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Florida Everblades ice skater Sophia Kruszewksi, 18, is making change with her nonprofit
Courtesy: Sophia Kruszewksi

Florida Everblades ice skater Sophia Kruszewksi, 18, is making change with her nonprofit

NAPLES, Fla. — For almost half of her life, Sophia Kruszewski has been involved in athletics, including soccer, gymnastics and swimming. For the past eight years, she has been a member of the Florida Everblades Figure Skating Club and training under Coach Kandis Hawkins.

“My goals within my sport are to get to the senior level of singles skating in U.S. Figure Skating (USFS), skate with the Disney on Ice organization and become a high-level coach,” Kruszewski said. “When I am in college, I hope to participate in collegiate competitions.”

Courtesy: Sophia Kruszewksi

Along with being a student, Kruszewksi also works as a Learn to Skate coach at Hertz Arena. As an 18-year-old athlete, she has learned many skills and words of advice that help her improve both as a skater and a young adult.

“I used to watch skaters before I competed, which made me really nervous. I learned to not watch others before me and instead focus on visualization or music in my head,” Kruszewski said. “My biggest challenge in my sport is the mental aspect of performing under pressure. To manage this, I work with a sports psychologist on appreciating small goals in order to reach larger ones. The best advice I was ever given was to remember that I am not just my sport, but human first. I tell myself to control the controllables and let go of what I can’t.”

Over the years, Kruszewski has found an effective way to cope with pre-competition nerves.

“Before competitions I listen to Adele, Ed Sheeran and Dua Lipa,” she said. “I also ask myself these three questions before competition: ‘Why do I deserve to be here?,’ ‘What are five pleasant things?,’ and ‘What am I grateful for?.’ I ask myself these questions because it brings me back to the present moment where everything is okay.”

Outside of skating, Kruszewksi relaxes and enjoys herself by cooking and baking. One of her favorite hobbies, and also one of her proudest achievements, is the creation and growth of her own nonprofit.

“Through my figure skating club, I have been able to give back to the community by running my own charity, Sophie’s Change for Change,” Kruszewksi said. “Initially, I raised money for my orphanage in China that I was adopted from, and now I raise money and collect donations for local foster children. I will be accepting new toy donations at my club’s Holiday Ice Show on December 18 at Hertz Arena. I am hoping to help give the foster children a great Christmas.”

With so much pressure placed on young athletes today, Kruszewksi seeks to learn more everyday, improve her skating skills and, most importantly, have fun both on and off the ice.

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