For the past seven years, freshman Hannah Hortman has devoted her time after school, as well as long, tiresome weekends, to lacing up her skates and hitting the ice! Being naturally driven to give her all, Hannah loves the challenge and rush that only figure skating gives her. Not only does she excel at the rink, but she is also a straight A student who tries her hardest to balance volunteer work and student council. While she currently is dedicated to skating, who knows what the future holds for the passionate, strong-minded Hannah!

 Although she is only a freshman, Hannah is proud to be a Wildcat. Her involvement in school has helped her become more of an extrovert, and overall, accept the challenges which life throws at her. Hannah is a dedicated student and stands up for what she believes in. In a school full of IB students and talented athletes, being a Wildcat means being “a fierce competitor and always striving to do better,” said Hannah, “and being open minded.” After high school, she sees herself pursuing a career in the psychology or neurology field, although Hannah likes to call herself “indecisive,” and happens to have a whole list of random careers that she can see herself succeeding in, including owning a business, baking, becoming a lawyer, or even a nutritionist!

 Figure skating is by far the most time consuming part of Hannah’s life. Skating is a year-round sport, and the only time she has off is over the holidays and vacations. Hannah is not currently skating as she is dealing with an injury as well as bad headaches caused by a previous concussion. However, normally, Hannah would skate five days a week for two hours, along with seeing her personal trainer on weekends and attending three or four competitions a year. Hannah stated, “Figure skating is not a school sport, but I wish it was. I also wish it was more team oriented because it can be lonely since it is such an individual sport. Off the ice, we are  all friends, but on the ice we all go our separate ways and get competitive. It is hard to explain, but basically I feel like we all have fake friendships, and it is not truly genuine. One thing that I think many people do not realize is that figure skating is no joke.”

 Hannah has won many awards at ice skating competitions and is proud of how much she has grown, although she says she cannot take all the credit. She could not have become the person and skater she is today without the help of her family and, of course, her amazing choreographer, Denise. Hannah describes Denise as sophisticated, accomplished, and blunt. Denise has always been direct with Hannah, giving her sometimes harsh feedback, but never fails to choreograph fabulous routines. “One day I hope to enjoy my work as much as she does and to achieve that level of success,” Hannah said.

 Over the years, skating has made Hannah a happier, better version of herself. Her success has not come easy, and she has experienced many setbacks and wake up calls in her time competing. Hannah’s short-term goals as of now include recovering from her injury and returning to skating, as well as working on her jumps. Hannah has a lot in store for the future, so be sure to keep and eye out for her as she approaches her eighth year skating!