As winter sports become the focus of school spirit, many students are unaware of all the sports sponsored by RHS, including the united figure skating team. The team is composed of skaters from all three high schools and they practice and perform at the Onyx. There are four RHS girls on the team: senior Nellierae McCaslin, juniors Morgan Michaux and Emily Taylor, and sophomore Julia Mleczek. As the girls are preparing for competitions, their efforts go largely unnoticed by the community.

“It’s only at the rink where it’s really showcased,” McCaslin said. “We’re still considered a club, not a real sports team, to some people, and there isn’t many Rochester kids on the team, it’s mostly Stoney and Adams.”

These girls are not just the average athletes; many have been skating for many years prior to high school and are part of multiple groups, not just the united team.

Taylor elaborates on the commitment and effort required to become a figure skater compared to that of another sport.

“Figure skating isn’t a sport where you can wake up and decide to do, you have to be seriously trained,” Taylor said.

Many of these girls have started skating at as young as four years old, and it is a central part of their lives. McCaslin comments on how the bond formed over the shared love of the sport supersedes the differences the girls might have.

“Everyone is really nice and we’re all supportive of each other,” McCaslin said. “When you go out, everyone starts clapping and we try to get whoever’s out there alone to feel comfortable and happy about it.”