Athlete of the Month: Eve Westpfahl
All photos submitted by Mrs. Westpfahl.
Rachel Rank
Eve Westpfahl, a freshman at Hamilton High School, competes for the American synchronized skating team internationally. Just from the time I talked to her, I can tell she is courageous, determined, and will not let her team down. As part of this competitive team, she has also had a lot of unique experiences, like traveling out of the country for competition. This past February, Westpfahl flew a long flight to Rouen, France to compete with Team USA with her synchronized skating team ranging in age from freshman to seniors.
Learning more about her background, she started skating when she was only six years old. Westpfahl said her “nonna” (grandmother) sparked her interest by taking her to Pettit National Ice Center where they would skate around the rink just for fun. This provoked her passion and she continued wanting to increase her skill and accomplish more. Westpfahl followed through and continues to make her family and team proud.
Soon, this hobby would turn into something deeper: passion. She manages to practice around 14 hours a week after school or in the mornings. She explained, “If I have practice right after school I will do my homework before I get on and during my break. Same with when I have to drive to practice in Fond Du Lac; I'll do homework on the way. I practice in the morning on Wednesdays because of late start, but it's normal since I used to skate every day in the morning.”
She practices both solo and team skating to become the best figure skater she can be. Even though she has a packed schedule, she continues to skate outside of practice and participate in “off ice,” where they walk through their programs and talk about changes they made at the last practice. Westpfahl also touched on how the practices were challenging and really pushed everyone to prepare for the pressure of competitions.
Westpfahl demonstrates a strong mentality that everyone should strive to have. On top of a busy schedule, she is also pounded physically with workouts and endurance work. She added, “Being able to get through both programs without looking like you are dying is one of the biggest physical challenges.” Now, I have never figure skated, but I do know that it is very competitive and the skaters need to prove themselves each and every day. Additionally, competitors have to memorize other positions and places in certain routines if there needs to be a replacement.
Making Team USA is a huge accomplishment that deserves to be recognized. Even if skaters make a junior team, they aren't Team USA until their team gets a certain score at one of the competitions at the beginning of the year. Westpfahl’s team, the Blades, got the score at the second competition and were assigned to compete in France shortly after.
Although everyone loves to travel and see new places, Westpfahl’s team had the prestigious opportunity to skate in France against other teams around the world, some of whom didn’t speak English. She also touched on how much work was put into this experience. Exiting the plane to get to the hotel, they had minimal time to even relax before the first practice. This truly proves how dedicated she is and committed to her team and passion. Additionally, on this trip, they embraced Rouen, France by eating fancy dinners on a riverboat and going shopping in their free time. They also visited Paris and explored the Louvre. She recalls the Mona Lisa being smaller than she anticipated. This once in a lifetime opportunity allowed the team to explore and experience other cultures while allowing progression in the sport they all love and share. Her whole family was by her side the whole time, even her grandma, to support her in her fabulous performances. Westpfahl describes her week in France as unforgettable and it certainly won’t be her last time there.
Representing a country can be very overwhelming for a highschool student, let alone freshman. However, Westpfahl expressed gratitude for the opportunity and a blessing. She is thankful for the experience and recognizes all of the hard work and persistence that led up to this moment. One thing she described was that her competitors asked the United States team to sign autographs for them. Westpfahl thought this was interesting but enjoyed getting to be with the competitors, even if they didn't speak English. The crowds watching were also huge. Team USA performed in front of intimidating amounts of people but still pulled through and had successful performances.
Westpfahl said she doesn't have a role model, but she doesn't need one because she has the gift of striving to become better for her own sake. She isn't satisfied until she gets the routine right or achieves a perfect score. She also holds her team together by being the prime example of what a skater should do and how they should act on and off the rink. All together as a team, they communicate and talk about where they can use some practice and how they can collaborate better as a team to aim to have the perfect team chemistry. In our interview, Westpfahl seemed incredibly passionate about her team and improving each and every day, which pleasantly surprised me. It’s not everyday you discover an athlete who truly believes in what it’s like to be on a team and work together while discussing future plans.
When I asked what makes her proud, she replied, “I am most proud of making the team and being on Team USA because it was a great experience to travel internationally and compete against other countries. Also, our team has grown and improved so much since the start of the season, and all of our hard work got us to where we are now, which is something I’m proud of.” She built her way up to be where she is and get the chance to travel internationally for the sport that she loves.
I am so glad I got to spread Eve Westpfahl's story because I know she will go on and become a professional figure skater and we will all see her on our televisions in the near future. She is a joy to be around and appreciated by her friends, family, teachers, and coaches. Congratulations, Eve, on being named Hamilton’s Athlete of the Month!
