Kyra Privette, senior figure skater, passed the Senior Moves in the Field. It was the final of the eight-test-long moves in the field program. She has now become a gold medalist. Only about 1% of figure skaters pass this test and become a medalist.

Kyra is a senior this year. She has been figure skating ever since she was three years old, spending the last five years of her high school career on the ice with the Varsity Skating team.

She has skated her whole life, and their family’s life would not be the same as it is today without it, Kyra’s mom Jill Privette said.

The Senior Moves in the Field test is a difficult test. It uses a number of different skills including edges, turns, and power patterns. There are a total of eight levels she had to complete to pass the test. Most skaters never even dream of passing this long and difficult process.

“Fewer than 1,000 members of U.S. Figure Skating pass the Senior Moves in the Field test each year. Most skaters don’t make it to this point,” Jill said.

Kyra deals with a long vigorous skating schedule. During the school year, she is on the ice and training with her Coach Sarah Kiel four times a week. Most mornings she goes to the rink at 6 a.m. just to get extra practice in before the school day.

“She is hardworking, determined, and very driven. She has goals and when she wants to do something, she achieves her goals. She put a lot of hard work and time into the testing and knew she could do it. She isn’t afraid to fail, if she falls, she gets back up and does it again, and again,” Jill explained.

Kyra believed that figure skating is a huge mental struggle. She has dealt with failure and trying to perfect a specific skill. Her biggest takeback is not falling and getting hurt, it is not being too hard on herself and to continue going even after failing multiple times.

When talking to Kyra about her struggles, she expresses that she had to be okay with failing, and that skating was a lot more mentally challenging than physical.

In Kyra’s future, she hopes to be a part of the Hockey Cheer team at UMD where she will continue her college education. She wants to continue to skate because it is such a surreal experience where she can clear her mind and brighten even the worst of moods. She can not think of a life without skating in it. She loves the feeling she has while skating.

“I love the feeling of success after landing a jump that felt perfect, and the feeling of spinning,” Kyra said.

Kyra is a dedicated and hardworking skater. She set her goals high and has finally achieved them by becoming a gold medalist.

“She’s all the things you have to be if you get up at 6 a.m. and come to the rink every day before school, and get tests that most people don’t get,” coach Sarah Kiel explained.

This story was originally published on The Pony Express on November 21, 2022.