You are probably aware that a number of Choate’s post-graduate students are athletes who play on varsity teams, but for PG Ashley Wang ’19, athletics extend far beyond the WJAC. Wang is a student from Los Angeles, California who is on the National U.S. Figure Skating Team and represented the United States at Worlds last season. Back in Los Angeles, she was the captain of an internationally competitive skating team for multiple years. Wang said, “My skating team was my second family. My favorite memory with my team was when we performed our Dia de Los Muertos program in Paris. We befriended a bunch of Australian skaters and they gave us little koala souvenirs.”
Wang has been skating for ten years. She started towards the end of the first grade when her brother, Bradley Wang ’21 joined his travel hockey team. Her mom would leave her and her brother at the rinks for hours after school. At one point, Wang decided that she would rather be twirling on ice than playing tag or doing dryland with the hockey players.
When Wang isn’t on the ice, she practices by stretching, jogging, practicing off ice, and taking ballet. She still trains at Choate, although it is definitely more difficult for her to find rinks than it was in LA. Currently, she skates at Northford Ice, and hopes to be able to practice on Choate’s ice rink when it opens later this month. Wang shared that it has been a lot harder for her to maintain the same level of intensity she had back home as she has been living and studying at the KEC. She added, “But I knew what I was getting myself into, and I was aware that I would have to make certain sacrifices in pursuing this program. And it’s been gratifying so far. I think I made the right decision.”
Wang practices in Northford as often as she can, but since she doesn’t have a “special projects” exemption from the Athletics Department, she needs to balance Choate’s athletic requirements with skating. So far, Wang has been practicing a couple times a week during Northford’s freestyle sessions, which is difficult because they prioritize hockey over figure skating — that means there are few sessions reserved for ice skaters, and those sessions often get canceled last minute to accommodate hockey practices or games. However, when Wang gets the opportunity to practice on ice, she coaches herself to maintain and strengthen current jumps and spins. She’s also working on improving her edges and skating skills in preparation for a U.S. Figure Skating Senior level test that she plans on taking in November. “To skate on school days, I take a 20 minute Uber to the ice rink or get another parent to drive me. Practice lasts for an hour — I wish I could skate for longer than that, but the rink is used for hockey practices after. Northford house is the closest ice rink to Choate, but I’m open to exploring more options around New Haven!” Wang commented.
Wang believes skating will always be a part of her life, but she realized that the extreme competitive aspect of it has come to an end, and she is working on coming to terms with that. Wang sees skating as a very fun chapter of her life, and she is glad it has happened while it did. Now, she is grateful for the opportunity to focus on furthering her research and intellectual pursuits during her postgraduate year at the KEC.
Ashley Wang ’19, a new senior, practices figure skating for the National U.S. Figure Skating Team.
