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KIDS' QUESTIONS
March 2003
U.S. senior ladies competitor Andrea Gardiner takes on the kids press and answers the questions you sent in!
| 2013 Icemen Sectional Series Program Information |
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Your skating costumes are always so pretty. Does someone help you select them or do you select them by yourself? Hayley Thurman, 8, Columbia, Tenn.
I design them, then I have someone who makes them. I come up with designs I like. I'm very particular about costumes, so I develop the designs that suit me best.
What do you do to relieve the pressure you feel due to the competitors and the TV cameras all around you? How do you handle your nerves before you go out on the ice? Julia, 14, Huntsville; Micaela Werman, 12, Hamden, Conn.
I listen to a CD Walkman and get back into my own regiment. I remember what I've practiced at home and go into what makes me relax instead of worrying about the cameras.
What is your favorite skating move and why do you enjoy doing this move? Is it more difficult to do as you get older? Georgina Oliveira, 10, Ludlow, Mass.
I like jumping, and my favorite triple is the triple toe. It is the first one I got and it's my best triple. It gets easier with more practice, and I don't think age has anything to do with it. You do it over and over, and it just comes naturally to you.
What are your biggest skating and non-skating accomplishments? Chani Woodward, 15, Indianapolis, Ind.; Margaret, 15, Buffalo, N.Y.
My biggest skating accomplishments are when I won the junior national title in 1997 and last year at the Staples Center (in Los Angeles at the 2002 U.S. Championships) when I got a standing ovation. Graduating from high school would be a non-skating accomplishment. Others would be winning a solo ensemble contest when I played violin, and when the city of Baytown where I live declared it Andrea Gardiner day because of my accomplishments.
How old are you when you first got into skating? What inspired you to work toward competing at the national level and to strive to be the best? Camille Shepherd, 15, Denton, Texas; Lanna Gallo, 14, Newark, Del.
I started skating when I was 4 and started taking lessons when I was 6. When I was 4 I saw a Christmas ice show at The Galleria (in Houston) and that's how I got into doing it. As soon as I saw that ice show, I knew that this was something I wanted to do. I was good at it, and I really enjoyed skating. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I was going to go all the way to nationals. The first time I made it was in 1995, and that was a big experience. I skated on the novice level. That's when I decided that I wanted to come back and keep going because I really enjoyed doing it.
Who do you admire most and why? Nadine Joy Abad, 10, San Diego, Calif.
I would say I admire Kristi Yamaguchi most because she's a hard worker. Also Brian Boitano. They've both continued to skate at a high level even though they are older now and they're performers. They're skaters who don't just do hard elements; they perform for the audience, and I really enjoy watching them. [Outside the skating world] I would have to say my mother because she has made a lot of sacrifices for me, and she's stuck by me through both the good times and the bad.
What is your daily schedule and training schedule? Rachael Syswerda, 15, Grand Rapids; Abbey Guirgevich, 14, Lexington, Ky.; Alex Johnson, 12, Minnetonka, Minn.
Normally I get up and do some stretching and Pilates. Then I brush my teeth and do all that stuff. I get out the door and get to practice around noon and I'm there until around 4 p.m., but we have some breaks in between. I live an hour away, so I leave the rink and usually get home around 5:30 p.m. Then I go the gym.
I'm an African-American skater. For many years, I never had anyone to relate to in this sport other than Debi Thomas, then I discovered you on a nationals broadcast. You are very inspirational. How does it feel to be a trailblazer in this sport? La Shondra, 16, Chicago
Wow! That's so nice. When I skate, and particularly when I won juniors, I never thought about myself as an African-American. I thought of myself as a skater. I'm honored to be admired, but I don't see the color thing — it's never been an issue in my skating. I believe if you skate well, you get what you deserve. You just have to stick in there. Sometimes the marks are not always what you want when you have skated well. And there are times when you think you've skated awful and you get higher marks. You just remember that you worked hard for it and in the end you should feel good about what you did.
I skate and play the violin, just like you. Do you think your violin playing helps you with skating to music? Melanie Gravenstede, 7, Rochester, N.Y.
Yes, I really do. I started [playing violin] in junior high school from sixth grade on up, and I believe that it has a lot to do with musicality because when I pick a piece of music I have to be able to feel it from within. I always pick what I want to skate to because a skater should be able to relate to it and feel it, rather than having someone tell you this is what you have to skate to even when you don't want to. So I really do feel that having a little bit of musical background has something to do with it.
At which competition were you the happiest about your performance? Alisha Poonja, 11, Calgary
L.A. (2002 U.S. Championships) was good. There are so many. I was happy when I won the junior national title. I was also happy in Cleveland (2000 U.S. Championships) when I got a standing ovation there and skated a clean performance. The medal means a great deal, but now I've gotten to a point that the standing ovation means a lot to me. It's important to have everyone in the building with you.
How long do you plan to remain in eligible skating? David Devico, 18, Salt Lake City
As long as I can. I have no intention of leaving right now. I have a lot I want to accomplish, so until those things are done I'm not leaving.
What do you want to accomplish in the immediate future? Garrett Kling, 12, Minn.
There's a long list, but my main one is to one day makes it to Worlds. Outside of skating I want to start college, finish college and try to be pre-med to be a cardiovascular surgeon. I've got a lot of work to do!
