Features

Brenna Beirne ’25 demonstrates dedication to be synchronized skater

Ava Cordella ’24, Staff Writer|February 16, 2022

Beirne and her team huddle up moments before their competition. This helps the team settle their nerves.

A full-time synchronized skater and freshman student here at Staples, Brenna Beirne ’25 certainly has her hands full. Beirne started figure skating at just three years old after her dad, who has been a hockey player all his life, encouraged her to try it out. Quickly, Beirne discovered her love for the ice.

“[My dad] just wanted us to try it and I just really fell into it,” Beirne said.

Figure skaters, especially those who are young, typically compete as soloists. However, Beirne was never one to enjoy doing anything individually.

“I am a really shy and like nervous person so I would rather do something as a team rather than just be by myself,” Beirne said. “When other people are with me I kind of feel more motivated and better to move and skate.”

Synchronized skating encompasses Beirne’s strengths perfectly. She is able to practice and compete collaboratively with others while still fulfilling her interest in figure skating.

“Basically it’s like this whole team of people and you do moves at the same time […] it’s kind of like ballet, you have to stretch and like all that stuff. I think of it as like ballet on ice,” Beirne said.

In spite of this, Beirne understands the additional difficulty of competing as a team.

“If one person can’t do something, if they are not pushing hard enough or something, it brings the whole team down,” Beirne said. “You all have to do it together and make sure everything is right, [rather than individual skating where] you are just by yourself like you are free, you can do whatever you want.”

Beirne’s team has been able to overcome these challenges this season through teamwork and their strong bond.

“I’ve been with these same people over the course of four or five years and we’ve really bonded,” Beirne said. “Like before competitions we usually play hand games and stuff to warm up, [it] kind of makes us feel less nervous.”

Between school, practices and competitions, Beirne’s schedule is jam-packed.

“It’s pretty crazy because I have two other siblings,” Beirne said. “They’re younger than me, one is in seventh grade and she also does figure skating and she’s also on my team so we do it together. My younger brother is in fifth grade and he plays hockey so the schedules are really difficult.”

Beirne has practice two times a week, usually on Monday afternoons along with another practice on either Thursday or Friday afternoons. Occasionally, Beirne will also have morning practices.

“Today I had a practice at 5:30 a.m., which is like really crazy and I skate out of Stamford at Terry Connors, so it’s a bit of a drive,” she said.

Though hectic, this dedication and time commitment pays off at competitions. Beirne’s team has about three or four competitions each season.

“[Competitions] are very chaotic because there are a lot of people [and] a bunch of different teams,” Beirne said. “It is really crazy and you get so nervous [but] after you feel so good that you did something like that.”