ST. PETERS, Mo. — Crafting the perfect portrait takes time and an artist's sharp touch and the ability to bring human imagination to life.
Parkway Central's Morgan Shepherd first put on skates when she was 5.
"Just being on the ice, it's like one of the best feelings in the world," she said.
She's been jumping and twirling ever since.
"My first competition, I was six and I just love competing, I just love having fun being with my friends and cheering them on," she said. "So that was my favorite thing, I was just like, 'I want to do this all the time.'"
Gia Kranisky's heart also grew attached to the elegant sport.
"I always liked to dance and I used to watch the Olympics when I was younger," Kranisky said.
So she decided to give it a spin under the direction of Leslie Deason.
"I told my mom that I wanted to start skating and she decided to put me in," Kranisky said.
For nearly four decades, Deason has given her all to figure skating. Once skating competitively.
Now she's fixated on helping skaters like Kranisky and Shepherd land on their feet and helping bring their imaginations to life.
"To compete in higher levels and someday to become a coach," Kranisky said.
Deason said figure skating is an art, one that never loses its beauty.
"You never have to stop skating, ever," Deason said. "We have skaters that start from 3 years old, we have skaters currently in our program that are in their 70s. No, they're not going to the Olympics, but they love to skate and that's what I love about this sport."