Today we’d like to introduce you to Ava Martinsen.
Hi Ava, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started skating when I was 18. I saw a video on Youtube and felt motivated to try it. I went out to my garage and found a very old pair of recreational skates. Decided to bring them to a local park with an outdoor rink so I could try them out. I skated a little bit when I was younger but never learned much more than a few of the basic skills. I started going to the local rink (Saint Louis Park Rec Center) to practice during open skate. I would watch YouTube skating tutorials while I was at the rink. Over time it went from learning how to skate backward to crossovers and other difficult skills. I really started to enjoy it and would go to the rink before class most mornings. My goal when I started was to just learn a majority of the basic skills. I never planned on learning jumps, spins, or even competing.
I stopped skating when I went off to college. Mostly because I was under the impression skating stops when you turn 18. I didn’t think there were any other opportunities as an adult in this sport. However, I started to miss skating so I brought my skates to college after winter break. There weren’t many rinks by my school so I only went a little bit here and there. This time around, I wanted to try and see if I could land a waltz jump. I even tried learning some spins. While in the process of trying to learn this jump, I came across a video on YouTube of an adult skating competition. I had no clue this existed. From there I found more adult skating videos and discovered the adult skating community. I learned there were adult skating nationals and even international competitions. It looked fun, and I decided I wanted to try it. I did some research and found out that I needed to become a member of US Figure Skating as well as find a coach.
I contacted a local skating club and got signed up. Unfortunately, the pandemic hit about 2 weeks after signing up. Because of that, I was not able to skate for 6 months. Finally, I was able to return to the rink and was very excited to start working with a coach. Up until this point, I had only been watching YouTube videos to learn skating skills. I learned that I need to test in the adult 21+ track to be able to compete. So for months, I worked on the skating skills I needed to pass those tests. During that time, I decided I wanted to start a progress account on Instagram to document everything. I was the only adult skater at my rink and realized not many people knew of the adult skating community. Along with documenting my progress on Instagram, I wanted to educate people about adult skating. I started to meet other adult skaters online and learned so much more about competing as an adult. Over time my account started to grow and people would reach out to me saying I was the reason why they started skating. I would receive so many messages saying how inspiring they found my page and that absolutely warmed my heart. I never thought taking videos of myself at the rink would turn into this.
I shared learning new jumps, spins, moves, and more. Once I passed my tests I was able to start competing. A judge came up to me after my test and told me I should go to US adult nationals. That conversation really motivated me to go. It was a new challenge and sounded fun. From there, I started working towards that goal and shared the process on social media. I had so much fun competing. I became a Minnesota State Champion, Midwest Champion, and a three-time National medalist. Going to nationals was a huge accomplishment for me. I was mostly going for fun and was not expecting to place in any events. I got to meet so many amazing adult skaters while I was there. Nationals is truly where the adult skating community comes to life and it is so much fun. Everything I had been watching on YouTube became a reality. While I was there, I realized this is what makes me happy and I know I will continue to do it for a long time. I continue to share my skating journey on social media with the goal of educating others about adult skating. I always say you are never too old to skate. Skating doesn’t have to end at 18. There are so many opportunities for adult skaters and I want to show that.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My skating journey has not always been the easiest. There were definitely ups and downs along the way. One of the biggest challenges I faced was being in a skating environment that was not always the most supportive of me as an adult skater. There were several wonderful people who did support me but also some who did not. It’s defiantly hard to be an adult in the world of figure skating. A lot of people see these amazing skaters at the Olympics and assume every skater in the sport is like that. In reality, this sport has a wide variety of skating levels and disciplines. A majority you will never see on tv. There were many times when I was compared to younger skaters or higher-level athletes in the sport. Constantly hearing comments like “it’s your fault you started later in life” or “you are too old.” After a while, sometimes you start to believe it. Most of the time I would have to remind myself I had only been skating for a few years. Remind myself that my progress is not going to look like someone else’s. Those comments and negative interactions inspired many posts on social media. I turned that negativity into positive motivational content. I didn’t want other skaters to experience what I was going through. I wanted to let people know it’s okay to make mistakes, fall down, and trip over your toe picks. You don’t always have to be perfect and I wanted to share that message.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
On top of sharing my skating adventures on social media, I also make custom skating dresses. It started out as something I did for myself. I’ve made all of my own dresses and costumes. I turned one of my old prom dresses into a dress for my freeskate last season. Over time I’ve started to make dresses for other skates and now I do that full time. I love making skating dresses because it’s a chance to bring the program’s music to life. I also see it as a way to constantly challenge myself creatively. Making a dress for someone else is a little bit like putting together a puzzle. The dress needs to match the music and fit the skater perfectly. I personally think it’s important to have a dress that reflects a skater’s program. Being able to connect with the audience and the judges is an important part of competitive skating. What you wear is an essential part of that. I always try to make each dress unique. I never want it to look like a stock dress you could find online or in a store. Each dress should look and feel special.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
What matters most to me is the importance of believing in yourself. My skating journey has taught me that you have to believe in your abilities and trust yourself. Self-doubt is the enemy in skating. A majority of the sport is mental. Trying to land a new jump or get a new spin can be extremely frustrating. It doesn’t just take physical strength. It also takes mental strength. The moment you stop believing in yourself as a skater is when you let the negativity win. I always try my best to stay positive even when it’s very challenging to do so. I truly think a lot of my skating accomplishments would not have been possible if I did not believe in myself. At times I felt like I had to prove my worth in this sport or felt as if I was my only supporter.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/FiguresSkateBoutique
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/journeybacktotheice/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB_Oen2_MuXtMt-uQe45JZw
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@journeybacktotheice
