Los Alamitos High School sophomore Joshua Fendi was recently awarded an Athlete Alumni Ambassador (3A) award by U.S. Figure Skating, the national governing body for figure skating in the United States.
The 15-year-old won $500 from the 3A scholarship program for achieving excellence in figure skating while actively volunteering.
“Joshua was really excited,” said Mia Fendi, his mother. “He felt honored to be rewarded for his contribution to the community. I thought it was nice that they recognize kids who contribute their time and help others.”
Winners were selected from a pool of applicants who competed at the novice or junior level at the 2017 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships or the 2017 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships. One winner was chosen overall by the Athletes Advisory Committee, as were five winners from each discipline- ladies’, mens’, pairs, ice dance, and synchronized. Fendi received the award for pairs skating.
Fendi and his skating partner, his twin sister Jasmine, were the 2014 U.S. juvenile pairs champions and 2016 U.S. intermediate pairs champions. The two finished sixth in the novice event at the 2017 U.S. Championships.
Fendi and his sister, who have been skating since they were six years old, founded the figure skating club at Los Alamitos High School, which was the first high school figure skating club on the West Coast.
This article appeared in the June 7, 2017 print edition of the News Enterprise.