Way to Go! Hauppauge student earns U.S. Figure Skating award
Emma Ortiz has been awarded the Graduating Seniors Award from U.S. Figure Skating. Credit: Irvin Simon
A Hauppauge High School student's latest achievement was cool as ice.
Emma Ortiz, a senior, has been awarded the Graduating Seniors Award from U.S. Figure Skating, the national governing body for figure skating in the United States. The award recognizes graduating high schoolers who have "committed to continue training in figure skating while pursuing their academic studies," the organization said.
The gold-level award requires recipients to meet criteria ranging from reaching the national finals at the juvenile or intermediate level in singles, pairs or ice dancing, to having won a gold medal in the fields of free skating, pairs, ice dancing or "moves in the field."
"It is always nice to be recognized for hard work, and I am grateful for all of the good things skating has brought to my life," said Ortiz, 18.
Ortiz, who started skating when she was 4, has completed all of the U.S. Figure Skating tests in the gold level of the "moves in the field" and "freestyle" categories, equating to 14 tests over the course of about seven years. Most of her training has taken place in the early morning, before school.
Ortiz's other achievements include coaching young skaters at The Rinx in Hauppauge and being a member of the Skating Club of New York, the Professional Skaters Association and Learn to Skate.
Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR's platform safety issues.
