Rebecca Ye, a talented master's degree student in the Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies, joined the Stanford Figure Skating Club (SFSC) this fall, after a highly successful synchronized skating career as a member of the Lexettes, representing Team USA both nationally and internationally. She also pursued ice dance and eventually became a figure skating judge. That is not all that is amazing about Rebecca; she also has the passion and skill to play ice hockey!
We spoke to Rebecca about how she came to love these two winter sports. Rebecca shared that she grew up in the suburbs of Boston, where everyone learns to ice skate. "My older brother was playing hockey at the rink and three-year-old me also wanted to put on a pair of skates." She gravitated towards figure skating, adding "I always wanted to play hockey when I was younger, but I was so painfully small that it seemed more sensible to stick to figure skating."
Rebecca spent much of her childhood devoted to synchronized skating, which requires a strong foundation in individual skating skills, excellent teamwork, sharp edge control, a strong sense of timing and rhythm, and the mental fortitude to perform under pressure. Rebecca loved the team environment of synchronized skating. She told us, "as with other team sports, you get super close to your teammates because you spend such a ridiculous amount of time with them, scrambling to do homework together on carpools to practice, struggling through off-ice strength training and supplementary ballet classes, and of course, skating on the ice."
Rebecca found her path to hockey when she was an undergrad at Wellesley and studied abroad in the U.K. She commented, "a few figure skaters there had joined the women's hockey team because they didn't have a figure skating team. My teammates were super supportive with getting all the equipment and teaching me the basics, so I was able to play my first few games there. When I got back from the U.K., I started looking for recreational leagues in Boston (fortunately, there are so many). I played in two recreational women's leagues after graduation, and it was always an exhilarating and low-stakes activity to do after work."
When she arrived at Stanford, Rebecca was thrilled to learn that figure skating is a club sport, and the SFSC participates in United States Figure Skating intercollegiate competitions. "My undergrad (college) didn't have a competitive team or club, so a few friends and I started a small figure skating club." However, she never had the chance to compete at the collegiate level, until now.
Having participated in her first competition as a member of the SFSC, Rebecca said her favorite event was "team maneuvers." She said that she had watched the event once while judging at an intercollegiate competition in Boston but thought it was so bizarre because of the sheer number of skaters that get on the ice at once. At the University of Denver (DU) Open, hosted by DU in early November, Rebecca was part of the SFSC intermediate team, which brought home a second place trophy! Rebecca said that it was a "very cool event, noting that everyone cheers for each skater on each team." Her favorite moment was when we gathered all the mascot plushies from each collegiate team for a photo. "Our team brought a stuffed Stanford tree and a yellow shark plushie in honor of the Sharks Ice rink that we train at. The plushie photoshoot was a spectacle."
Building on the experience of the first intercollegiate competition, Rebecca said that she is looking forward to getting over performance jitters again after a long gap of not competing. She noted that "it takes practice to not let your legs turn to jello when you're out there alone." Rebecca also is hoping to choreograph a solo free dance and complete her gold solo free dance test this season.
Rebecca also practices hockey weekly at the Sharks Ice at San Jose facility. Rebecca added, "I guess I'm some sort of a partial member [of Club Hockey] because I join for skills and drills, although I am not playing in the D2 games. I'm grateful that they've let me practice with them from time to time and am looking forward to improving my stick handling and increasing the power in my shot. Most days, the hockey stick still looks like an extra limb that I haven't quite learned to manage yet, but I'm getting there." Rebecca and her SFSC teammates also can be found cheering for Club Hockey's at their local games.
When asked to compare the skills for both disciplines, Rebecca said "the balance on ice does translate between disciplines, but besides that, I think the skill sets are totally different. I'm used to the focus on balletic form from skating, but that is just not efficient when you're chasing a puck and need to simply pick up your feet and get moving. What I find interesting is that I think your brain learns to shift between the two types of skates, kind of like when switching between speaking two languages. Your muscle memory instinctively remembers not to rock as far forward or back on hockey skates as on figure skates, where the curve is less pronounced and you can use your toe pick." Further contrasting the two sports, Rebecca said "I think the mental game feels different, where with skating, you've prepared the routine for ages and on competition day you have to stay composed and execute the choreo that you've drilled over and over. Hockey has that aspect of rehearsing potential game plays, but there's more of a need to adapt quickly in the present and stay alert to your surroundings/teammates."
Finally, we asked Rebecca how she balances academics with both club sports teams and other extracurriculars. "Being a bit busier helps me get work done more efficiently. Both teams practice in the morning, which allows me to get my day started with a little adrenaline boost."
SFSC loves having Rebecca on the team this year as she provides great energy and a unique expertise. If you are interested in learning more about Rebecca and the SFSC, contact us at stanfordfsc@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram at @stanfordfsc.
