TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
Twenty* Merrill area figure skaters from the Merrill Ice Reflections Figure Skating Club (Merrill Ice Reflections), a non-profit figure skating club in Merrill, traveled to the Mosinee Ice Arena to compete in the Badger State Winter Games on Jan. 26-29, 2023, and brought back a bunch of medals, including many for first, second, and third places.
Figure skating competitors from the Merrill area representing Merrill Ice Reflections ranged from 8 to 20 years old and included: Brooklyn Kraegenbrink, Korina Kraegenbrink, McKenna Meyer, Mya Meyer, Kelsey Rindt, Haley Rindt, Mariah Jacoby, Madison Altman-Wendt, Kambyl Mattke, Emily Freyer, Leah Freyer, Ruby Freyer, Ben Zastrow, Lizzy Hinz, Willow Bathke, Sophia Schmidt, Alexis Lonsdorf, Lilly Hoffman, and Caelyn Belant. Fourteen of the twenty* skaters placed first in at least one of their competitive programs.
Many of the local competitors learned their skills on the ice locally as members of the Merrill Ice Reflections.
Merrill Ice Reflections provides individuals, children, and families an opportunity to learn and enjoy figure skating focused in “a positive environment to encourage growth and success.”
“Skaters of all ages and abilities can learn and enjoy the sport of figure skating by working through the Learn to Skate Curriculum,” Club representatives said. Learn to Skate USA® teaches kids lessons to sharpen their focus and provide greater balance on and off the ice, they say. The challenges they conquer on their paths lead to “amazing, new worlds well beyond the world of skating” that “will happen right before their eyes,” they say. And they encourage adults to give skating a try, too, saying, “It is never too late to Learn to Skate!”
The Merrill Ice Reflections Figure Skating Club has 66 members, as well as two professional figure skating coaches–Lea Beckman and Montana Grabowsky; one junior coach–Madison Altman-Wendt; and four intern coaches–Chloe Belant, McKenna Meyer, Brooklyn Kraegenbrink, and Kambyl Mattke.
Established in 1995 as a non-profit program in association with US Figure Skating, weekly lessons are held Wednesday evenings for Basic Skills and Sunday evenings for Advanced Skaters. Private coaching is also available to members.
For more information, go to: merrillskate.org or email: [email protected].
Individual Merrill Ice Reflections figure skaters’ results:
- Brooklyn Kraegenbrink placed first in Solo Pattern Dance Pre-Gold, Compulsory Moves Pre-Juvenile, and Showcase Duet Pre-Juvenile with (Mike and Sully). She also placed second in Step Sequence Junior, Mini Production 3 Little Pigs and Big Bad Wolf, and Team Showcase Production; third in Spins Pre-Juvenile; fourth in Jumps Pre-Juvenile; and fifth in Free Skate Excel Juvenile and Short Program Pre-Juvenile.
- Korina Kraegenbrink placed first in Step Sequence Intermediate and Free Skate Excel Pre Preliminary. She placed second in Solo Pattern Dance Pre-Silver, Compulsory Moves Excel Pre Preliminary, Jumps Pre-Preliminary, Mini Production 3 Little Pigs and Big Bad Wolf, and Team Showcase Production; placed third in Showcase Duet Preliminary Flintstones with a skater from Wausau club, Taylor Thelen; and placed fourth in Spins Pre-Preliminary and Short Program Pre-Preliminary.
- McKenna Meyer placed first in Showcase Duet Pre-Juvenile with Brooklyn Kraegenbrink (Mike and Sully). She also placed second in Solo Pattern Dance Pre-Gold, Mini Production 3 Little Pigs and Big Bad Wolf, and Team Showcase Production.
- Mya Meyer placed first in Solo Pattern Dance Bronze; second in Mini Production 3 Little Pigs and Big Bad Wolf, fifth in Excel Beginner Compulsory, and sixth in Excel Beginner Free Skate
- Kelsey Rindt, age 8 and one of the youngest Ice Reflections competitors, took first in Showcase Duet/Trio with Caelyn Belant and Lizzy Hinz-NoTest/Pre-Prelim and took second in both Compete USA Elements (no music) Basic 5 and Compete USA Program (w/ music) Basic 5.
- Haley Rindt placed first in Jumps Pre-Juvenile and Mini Production. She placed fourth in Solo Pattern Dance Pre-Gold, Compulsory Moves Pre-Juvenile, and Spins Pre-Juvenile; placed sixth in Short Program Pre-Juvenile and placed seventh in Free Skate Excel Pre-Juvenile Plus.
- Mariah Jacoby placed first in Jumps Pre-Preliminary; placed second in Free Skate Excel Pre-Preliminary; placed fourth in Compulsory Moves Excel Pre-Preliminary and Short Program Pre-Preliminary; and placed sixth in Spins Pre-Preliminary.
- Madison Altman-Wendt placed first place in Jumps Young Adult Silver and Short Program Young Adult Silver. She also placed second in Compulsory Moves Young Adult Silver and Spins Young Adult Silver and placed fourth in Free Skate Young Adult Silver.
- Kambyl Mattke placed first in Compulsory Moves Excel Pre-Preliminary and Short Program Pre-Preliminary; second place in Free Skate Excel Pre-Preliminary and Jumps Pre-Preliminary; and third place in Solo Pattern Dance Pre-Silver, Solo Pattern Dance Pre-Silver, and Spins Pre-Preliminary.
- Emily Freyer placed first in Compulsory Moves Excel Beginner; second in Freeskate Excel Beginner; and fourth in Showcase Duet No Test w/Ruby Freyer.
- Leah Freyer placed first in Spins Preliminary; second in Compulsory Moves Excel Preliminary, Jumps Preliminary, and Team Showcase Production; and fourth in Freeskate Excel Preliminary Plus.
- Ruby Freyer placed first in Freeskate Excel Beginner and Beginner Spins and placed fourth in Showcase Duet No Test w/Emily Freyer.
- Ben Zastrow placed second in Basic 5 Elements and placed third in Basic 5 Boys with Music.
- Lizzy Hinz placed first in basic 5 elements and Showcase Trio w/ Kelsey Rindt and Caelyn Belant. She also placed fourth in Basic 5 program with Music.
- Willow Bathke placed fourth in both Basic 5 elements and Basic 5 Program with Music.
- Sophia Schmidt placed fourth in Pre-Free Compulsory and fifth in Pre-Free Program with Music.
- Alexis Lonsdorf placed fourth in High Beginner Jumps.
- Lilly Hoffman placed second in Basic 6 Elements with Music .
- Caelyn Belant placed first in Showcase Duet/Trio with Kelsey Rindt and Lizzy Hinz.
- Sophia Volpe placed second in Basic 4 Elements and placed third in Basic 4 Program.
*An additional skater who had been inadvertently omitted from the list that attended Badger State Games was added after publication of our print edition.