Strap on your skates and get ready to twirl and leap. Sophomore Noosheen Javadi started figure skating when she was 4-years-old and she now skates competitively. “[Ice skating] is such an amazing sport,” Javadi said. “It’s artistic and graceful and at the same time takes physical strength and lots of focus. It’s both a sport and an art, really, which is what I like about it.”

Javadi trains before school from 5 to 7 a.m. at Nazareth Ice Oasis in Redwood City. She supplements her on-ice practice with ballet classes and strength training. According to Menlo-Atherton High School junior Shannon Carmody, who skates with Javadi, her training has paid off. “[Javadi] has amazing flexibility and can do the craziest spins,” Carmody, said.

Javadi’s favorite part of skating is showcasing what she has accomplished. “I love competing because it gets my adrenaline pumping,” Javadi said. “The rush feels really good.” Javadi said. Javadi placed 1st in Central Pacific Regional Championships in both 2006 and 2007, and took 5th in Theatre on Ice in 2006. Theatre on Ice is a form of competitive figure skating that is popular in Europe, where it is known as Ballet on Ice. It combines the grace of figure skating with the excitement of theater and dance.

Last year Javadi ranked 5th in the nation in both theatre and technical skate. To compete in Nationals, Javadi traveled across the country. “My team went to Boston, Massachusetts together for a competition and we were up all night in our hotel room watching movies and eating junk food, yet the next day was our competition day and we still placed international ranks.”

Summer is Javadi’s main competition season, and this summer she hopes to qualify for the World Champioships. “If I do well in my competitions and at Nationals then hopefully I’ll go,” Javadi said.

According to Javadi, skating has taken a rough toll on her body. She broke her ankle and has suffered from Osgood Schattlers, which cause pain in her knees and shins.

The road has been long, bumpy and exhausting, but Javadi said that it all pays off in the end. “Ice skating is such a big part of me [and] I love it,” she said.