3 Idaho Falls figure skaters carve a path to a national competition

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) — For years, competitive figure skaters in eastern Idaho faced a challenge many athletes never have to think about: finding a place to practice.

But that didn't stop a determined coach and a group of dedicated athletes. So much so that three Idaho Falls teenagers — Alexis Lee-Maes, Kinlee Preussner and Lexee Yanex — are now headed to one of the country's biggest amateur sporting events.

From Idaho to the State Games of America

The three skaters qualified for the State Games of America, an Olympic-style competition featuring some of the nation's best amateur athletes.

Fifteen-year-old figure skater Alexis Lee-Maes is excited. "I'm really excited. This is something I've always wanted to do."

The trio will represent Idaho against about 1,400 figure skaters from across the country. The event is unique because it features not only figure skating, but many of the sports found in both the Summer and Winter Olympics, complete with opening ceremonies and more than 14,000 athletes.

Searching for year-round ice

Getting there looked a little different than it does for many of their competitors.

The Idaho Falls rink closes from spring until October, so the athletes drive two hours each way to Logan, Utah, several times a week during the offseason just to find year-round ice.

Their coach, Sydnee Nethery, remembers those sacrifices.

"There have been times that we've left our camper in the parking lot and lived in the parking lot."

Now, they're training much closer to home thanks to the recent opening of the year-round Neutral Zone in Rexburg.

A coach who knows the journey

It's a journey Nethery understands firsthand.

As a competitive skater, she spent weeks at a time living with coaches in Utah so she could continue training. Now, she's worked to build something different for the next generation.

"I fought really hard to be able to do it," Nethery said. "It's not super accessible here, but I've done everything that I can to get these kids on the ice."

That dedication has helped produce not only high-caliber athletes, but also resilient young women who aren't afraid of falling, either in the sport or in life.

Her daughter, 12-year-old figure skater Kinlee Preussner, said everyone fears falling at first.

"We know that falling is a part of the sport. So we have to get past it."

More than a sport: Learning to express emotion

Figure skating demands athleticism, but it also asks athletes to be vulnerable. Under the spotlight, they have to let their emotions shine through their facial expressions and movements.

Fourteen-year-old Lexee Yanex said that's one of the things she enjoys most about skating.

"I can bring out some major emotion that I don't think I could off the ice."

Kinlee agrees.

"It's a way for you to express your emotions through movement, which is a really good way to not put it on other people."

Lessons that last beyond competition

Unlike many sports, there isn't a referee telling skaters what went wrong in the moment.

"There's an entire learning curve that comes with being in an individual artistic sport," Nethery said. "We don't have referees out there blowing whistles if we've done something wrong. We have to learn that after the score sheet comes out, and sometimes that's a really hard lesson."

Those lessons don't just build better skaters. They build confident adults.

Nethery believes the experience will benefit them long after their competitive careers end.

"They're going to be able to walk into a boardroom one day and lead a meeting because they've been performing for years and years of their life," she said. "They don't have to walk in feeling nervous or timid or shy — they've already worked through that."

From long drives across state lines to representing Idaho on a national stage, this trio is proving that sometimes the hardest path helps you find your footing.

A sport that changed one skater's life

For Alexis, the benefits of figure skating have gone far beyond competition.

Alexis has cerebral palsy. Doctors encouraged her family to keep her skating because of the positive effects it was having on her body.

"They told her time and time again, 'Please don't quit the figure skating because the figure skating is what's helping you improve,'" Nethery said.

She said Alexis eventually no longer needed regular neurology appointments.

"She graduated from having to go to her neurology appointments consistently, and they attributed it to the figure skating."

As the three skaters prepare to represent Idaho on the national stage, their story is about much more than medals. It's about perseverance, sacrifice and the opportunities that come from refusing to let obstacles stand in the way.

To follow their journey at the State Games of America, visit Syd'z Kydz of Idaho Falls on Facebook.