Breaking the Ice: CU Figure Skating heads to nationals for the first time in history
- Lucy Alagna
- Apr 18
- 2 min read
For the first time in program history, the University of Colorado club figure skating team has carved out a spot at the U.S. Intercollegiate Final – marking a major milestone for a team that has long since flown under the radar.
After a season marked by consistent improvement and breakthrough performances, the Buffaloes earned their spot at nationals after securing a third-place spot at the Pacific Coast qualifying competition, hosted by UC Berkeley/Stanford. Their invitation to the final, held at Notre Dame, was a first for CU and a testament to the team’s growth, resilience, and undeniable passion for the sport.
“It’s like a dream come true. Watching the team grow from literally nothing my freshman year to a qualifying team for nationals now has just been phenomenal,” said president Emma Cumming, now a senior, who has been with the team since her freshman year.
Unlike varsity programs, CU’s figure skating team is a student-run club. That means no scholarships or a full-time coaching staff, and limited funding. Instead, these athletes juggle academics, jobs, and other efforts while training like their elite competitors. Their nationals qualification was the culmination of building everything from the ground up, and an unshakable belief in their potential.
When asked what the most rewarding part of the season was, Vice President Carla Torres said, “I want to say it’s making nationals, but it’s really all that went into it – all the nights at practice, the hard work we put in, and the time taken to build this community and eachother up.”
“My biggest takeaway from this season is that community is everything,” Torres continued. “A lot of people look at figure skating and feel that it’s a pretty individualistic sport. But at the collegiate level, the sense of community that you have in your team is the biggest thing that gets you through. You feel like you’re skating for yourself, but you also feel like you’re skating for your team, your school, and everything that you represent.”
While the Buffs didn’t leave nationals with a team podium finish, two Buffs, Ben Kohav and Phillip Jiang, brought home two gold medals in their individual events. Their performances exceeded expectations and turned heads.
“I’m really excited to grow our sport, not just in the state of Colorado, but across the nation and bring as much talent as we can from everywhere,” Cummings said.
With blades sharpened, spirits high, and a new national spotlight, the Buffs have carved a new chapter into CU history, one turn at a time.
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