Junior Ava Goykhberg began her skating career at seven years old, and since then has had many memorable experiences with her team and at competitions.  

Moving from Forest Hills to Great Neck, Goykhberg had an easier time getting to and from the Parkwood Ice Rink. Due to the accessibility of the rink, she joined the local synchronized figure skating team and practiced at least two to four times a week. 

Goykhberg reflected on her experience participating on the local skating team.

“I’ve met some really good friends and coaches from being on the team, and I believe it was a great experience for me,” Goykhberg said. “I learned a lot from that experience, and it definitely helped me understand more about figure skating in general. When I was on a team, the main focus of the group was looking clean and sophisticated. Being in a big group of 10 to 20 kids, it’s hard to jump and spin all together, so the main focus is usually presentation, skating skills, performance, and transitions.”  

To get better at this synchronized form of ice skating, Goykhberg took a ballet class with her team to perfect their skills.

Over the past eight years, Goykhberg has mastered all six single jumps and many spins. Currently, she is working on her double jumps.

“Overall, I enjoy jumping a lot more than spinning since it’s more suspenseful and fun,” Goykhberg said. “Spinning always uses more energy in my opinion and is more difficult.”

Goykhberg describes all that she has gained from ice skating. 

“Ice skating definitely is a time-consuming sport,” Goykhberg said. “I’ve had to miss many occasions with friends and family to go away for competitions and shows throughout the years. However, those experiences were some of the best times of my younger years. I love traveling for the sport and meeting new people. The more coaches and skaters I’ve spoken to, the more I found out about the sport as a whole. When I skate, it’s like a distraction from reality. The long hours and hard work devoted to competitions and events has taken a lot of energy and years to accomplish.”

Over the years, Goykhberg has won first place in multiple competitions and has competed at Lake Placid a total of seven times. Since 2020, she has won two silver medals. 

Her favorite part of ice skating is creating the programs that she will later compete with. Programs are routines with choreography that incorporate all the elements needed to compete at a certain level. 

“I love creating programs with my coaches, listening to music, and getting really creative,” Goykhberg said.

Goykhberg reflected on the lessons that she has learned throughout her skating experience. 

“Try your best to accomplish your goal and don’t let negative experiences bring down all your accomplishments,” she said. “There are times when I have messed up before and let it bring down my entire mood for the rest of practice and it’s not worth it. Everyone has bad days and it’s best to just forget about your mistakes and work on it in the future.”

Also, Goykhberg gave some advice for other skaters who want to compete or are already competing. 

“My advice for other ice skaters is not to overdo oneself and try your best,” she said.  “Sometimes the pressure from coaches and parents is overwhelming, but always do what feels right for you. Know your limits and don’t tire yourself too much because it’ll hurt you later on mentally and physically.”