ST. LOUIS — At a young age, the sensation of being on skates hooked 3-year-old Laura Nicula. She said it feels like you are flying, and while there are crash landings, she is not one to stay down.
“Why wouldn’t you get up? That’s the only option you have,” said Nicula.
If her willpower doesn’t get her going again, the determination to do well for her team does. Nicula doesn’t skate alone; she competes in synchronized skating. Think of it like ice dancing, but “times 8,” she said.
She started moving in unison while in high school at Visitation Academy, skating with St. Louis Synergy. That’s when Nicula knew she wanted to skate with Team USA.
“It was something I’ve been dreaming of since I was a little girl,” she said.
The dream came true when she joined the Haydenettes. Staying competitive means sacrifice, lots of long practices on the ice and off the ice, including practicing ballet.
“It helps like the awareness of where your limbs are, so you can look better on the ice,” Nicula explained.
That attention to detail has helped the team reach the global stage.
“We have a world championships every year and that’s wonderful, and I feel very honored and blessed to be able to qualify for that,” she said.
But despite their skills, a shot at Olympic gold is not in her immediate future. Synchronized skating is not an Olympic sport. While it may not give her the chance of being an Olympic athlete, it continues to give her that sensation.
“When I get on the ice with the Haydenettes, it’s like there’s no other feeling like it,” said Nicula. “Synchronized skating has given me a family.”