Oak Middle School in Los Alamitos is the home of skating champion, Karolina Calhoun, 13, who recently took gold in the national competition for the Juvenile Girls Division at the 2013 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Omaha, Nebraska on Jan. 26. The 7th grader had won 10 out of 12 championships this last year including competitions in Burbank, LaJolla, and Arizona as well the country’s sectional competition in Provo, Utah.
“It’s really exciting because you are competing against the top skaters nationally,” said Calhoun of her first national competition this year. “Winning this year is kind of my motivation to go back next year.” Next year’s national competition is in Boston, Massachusetts. At this year’s competition, Calhoun won gold skating to Franz Shubert’s “Ave Maria.”
To get to the 2013 championships, Calhoun, who has been a figure skater since age 6, trained all year long before and after school, and her family sacrificed a lot financially to help her achieve her goals. “It’s almost unbelievable to see how all her hard work paid off,” said Calhoun’s mother, Neila Calhoun.
Her daughter gets up at 5:30 a.m. during weekdays to be at practice by 6 a.m., waking up at 6 a.m. on weekends, and practicing 7 days a week for 2 ½ hours daily. She does all this while making all A’s and one B+ in her classes. “I learned to be disciplined from my mother,” said Calhoun.
Calhoun’s mother said her daughter doesn’t complain about all the hard work and sacrifice. Her daughter has had to miss many sleepovers with friends outside of skating because she needs to get up so early and practice every day.
“Oak Middle School has been very supportive, allowing her to get to class later in the mornings so she can practice,” said Calhoun’s mother who makes her home in Long Beach with husband, John , and son, Jack. This is the skater’s first year at Oak Middle School, and she had to be released from Long Beach Unified School District in order to attend school in Los Alamitos. She is also allowed for her skating to be her physical education credit at the school as well.
“I’m inspired by Michelle Kwan, and hope to go to the Olympics,” said Calhoun, who also wants to go to college. She said her most favorite subject in school is mathematics. It would seem that with all her discipline, hard work and sacrifice that Calhoun is definitely on her way towards Olympic gold.
Karolina also credited her coach, who had an important role in her winning streak this season. Her main coach is Anna Baram, but she has also had training by Sashi Kuchiki (jumps), Mary Becktell (spins), and Galina Barinova (ballet).