ask 15-year-old Taylor Firth what she loves about figure skating, and she’ll tell you, “I like jumping, and I like being able to show off on the ice. … It’s definitely the gift that God gave me, and I like to use it for that reason.”

Taylor is the daughter of Grand Island residents Michael and Pattie Firth. She placed second in figure skating’s Eastern Sectional Championships, which were held in Atlanta last November. This meant that Taylor was entitled to compete at the end of January in the senior ladies’ division of the 2007 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Spokane, Wash. She was the second-youngest competitor there. “I was really, really excited to make it. To make it as a senior was even that much more of a big deal,” Taylor said.

She was disappointed, though, with the results of her short program. “I really didn’t skate well at all. I was in 19th place,” Taylor explained. She did not let this affect her long program, however. Firth glided, jumped and spun to music from the movie “The Mission” and took 11th place in the free skate. That performance brought her up in the overall standings. She finished in the No. 14 spot among senior ladies at the end of the national championships.

“It was amazing to see her . . . looking beautiful and smiling,” Pattie said. “She looked relaxed, like she was enjoying herself. We just were so proud of her.”

Rigorous Practice

Competing at this level requires a rigorous amount of practice. In weekly terms, that amounts to “probably about 18 hours – close to that,” Taylor noted. All three of her sisters – Shannon, 17; Chelsea, 13; and Sierra, 11 – also skate, and the two youngest siblings continue to compete as well.

Every Tuesday through Saturday, Taylor, Chelsea and Sierra are home-schooled. The three girls work with a tutor for four hours each day. Then, at 12:15 p.m., Pattie takes them for the two-hour drive to the Jamestown Savings Bank Ice Arena, where they train. “They skate for 3 to 3-1/2 hours, and they have lessons for probably an hour,” Pattie said.

Taylor has been skating since age 7. Her coaches are Kirk Wyse and Lenel van den Berg. Van den Berg is a seven-time South African National Figure Skating champion. This year, Taylor has a choreographer as well. Incorporated into her regular training at the rink are Pilates, ballet and strength/conditioning exercises.

Taylor’s Role Model

Taylor role model in the skating world is Evan Lysacek. “He is the top guy in the U.S.,” she said. Lysacek just won the gold medal in the senior men’s division of the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. On its Web site, one writer described Lysacek’s “Carmen” program as an “electrifying free skate” that “rocked the near-sellout crowd at the Spokane Arena.”

Taylor attributes her skating success to practice, of course, but two other things as well: coaching. “I have great coaches. I was blessed with this amazing gift. I would say all these things mixed together. God gives me strength and courage to do what I do.”

Pattie said Taylor possesses unique qualities that make her a good skater and competitor: “Her smile, and she is a really good jumper. She just has really good presentation. She looks like she enjoys it.”

What’s Next

In late July, Taylor will skate in the Liberty Summer Competition, to be held in Pennsylvania. And there’s a big event closer to home. “Our skating club does a show every year, and we have to sell a lot of tickets,” Taylor said. It will be held on May 5 at the Jamestown Savings Bank Ice Arena. For tickets, call the arena at 664-6609 or go to www.chautauquaice.com for more details as the event approaches.