Amy Stetson 'OO is unmistakably a figure skater. She has the posture of someone who spends hours a week on the ice.
Stetson is one of Dartmouth's few competitive figure skaters. She also started coaching last spring and now teaches group lessons for children and a physical education class for undergraduates.
But all that practice time seems not to be enough for Stetson; she is trying to form an undergraduate figure skating club, which would allow figures skaters to reserve more ice time. The Club Sports Committee is currently reviewing the proposal.
This club may become a competitive inter-collegiate team further down the road, according to Stetson.
Presently there is a mid-west figure skating league which may expand to form an eastern league. Princeton University presently hosts figure skating competitions, and Stetson hopes other Ivy League schools may also soon start their own skating clubs.
Stetson learned to skate when she was four and spent much of her earlier childhood skating.
During her first two years of high school she stayed with a family in Clinton, New York to train, because facilities were limited at her hometown Oneonta, New York. Then she made a difficult decision to make skating second to her family and academic life and returned home.
But Steston still trains several hours a week working on her technique. Primarily an athletic, rather than artistic skater. Stetson says "I like to barrel down the ice and jump as high as I can. I like to skate fast"
Others agree, Marica Herrin, a parent of two figure skaters at the Dartmouth Skating Club said, "She takes the ice with authority, and her body language says, 'clear the ice while I'm skating.' It is just wonderful to see in a female skater."
Amy will be skating at a competition at Boston University next month. But what she is most looking forward to is a solo number at the Dartmouth Skating Club's annual Holiday Ice Show on December 14, at Thompson Arena.
This show will also include 1992 Silver Olympic Medalists and current World Professional Champions Elena Bechke and Denis Petrov, and two time USA ice dance champions Renee Roca and Gorsha Sur.
"It is really incredible being in the same show as such amazing skaters. It is really fun, just incredible, to watch," said Stetson. Another Dartmouth student, Cabray Haines,'00 , a native of Delaware will be performing an ice dancing routine during the show as well.
