Carmel skating trio strikes gold

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Sofia-Alexandra Colon started out in ballet as a youngster before finding her true passion when she was 8 years old.

“My mom calls it the most expensive birthday party ever,” Colon said. “One of my friends invited me to skate. I said, ‘Mom, I know you love ballet, but I just want to be a figure skater.’ From that day on, I skated. I went into the learn-to-skate program. I just had a blast.”

Soon after, she met Vivian Luo and Stephanie Moga. The three friends, who recently graduated from Carmel High School, received the United States Figure Skating Association Gold Level Achievement Graduating Seniors Award during a May 17 ceremony. CHS Principal Thomas Harmas presented the plaques, and Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard sent a letter of congratulations.

The three friends are members of the Ice Skating Club of Indianapolis (ISCI) and practice at the Zotec Partners Carmel Ice Skadium. Marie Vichova Millikan, their coach and a 1968 Olympic skater for Czechoslovakia, said it’s rare for three skaters to reach the gold level in the same year.

“They’ve all been state champions in their own categories,” Millikan said.

Colon is going to Adrian (Mich.) College to continue her skating career.

“It’s just being able to grow with the sport,” Colon said. “You get to learn how to structure yourself, discipline yourself and know how to push yourself.”

Colon, Moga and Luo have been skating together for more than eight years.

“I don’t know what I’d do without them,” Colon said.

Moga, who plans to major in pre-dentistry at Purdue, said she has been trying to complete all the levels to get the gold certificate since she was young.

“I think when I come back to Carmel I will skate for fun, but I won’t be competing anymore after this summer,” Moga said.

Luo is passionate about music, played violin in the CHS orchestra.

“I like combining the two,” Luo said. “I enjoy not only the skating aspect of it but the artistic aspect of it, the technical part of it with the expression of putting it together with music. Getting to skate with the friends I’ve grown up with is a lot of fun.”

Luo will attend Parsons School of Design in New York City to major fashion design.


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