Since the age of 5, sophomore Vanessa Lam has been devoted to her ice skating career and anticipates the one day she wins an Olympic medal. Lam’s older sister, Nina Lam, wanted to learn how to ice skate at a young age, and Vanessa followed in her sister’s footsteps and joined the classes too. She never expected to fall in love with such a sport, but throughout the years she continue her quest to one day become famous and earn her Olympic title.
“Ice skating is like school for me,” Lam said, “After school I go back to school, but instead of learning any other subject, I practice ice-skating.”
Lam is currently taking Honors English 10, Honors Chemistry, Advance Placement European History, Honors Algebra 2, and French 2. With her 4.8 GPA, she incorporates ice-skating into her daily life while balancing time for family. She practices everyday for at least 2-3 hours, working on her spins, jumps, and most importantly her routine. Her coaches, Dianne Deleeuw and Doug Chapman, correct her during practice in effort to assist her into becoming the finest ice skater she can be.
“I saw how talented and great Vanessa is when I watched one of her videos on YouTube.” sophomore John Fernandez said, “Her moves were very fluid and graceful. You can tell she worked hard to achieve her skills.”
Lam’s current idol is Yuna Kim for her outstanding performances and dedication to the sport. Lam has more than 30 medals and has recently won first place in a competition hosted in the Czeck Republic. She also won first place in the Pacific Coast Sectionals and is training for nationals, which will be held on January 27 and 29.
“She’s really good,” sophomore Bryan Fernandez said, “I’ve known her since 7th grade and I never would’ve expected her to skate. She’ll go really far in her future, I’m sure.”
Lam looks forward to the days when she can take time from her hectic schedule to sit back and unwind a little, but she never takes her eyes off the prize and works hard everyday.
“I admire training and performing because putting on a show for an audience and winning an award after makes you feel proud of your accomplishment.”
Her family is very supportive of her interest and encourages her during competitions. Her state of mind is determined to reach her goal in the near future. She is looking forward to her personal success, considering performing is something she loves.