Caroline Leadmon, a senior at Hurricane High School, will compete in the U.S. Figure Skating National Solo Dance Championships today. She is the only person from West Virginia to qualify for the national competition held in Lansing, Michigan.
"I'm really, really excited," Leadmon said. "I feel prepared. I'm thankful for this opportunity."
If she performs well in today's qualifying round, she will advance to the finals, which will be held on Saturday. The competition hosts 18 competitors from across the country. The competitors earned the right to compete by being one of the top six finishers in a series of skating events held this spring and summer in the East, the Midwest and the Pacific Coast regions.
Leadmon will be competing at the gold level, which is the U.S. Figure Skating's most senior level. Next to the international-level test, the gold level is the highest level that you can test in figure skating.
This is Leadmon's first time competing in a solo national championship. She competed once before for a national championship with a partner in pair figure skating.
The Hurricane resident has been skating since she was 3. She practices at the South Charleston Memorial Ice Arena under the direction of coach Vicky Robb. She's trained with Robb for the past seven years.
When she isn't skating, Leadmon stays busy. She maintains a 4.0 GPA while taking AP and honors classes at Hurricane High School. She is the president of her senior class and an active member of the school's Key Club.
Knowing that next year she'll be starting college, Leadmon said this national championship competition is bittersweet. "I know this is going to be my last competition, at least one of the last times competing."