Senior Ava Bork steps out onto the gleaming ice of the local skating rink. She can remember the first time she stepped out onto the ice and began her journey as a figure skater.
“I had a bunch of friends in my freshman year who wanted to go figure skating, just ice skating for the season. And I went, and I really enjoyed it. And then I just made like, any friend or family member that I could come with, just because I loved doing it so much, and then eventually I realized that I could do it as a sport,” Bork said.
Ava was always around other sports as a kid, so figure skating was something she really loved for herself. She was still able to be active, which was one of her parents’ goals.
“My parents were and are both into volleyball. So they were very big on sports as a kid, so I’ve tried like every sport under the sun, and my sister does play volleyball. So my parents are not as much into it as they are into volleyball, but they do accept it and try to learn as much about it as they can,” Bork said.
Bork does not compete in competitions, mainly because she only began figure skating in her freshman year of high school. She came in late in terms of training and technique building, unlike other figure skaters who start early in their lives. In practice, Bork tries to limit herself from getting discouraged in such a disciplined and technical sport.
“You kind of get used to the idea that 90% of figure skating is falling down and just … picking yourself up and just trying again until you get something right and just keeping a positive attitude about it, because there’s definitely a lot of mental blocks with figure skating,” Bork said.
Bork carries a strong relationship with her fellow skaters and her coach, which helps her excel on the ice.
“It’s just important to have that support system where it’s just like, maybe you have a bad week, but … that a good week is, even if it’s a week away or a month away, that it’ll be there, and you just have to keep practicing to maintain a level of optimism,” Bork said.
Bork’s figure skating coach, Brenda Fergus, has taught Bork ever since she began skating in a group class during her freshman year of high school. Ever since becoming her coach, Fergus has emphasized a big lesson for sports and life: to be determined to get better every day.
“You have to love to skate,” Fergus said.
Fergus asserts how driven Bork truly is about figure skating, and how she is prepared for anything, in skating and also in life, because of her character and dedication.
“She’s happy to be there. So, therefore, she’s easy to teach. I teach her that skating teaches you discipline in life, how to show up and work hard,” Fergus said.
Ava Bork has support for her passion from her parents as well. Her father, Mike Bork, is from a sports background, having played volleyball in college. Mike hopes Bork utilizes her drive from figure skating in her life.
“We talk about the journey as it is as much fun as the ending [is] … I think where she’s at, she’s getting better every practice and working hard, and those lessons are huge, you know, for sports or life or whatever, so we’re super excited about those kinds of disciplines that she’s learning and all the benefits go with that,” Mike said.
Mike said he is very proud of his daughter’s progression and sees her advancing her passion by entering competitive figure skating.
“I think she does want to compete at some point, but she’, in the grand scheme of things, fairly new to the sport, but they’ve been doing a bunch of years now and getting better and doing different stuff, and I think at some point, she would definitely want to start competing,” Mike said.
