Taylor Marencik

I have always enjoyed watching the winter Olympics, figure skating being one of my favorite events. The way that the skaters glide so gracefully and effortlessly across the ice always leaves me with the desire to get out there on the ice myself. Well, last year I finally donned my first pair of ice skates and gave it a try. I quickly found out one very important fact; it's not as easy as it looks!

Being a good figure skater has a price just like any other sport. To be good, you must put in endless hours of training and push yourself to the limit physically. Taylor Marencik of Upper Burrell is a perfect example of what dedication and hard work can accomplish. She hits the ice every morning for several hours before school to start her training. In addition to regular daily practice in summer, she also puts in some intense hours participating at an ice skating day camp. This six hour a day camp lasts ten weeks and involves being on the ice the entire time. This hard work has paid off and enabled her to win local events as well as place in national championships.

Although Taylor has been ice-skating for the past seven years, she has only been competing through the Pittsburgh Figure Skating Club for the past five. Taylor said that she had tried rollerblading and didn't like it very much but found that she had a lot of natural talent when it came to ice-skating. This find was what launched her ice-skating career.

All the hard work she does throughout the year is in preparation for the Regional competitions in October. The competition usually starts with about 150 girls. They eliminate skaters until they end up with one group of eighteen. Taylor ended up ninth in the final round at this event. The girls were judged on Quick Feet, Power, and Edges. Taylor has also received a gold medal for her "Field Moves," where the skater has to learn the different skating moves and work their way up through the levels of difficulty. She received the medal for completing the levels with excellence. Right now Taylor said that she is working on her double axel. She would like to continue sharpening her skills and bring home a first place at the Regional competitions.

In addition to free style skating, Taylor also skates with a partner. Matthew Rosso of Uniontown has been skating with her for a year. According to Taylor's mother, Norma, it is becoming very hard to find male skaters so she is very fortunate to have the opportunity to skate with him. Taylor said that she hopes to continue in ice-skating and one day to make it to the Olympics. This has definitely been an investment for everyone involved. Her parents, Norma and John, have invested a lot in the sport financially in addition to their time. Norma drives her daughter to her practices every day, keeps involved with her trainers and attends Taylor's skating competitions.

Taylor attends Huston Middle School in Lower Burrell. Besides her intense training, Taylor works hard to keep her grades up. Her mother said that her skating career is contingent on her grades. However, this has never been a problem. It is just another area of Taylor's life that she has brought excellence to.