My Story
My name is Nicol Lev and I am a 12 year old competitive figure skater. I live in Canada and am a straight A+ , 7th grade homeschool student. I have a 14 year old sister, named Coral, who is also a figure skater. I began skating at the Canskate program shortly before my 6th birthday. My parents say that even then I made it look so easy! I have started training seriously only 2 years ago and made an incredible progress in such a short time of training. I train at the Mariposa National Training Skating Centre in Barrie. I have landed all my full jumps: loop, flip and lutz, and my Axel and combination jumps. I love combination jumps. I take my skating very seriously and am currently working on my double jumps. My passion and love for figure skating is something I'll always have. Figure skating gave me the opportunity to take part and excel in a sport that I love so much! It has taught me about goal setting, respect, appreciation, and to never give up. I would like to be a role model for other kids. I hope the dedication and discipline I demonstrate to my figure skating can be applied to someone else's dream. My dream and long term goals are to become an elite figure skater, to represent Canada in International competitions and to eventually represent Canada at the "2014 Winter Olympics". I am not eligible to represent figure skating at the Olympics until the age of 16 and the "2014 Winter Olympics" are the first games I'll be eligible for. Until that time I'd like to continue with my full training program. I had a very strong finish this year and won gold all my competitions. Now I have a new program and my double jumps to look forward to. My main goals this year are to work harder, get stronger, be able to land my double jumps consistently, and have lots of fun.
I have had the pleasure of working with some of the top level coaches, which I have learned so much from them. I also love helping other kids to learn how to skate. I have gained much experience with helping in the Canskate program at the rink since I was 8.5 years old, and I am planning to continue with this next year. I get 10 hours of practice ice per week . I don't get to train as much as I would like to, as it is very expensive. I would love to skate all day everyday!
I also take dance lessons to improve my presentation, flexibility and balance.
To make sure I get to all my lessons, my mom and dad go above and beyond to help me achieve my goals. There are so many costs involved with being a competitive figure skater. My yearly skating expenses include ice time fees, coaching fees, off ice training, physiotherapy, boots and blades, costumes, competition entry fees, club fees, dance fees, personal trainers, training camps, and traveling expenses for 8 to 10 competitions per year. My family is very supportive of my skating. My dad works 2 jobs to support my growing skating expenses. My mom helps my dad with his business, homeschool my sister and me, and work part time at home. I am lucky to have a family that supports my dream to become a top-level figure skater.
Many very talented skaters have had to stop competitive when the expenses became more than their families could afford. I do not want to become one of those skaters. My parents have managed to fund my skating so far, but as I progress in my skating I need more ice time and training, which is very expensive, and it is becoming almost impossible for my parents. Unfortunately, I will not be able to continue my progress in skating and reach my dream, without the generous support from businesses and individuals like you. If you are interested in support my skating, please contact my parents through this form.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to continue with my passion and love for figure skating, and helping me make my skating a dream come true!
Yours,
Nicol Lev
