About Us

KID SPOTLIGHT

October 2004

Olivia Yao

Age: 6

Home club: Essex SC

Skating level: Preliminary MIF

Coaches: Oleg Bliakhman and Tonya Mikhailova

Favorite skaters: Michelle Kwan because of her determination and gracefulness and Sasha Cohen because of her flexibility.

How often I skate: On average I skate four times a week, 1–1½ half hours a day.

How I got started: I started to skate with my friends two months after my fourth birthday. It took me eight months to finish the whole sequence of group lessons from Tot 1 to Freestyle 1 and 2. From then on I knew that I wanted to be a champion on the ice.

Favorite jumps/moves: Loop jump and curly camel spin

Favorite skating moment: I was very excited to compete at the Garden State Games Figure Skating Championships in July — my first and only competition so far. I was also proud of myself to be able to compete in the pre-preliminary 1 free skating group and win a bronze medal at age 5.

Goals: To be an Olympic champion because it is the best

What else you should know about me: I am very good at math and I enjoy doing multiplication, division and geometry problems in my free time. I also like to do dance performances, play tennis and go skiing. I love to play chess, especially bug house, with my big brother, Kelvin, and my parents.