Ice skating is a sport not commonly associated with the Midwest but instead areas like the North and Northeast. But this year, Kansas City was the main attraction for all figure skating competitors and fans alike for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

For sophomore ice skater Maggie Carr, who has attended multiple championships, this one in particular was different. Carr wasn’t found in the stands with the spectators, but on the ice, presenting awards to the winners and participating in the Smucker’s Skating Spectacular where the medal winners do an encore performance, according to Carr’s mother, Kate Carr.

“It was definitely cool to be backstage with all the skaters,” Carr said. “It was definitely a good experience to have.”

Carr’s connections with her coaches and her club, Silver Blades Figure Skating Club, allowed her to participate in the Smucker’s Skating Spectacular but she had to audition in order to be chosen as a medal presenter. Once chosen, Carr was in for a huge time commitment – missing a week’s worth of school for participating in the championship and long days spent at the rink. According to Kate, despite the large commitment required from Carr, spending time with the sport’s top athletes was once in a lifetime.

“Participating in the U.S. National Figure Skating Championship was a great experience,” Kate said. “To congratulate the best skater in the country and watch them skate was an honor.”

Not only did Carr get to help present the awards to the winners but she got a behind the scenes look at the nation’s top skaters in the most critical moments of their career. Carr explained that the atmosphere was incredibly intense because of the high pressure all the skaters were under.

“It was really just a different experience because I was experiencing the competitive atmosphere from a different perspective,” Carr said.

Carr hopes to someday compete in the championships in the ice dance category. But Carr’s desire to make it to the championships doesn’t come without hard work. Carr practices five to six days a week with two 5:45 a.m. practices. This means she has to wake up at 4:30 a.m. in order to get to the Kansas City Ice Center in Shawnee, Kansas. But the early mornings and constant practices don’t scare Carr.

“Maggie has always wanted to spend more time on the ice, no matter how early in the morning it required her to practice,” Kate said. “Figure skating is a great lifelong activity. Always something more to learn and practice.”

Carr hopes to skate in college and even coach. With opportunities like participating in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships combined with Carr’s commitment to the sport, she believes she can get there.

“Sometimes it’s really cold and sometimes you’re really tired,” Carr said. “But at the end of the day it’s all worth it.”