By Tolu Salako

Staff Writer

It is not until someone takes their first strokes on the ice that they finally realize how much balance and grace it takes to become a true professional in the difficult, yet beautiful sport of figure skating.

With hours upon hours of training and competing all around the world, 16-year-old Coppell resident Ashley Cain has been preparing for the 2014 Winter Olympics for almost all of her life.

With her father Peter Cain, a former Australian pair skater and four-time Australian national champion, and her mother Darlene Cain, a former Canadian ice dancer and well-known coach, Cain has grown up on the ice and has found her parents especially helpful throughout her figure skating journey.

“[Peter and I] were both competitors so we both know what we had to go through to get to the top,” Mrs. Cain said. “With that experience, it is easy to help [Ashley] go through the things to come.”

It is an understatement to say that Ashley has only been involved in a few competitions and exhibitions throughout her 14 years of skating. Ashley, who is homeschooled, has been fortunate enough to be named the 2012 US Junior Nationals silver medalist and has competed in numerous pair skating competitions where her team was the only pair team in history to ever win U.S. novice and junior titles in consecutive years.

“I have always thought she was going to be a [professional ice skater],” junior Emily Ogle said. “We used to ice skate together and that’s how we met and became friends. [Ashley’s] dad was our coach and I always thought she was going to be superior in ice skating.”

One thing Ashley believes is very important to her skating career is to never give up. Though she did not perform as well as she hoped in competitions prior to junior nationals, her perseverance and determination made it possible for her to bring home the silver medal at nationals. When asked about the highlights of her skating career, Ashley responded with a huge grin on her face.

“Being able to compete on Team USA has definitely been a highlight of my skating career and skating well for them is such a huge honor,” Ashley said. “[Being the silver medalist at Junior Nationals] feels really great and to finally have skated my best at nationals was awesome, having worked all year for that one moment.”

With Ashley’s amazing and natural talent, she has been able to travel all around the world and has skated in many countries including Russia, France, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, South Korea, Latvia and Romania.

“I am very happy with [Ashley’s] skating career,” Mrs. Cain said, “She pushes through and has a great personality which makes her different than other skaters.”

When seeing athletes on television, not many realize the immense amount of training they go through and the sacrifices they make to get on the podium. With Ashley’s drive to make the Olympic team and represent her country, it is her sacrifices that make her able to accomplish such great things.

“I started being homeschooled at the beginning of high school because I was missing to many days,” Ashley said. “Giving up school and spending time with friends was really hard. Since I spend so much time skating, I make friends [at the Dr Pepper Star Center in Euless] and overseas. You make friendships that last a lifetime which is always great.”

Ashley refuses to disclaim her constant parental support. With their prior knowledge of skating and their understanding of how hard it is to get to the top, Ashley claims that they have had a huge effect on her skating career.

“[My parents] have played a big factor in my skating so far because they had to got through the same exact challenges that I am going through right now,” Ashley said, “They have helped me every single day and having them as coaches has made me the skater I am today.”

Ashley Cain Figure Skater from Coppell Student Media on Vimeo.