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Photo by Anna Craggs
Disney on Ice is a opportunity available to O'Connor once she finishes testing. Her dream once was to be a Olympian, but with injury and self-doubt getting in the way, that dream will no longer become a reality. When O'Connor finishes high school she hopes that she will become part of Disney on Ice. Brenna O’Connor said,“It’s a great new experience, they get to travel, they get to meet new people, they have experiences that are unbelievable.” Petra will travel around the world skating for many different countries.

Students spend their time in school or out of school working on school. Add in a job, family activities, sports and clubs, socializing with friends and planning for the future, when is there ever free time? But think; if on top of that there was an activity that disrupted that balance.

“I’ve been skating since I was two. My mom was a skater herself growing up, and so she wanted me to be able to be a part of her world. I started to competitively skate at the age of five to sixish and really became in love with being out on the ice,” said junior Petra O’Connor.

Being in Minnesota, skating is just something that comes natural to most. Gliding across ice can seem magical. Simply moving effortlessly across the ice, as if flying on air.

O’Connor is currently skating for the St. Paul Figure Skating Club. But there is one catch for this great experience. O’Connor misses her last two classes in order to be at practice, meaning she needs to take online classes, adding more to her list.

After a long day at school that has already drained O’Connor, she has two hours on the ice  and an hour of either ballet, strength or jumps training. When that is done she arrives home and works on homework which includes AP English, AP Biology and online schooling because she misses fifth and sixth hours for ice time.

“Skating does effect my school life. After I come home from a long days worth of practice on and off the ice, I am of course exhausted, not only from skating, but my morning of school. It’s very difficult to stay up late to complete all my homework assignments. But I do it anyway. I also find it harder to become close with school friends. It’s very difficult to find time out of my schedule to hang out and catch up on things with the friends I do have. Skating is such an individual sport and it’s not like a hockey or soccer team that always spends time on and off the field,” said O’Connor.

Lauren Lindall has English with O’Connor and said, “I think missing school a lot can be hard because you can miss a lesson but I think she does a good job at being caught up.”

Two years ago O’Connor had an injury that forced her to take a break from skating. She stopped competing and put skating to the back of her priority list. But recently she realized that she needed to skate competitively again, but not all her dreams would be coming true. 

“I’ve always wanted to go to the Olympics. But reality hit me two years ago that it’s very hard to juggle life and be a potential Olympian. If I did make that decision, I’d be home-schooled and wouldn’t have any sort of a social life. When I was in middle school I didn’t have that drive. Parts of me regret my decision to not take my skating career to the next level, but as of right now I’m training extremely hard and want to achieve as much as I can before I graduate,” said O’Connor. 

Like any other sports, skating is a lifestyle. A person can not simply wake up and decide that they are going to be a skater and win a competition. It take years the get to the level that O’Connor is at (which is senior the highest class in skating).

O’Connor said, “I really appreciate all that figure skating has done for me. It has taught me to be responsible, accountable, determination, hardwork. Since the sport is an individual sport, it relies on the one being to be all those things listed. If I didn’t carry those traits, I wouldn’t be where I am in my skating career.  It has also taught me that things I want need to be worked for. Things don’t happen overnight and patience is key. Skating overall has just made me a overall well being. I have to be responsible for all my effort.”

Her step sister, junior Mykenzie Rondeau said, “The best part is that she gets to do what she loves.”

O’Connor is dedicated and has the potential to be a star. O’Connor said, “I have been thinking about a couple options for my future. I’d like to audition for Disney on Ice. If I am accepted, hopefully the college I’m accepted in will allow for my break and leave. If not, then I think once I’m older I’d like to become a judge and judge nationally and internationally. I’d honestly think it would be a ton of fun.”

For now she is happy where she is at and skating will forever be a part of her. O’Connor said, “Figure skating won’t ever leave me. I will always associate myself with the skating life.”