Megan Wessenberg Gains Confidence From Skate America

Visualizing a future in figure skating is often difficult. There are jumps to land, scores to count and placements to reach. The key is maintaining the stride, through every fall, hiccup or misstep that could be made.
 
Megan Wessenberg, Team USA member and senior ladies competitor, knows that. She has stayed the course to get to where she is today: full days of training, attending Champs Camp, and making a name for herself in the senior ladies circuit.
 
It all started when her dad put her on the ice at five years old, though he hadn't envisioned a future of toe loops and Axels - rather, one with pucks and sticks.
 
"He originally wanted me to play hockey," Wessenberg remembered from her childhood. "But when we attended the public skating session, I saw figure skaters and told him I wanted to do that instead."
 
From then on, Wessenberg was willing to put in the work. Last month, she made her Grand Prix debut at 2018 Skate America in Everett, Washington. Wessenberg knew the competition would be fierce, and other skaters had the advantage of previous Grand Prix experience, but it was her first shot and she didn't let it go.
 
"It was probably the most fun I have ever had performing," Wessenberg said. "The crowd was just amazing." 
 
She placed sixth overall, and was encouraged by all of the positive feedback she received, especially from the crowd: "They were so into my short program."
 
The crowd cheered her on through "You Don't Own Me," performed by Breanna Whitaker, with her bold personality and strong choreography.
 
"I tend to be a fast skater and I have big jumps," Wessenberg said. "So I like to have music with enough power behind it to support me."
 
The Massachusetts native, who harnessed that power to execute a beautiful triple toe-triple toe combination in her short program, relied on not making the event's pressure or expectations bigger than they needed to be.
 
"I get nervous for every competition I do, whether it's big or small," Wessenberg admitted, "So I have been focusing on not making a big deal about things, especially when I am at an event like Skate America, where it is a big deal. I try to focus on doing what I do every day, and enjoying it at the same time."
 
After her Grand Prix debut in Everett, Washington, Wessenberg's season goal has stayed the same: be consistent.
 
"Skate America has definitely given me a confidence boost," she said. "And I have been more consistent in practice than I have ever been, so I want to just keep trusting that my consistency continues to translate in competition."
 
Wessenberg has also found that consistency doesn't just mean sticking a landing; it means perseverance in pursuit of her success, regardless of how long it might take.
 
"I have been a little bit of a late bloomer for skaters," Wessenburg said. "So the biggest challenge has been just focusing on myself and still believing I can do it, even if the process of getting to the end goal is difficult and takes longer than I want."
 
Wessenberg is also balancing college classes with her training, attending Northeastern University in Boston, in the evenings after long days spent at the rink. But she has found that dividing up her time between the two, and staying busy, keeps her moving forward. 

"It's nice to have both aspects of my life because it keeps it balanced and I think that's good for me. It's not just one or the other." Wessenberg said.
 
As a biology major, she hopes to focus her studies on math and science with interest in anatomy and physiology.
 
"I'm not sure where that will take me yet, but I'm sure I'll figure it out," she said.
 
Eight-year-old Wessenberg might not have known what her future major would be in college, but when she watched her inspiration, Sasha Cohen, compete at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games, she kept her aspirations bright.
 
"I've made it to this point in my career because I have always had this optimistic that I could achieve a certain level and I had it in me," she shared.
 
And she plans on taking on the rest of the season with the same mindset: "I'm looking to make my name as a top U.S. lady. I really think it is just the beginning for me and there is a lot more to come."