Ice Skating isn’t considered to be a conventional sport, but junior Nellierae McCaslin doesn’t know what she’d do without it.

“I can’t imagine doing anything else. As far as I can remember, I’ve always been on ice, skating or watching someone else skate.” McCaslin said. “Skating makes me feel special because many [people] can’t spin or jump on ice, and I love that I can. If I’m upset the day I have to skate, I love it because it allows me to let out my feelings.

The sport provides a healthy release for many, including McCaslin.

“I enjoy that I get to express myself through music. You normally get to pick or have a say [in the music you skate to],” McCaslin said. “For me, it lets me pick music to how I’m feeling depending on my mood, and with that music I’m able to skate to something that I normally wouldn’t know how to say.”

Competitions go along with almost any sport out there, however McCaslin doesn’t partake in them often.

“I like competitions, but I don’t do them often because of how much drama comes along with them,” McCaslin said. “When I do compete, I practice for them by running through my program with my music while on ice, then walking through them off ice while listening to music.”

When she does participate in competitions though, she puts all of her preparation to use.

“My mom has always told me to leave it all out on the ice since my first competition,” McCaslin said. “Once I step on the ice, I forget everything else going on except my program.”