NAPLES, Fla. — When Kristy Russo was three-years-old, her parents put her into a pair of roller skates, and Kristy found herself skating into a whole new world. By the age of five, Kristy had become a competitive artistic roller skater. Throughout the years, she earned 15 state titles, 15 regional titles and two national titles.

“After hours of hard work and training, winning the titles was a reward for all of my hard work,” Kristy said. “Training six days a week and twice on Sundays during competition season was my life for 15 years. I loved every moment of it! The first time I stood on the podium with the medal/trophy in my hand, I wanted it more. It was a drive to be the best I could be.”

One of Kristy’s biggest achievements in skating was being named Female Skater of the Year in 1988.

“After finally reaching my goal of a placement at Nationals, this award was the icing on the cake,” she said. “To be recognized by my peers, coaches and judges was a huge accomplishment. Plus, my coach, Al Taglang, was awarded 1988 Coach of the Year.”

During her senior year of high school, Kristy made the difficult decision to stop competing in order to focus on college and her future endeavors.

“Yes, I thought that I would roller skate forever, but I had to make a hard choice for my future,” Kristy said. “In 1988, Roller Skating was nominated to be added into the Summer Olympics, however the sport was denied. That was one goal I would have loved to accomplish, but it was out of my reach. Roller skating will always be a huge part of my life. It shaped me to be the person I am today.”

Though she stopped competing, Kristy never truly gave up skating. Today, she is involved with the Florida Everblades Club at Hertz Arena and enjoys roller skating for fun around the community.

A current senior in high school, Mya didn’t stray too far from her mother’s passion, though Mya traded skating on pavement for ice.

During a family trip to Pennsylvania when she was six-years-old, Mya tried ice skating for the first time. Immediately after the trip, Kristy looked into classes in Florida and discovered the Learn to Skate lessons provided at Hertz Arena.

“By the time she graduates from high school, Mya will be a member of the Florida Everblades Figure Skating Club for 10 years,” Kristy said. “She started in the Learn to Skate Program and was introduced to Coach Karen Roppelt. Coach Karen helped Mya fuel her passion for skating.”

To help perform her best on the ice, Mya does strength training five to six days a week and also trains with off-ice stretches, core strength exercises, cardio and off-ice jumps. Before a competition, Mya would also engage in her pre-skating rituals, including Kristy helping Mya with her skating outfit and skates before sharing a “kiss for luck” and sending her off with her coach.

“Currently, I am working towards my Senior tests in Moves in the Field and Patterned Dance,” Mya said. “These tests are considered the highest achievement in each discipline of figure skating. I will earn the designation ‘U.S. Figure Skating Gold Medalist.’ I no longer participate in competitions, but I am using my last year to focus on achieving my Gold Medals before college. Depending upon what college I attend will dictate my future in figure skating.”

Though each has experience in different skating styles, the mother-daughter pair likes learning new skills, and they have advice for young athletes, especially those interested in skating.

“My parents would always tell me before every competition to ‘skate for yourself and no one else!’” Kristy said. “If you want to get into a sport and be competitive, you have to really enjoy and love what you are doing. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to be successful, but the life-long lessons you learn along the way can shape your future. For someone interested in figure skating, I would recommend trying a Learn to Skate session at Hertz Arena. The coaches are knowledgeable and passionate about the sport.”

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