Through the trail of skidmarks she leaves on the rink at a Friday afternoon session, Charlotte Moo (12) builds on the illustrious figure skating journey she has had since she first stepped on the ice on rental skates during a free public session at age six. Every fall that she made over the course of her career has taught her how to overcome every test that life has thrown at her, whether it relates to the sport or fulfilling her environmental science aspirations. However, the resilience that she developed not only shaped her internal character, but it also pushed her to continue stepping onto the ice and collaborating with teammates because she knew it would make a difference for others. 

  The personal connection that Moo felt when her skating put smiles on her audience’s faces and brought some positive energy into their lives was indeed a significant part of why she came to love practicing the sport. She took skating as an opportunity to support local communities, and giving back is evident of the character development that twelve years of gliding across the rink has given her, especially when the “Palisades fire unfortunately displaced several of [her] club members … So [she] led initiatives with the vice president [of her club’s junior council], and [they] founded this popcorn company called Double Good, and [they] were able to raise over $3500” to support this tragedy’s victims. The close relationships that only so many years of struggle and triumph with teammates foster taught Moo that beneath their technical stunts, skaters are human. Her training and performances at the Los Angeles Ice Theatre reinforces this notion, for she has “built such a strong sense of camaraderie with [her] teammates” and continues to do so as she prepares for April’s Nations’ Cup, an international competition held in Lansing, Michigan. Throughout her career, her companions understood and bonded with her over her challenges and joy in and out of the sport, and she has reciprocated, demonstrating her growth into a person who branches out beyond focus on her performance and success.

   Moo’s devotion—which her skating experience helped foster—toward her community has not gone unnoticed throughout West High. Tyler Mirowski (12) attests to the work that she has completed throughout her skating career for others, which has brought significant fulfillment in her life: “What is most incredible is her friendliness and unclouded kindness … Her helping young skaters is a reflection of her desire to share that fulfillment with others.” She has embodied what it means to carry and pass on the joy in figure skating. In a sport that seems to be daunting for many, Moo has ensured that those who are willing to practice it enjoy the feeling that comes along with landing that first single axel and to never back down after a stumble. 

   Determination, even after failing stunts thousands of times, was a major personal value that Moo learned to keep close to heart during times when she felt unmotivated to show up to training or during intensive weekend sessions that, at times, lasted sixteen hours. Even though, at some points, she felt like she “hated skating, deep down [she] always knew that [she] didn’t want to because [she] didn’t want to have regrets.” The sport was the irreplaceable aspect of her daily source of joy, and cultivating, as well as sharing, her love for it was what pushed her to grow not only as an athlete, but as a person. As demanding as skating is, keeping it at the back of her mind during lunch breaks after morning training sessions was her motivator for correcting the mistakes that led to her successfully landing her first Double Axel. 

   Her work and determination continued paying off as she continued refining her skills during a time in her career when she realized that furthering her passion for skating was the right call, for it gave her the opportunity to learn more about herself. Mirowski also noted how she developed this fighting spirit and an “incredible work ethic through intense skating regimes.” Regardless of the failures that she has had to face, the sport has taught her that a successful person bounces back and tries again, a mentality that she carried with her into winning the title of the 2023 Novice Women’s Excel National Champion in Austin, Texas and executing a strong fifth-place performance at the Senior Women’s Free Skate during the Excel National Finals in Colorado Springs, Colorado, this past July. The key takeaway that resonates across many who know her: Years of character development that can be attributed to her passion has helped her find her way to be successful on the big stage. 

   Outside of the rink, Moo carries the resilience that she acquired during her skating experience in bioremediation research at the Madrona Marsh. Like falling on attempts to complete a double axel before her first triumph, she has had to “go through multiple rounds of the same experiments only for the data not to line up with [her] expectations.” Skating and scientific research share a common facet: A nonlinear process that is difficult to streamline. Trying and failing are the practices and outcomes that govern the way individuals who invest their time in those fields work toward success. Moo knew that she needed to expect shortcomings in her lab work and “accept [her] failures, and keep keep pushing,” which included developing new strategies that pave the way for her to obtain desired results. She has implemented new tactics before, at hundreds of training sessions, grasping on the steadfastness tucked in her gloves. As a budding environmental conservationist, she continues reinforcing the mentality that there is no limit to what can be accomplished.

   Resilience and the power in human connection are the values that Moo has used to build bridges from her skating career into what matters for the community and her radiant, unwavering personality. As the sport has found its way into her heart, people around her know that it is the driving force behind what she does and how she makes an impact in and out of the rink. With the lessons she learns from skating, she will only continue to realize her potential, whether it is becoming a future Olympian (perhaps) or a renowned natural scientist who will keep giving back to others.