Incredible Teamwork Leads to Stanford Figure Skating Club's First Win as a Club Sport

January 30-February 1, 2026
Skates on the Bay Classic
Sharks Ice, San Jose, CA

This past weekend, the Stanford Figure Skating Club (SFSC) won its first intercollegiate competition as a Club Sport, edging out UC Berkeley by 3 points. This was a true team effort with 16 skaters participating and each placing in the top 5 of their respective individual skating events. Stanford is well on the way to achieving its goal of ranking among the top four teams overall in the Pacific Conference and qualifying for the National Intercollegiate Finals in Utah in April 2026. Shout out to our co-host, the Cal Figure Skating Team, for its partnership in organizing a great competition. Special thanks to all our volunteers and SFSC alumni members Hannah Oo, Janice Teoh, and Jonathan Ko.

On Friday evening, SFSC shined in the pattern dance events, with Alea Delmastro leading the way with her dramatic Argentine Tango, finishing second in the Gold event. Valentina Juricek, who recently returned to campus from a study abroad quarter, was stunning in her rendition of the Starlight Waltz, winning her Pre-Gold event. Clara Finkelstein and Rhett Hounsell Cha Cha'd their way to 1st and 3rd place finishes in the Pre-Bronze events. Clara showed off her exceptional performance skills, and Rhett's Macarena moves made him a crowd favorite. Katherine Cao, Kaila Coimbra, and Emily Leung performed the Canasta Tango in Preliminary Solo Pattern Dances Groups A and B. They placed 2nd, 1st, and 4th, respectively, among a competitive field.

Moving quickly to the free skate, Alea glided across the ice in the Junior women's event to a mix of Coldplay's "O (Fly On) and Arrival of the Birds/Transformation by The Cinematic Orchestra," earning 3rd place. Elizabeth Hong, who had to overcome an injury in practice that day, showed her real strength by easily winning the Senior Women's free skate to "Piano Concerto in A minor, Op16." Stanford ended the day with a sizable 38 point lead over Cal.

On Saturday, Audrey Tai was enchanting in her Cinderella free skate, and Kaila's program to "Mamma Mia" showed off her beautiful lines, with both placing 4th in their respective Juvenile free skate groups. Valentina won in Juvenile free skate group C, with her amazing skate to the "Umbrellas of Cherbourg," receiving the top score from 5 judges and a gold medal. Audrey Akkerman executed a flawless axel in her wonderful skate to "Greensleeves" on piano and placed 2nd. Clara earned the bronze medal in Junior Women's Short Group A, highlighting her spinning skills to Jackie Evancho's version of "Caruso." Kaila returned to dazzle everyone in the Juvenile Women's short to "Hopelessly Devoted To You" from Grease, placing 4th. MD student Sam Steeman demonstrated wonderful skating skills and artistry in her rendition of "Dos Cadencias Sobre "Adiós Noniño" with a well-deserved silver medal in the Junior Women's Short Group B. Liz performed to "Chasing Cars" by Tommee Profitt & Fleurie in the Senior Women's short program. Liz's beautiful spins and perfectly landed double axel were rewarded with a 2nd place medal. Jierui Fang's strong skate to "Can't Catch Me Now" by Olivia Rodrigo earned a bronze medal in the Preliminary Women's free skate Group A. In her intercollegiate debut, Emily Zhu was amazing, with flawless twizzles and edge work, skating to "Young and Beautiful" by Lana Del Rey. Emily earned first place scores from all 7 judges and won gold in the Preliminary Women's free skate Group A.

Liz again impressed the judges with her fantastic Junior free dance to the Soundtrack from "Evita," placing 4th. Audrey Tai returned to skate to "Blue Velvet" by Lana Del Rey in the Juvenile Free Dance Group, placing 5th. Warwick Lloyd once again dazzled both the judges and audience in the Junior Men's free skate to "I Spy" and "Running up that Hill", placing 1st and receiving a standing ovation. In the last event of the day, Rhett, skating to "Eleanor Rigby," placed 5th in a very competitive Junior Men's Championship event. At the end of day 2, Stanford had extended its lead, finishing 40 points ahead of CU Boulder and the University of Denver.

Sunday began with Emily Leung expertly skating to Christina Aguilera's "We Remain," placing 4th in Pre-Juvenile free skate. Katherine Cao glided gracefully to "Alan Turing's Legacy" by Alexandre Desplat (soundtrack from The Imitation Game), placing 2nd in Pre-Preliminary Group A and earning top scores from three judges. In Aspire 3, Vic Hempstead, skating confidently to "Jenny Jenkins" by Mt. Joy, placed 3rd. Valentina's speed across the ice and her fantastic twizzles were among the highlights of her Senior Free Dance to Pitbull's "On the Floor." Val received first place marks from two judges and the gold medal. Clara's incredible performance to "Hip Hip Chin Chin" in the Intermediate Free Dance earned a 4th place finish.

Stanford continued the energy in the always entertaining but stressful team maneuvers event. The intermediate team of Valentina Juricek, Kaila, Warwick, and Audrey Akkerman delivered with their 4th place result, leaving a buffer of 8 points between Stanford and Cal. Handling the pressure, the low team of Selina Marton, Katherine, Jierui, Emily Zhu, and Audrey Tai executed their compulsory elements with confidence and placed 6th. After an exhausting three days of organizing, hosting and participating in the event, the SFSC led the other 20 collegiate teams in a fun conga line dance and celebrated at mid-ice when the final standings were announced!

Next up is the third and final intercollegiate event, DU Open, from February 20-22, 2026, hosted by the University of Denver, where the final placement and a ticket to Intercollegiate Nationals will be decided!

Medal Summary (19 medals in total):

1st: Valentina Juricek (Pre-Gold pattern dance, Juvenile women's free skate, Senior solo free dance), Clara Finkelstein (Pre-Bronze pattern dance), Kaila Coimbra (Preliminary pattern dance), Elizabeth Hong (Senior women's free skate), Emily Zhu (Preliminary free skate), Warwick Lloyd (Junior men's free skate)
2nd: Alea Delmastro (Gold pattern dance), Katherine Cao (Preliminary pattern dance and Pre-Preliminary women's free skate), Audrey Akkerman (Novice women's short), Samantha Steeman (Junior women's short), Elizabeth Hong (Senior women's short)
3rd: Rhett Hounsell (Pre-Bronze pattern dance), Alea Delmastro (Junior women's free skate), Clara Finkelstein (Junior Women's short), Jierui Fang (Preliminary women's free skate), Vic Hempstead (Aspire 3 free skate)