Aviva Cantor: 'Absolutely no regrets'

Above: Cantor performs her dramatic entertainment program at the 2020 Midwestern Adult Sectional Championships in Springfield, Illinois.

If they're lucky, most people figure out what they want to do with their life sometime in their 20s or 30s. Aviva Cantor's fate was sealed at just 4 years old when her mother put the pigeon-toed toddler on the ice at the recommendation of her doctor.

"I like to say that I was raised by the adult skating community," Cantor said. "It was my destiny to become an adult skater and to have an important role within our community."

Still on the ice 30 years later, Cantor has found success as a competitive adult skater, the author of SKATING magazine's "Adult Corner," the National Vice Chair for Community Support and Development for the U.S. Figure Skating Adult Skating Committee, and, as of May 2019, as the committee's chair. Still competing in the Class 1 division of adult skating (for ages 21-35), Cantor is the youngest-ever person to hold the position. 

"During my one season as national vice chair, Lori (Fussell) called and asked me if I'd be interested in being the chair," Cantor said. "I told her I was flattered, but that I felt underqualified, and recommended another person whom I felt would do a better job. Lori reassured me that I'd do just fine and was in fact qualified for the role. I thought it over for six days, then told her yes.

"While I of course didn't know that I'd end up serving in a volunteer leadership role during a global pandemic, I have absolutely no regrets. I love leading the Adult Skating Committee and I have an amazing group of vice chairs who offer different forms of help and expertise. It fuels me to give back to my skating family and I love it when I'm able to help other skaters during their skating journeys."

Among their many means of support, Cantor and the Adult Skating Committee strive to promote the idea that the ultimate success in adult figure skating is being able to skate for life. As chair, Cantor, who has persevered on the ice through seronegative rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and bursitis in both hips, serves as living proof that skating isn't limited to Olympic dreams or temporary recreation, but rather a lifelong passion — one that deserves recognition in the overall skating community.

"With time, we continue to see a cultural shift in our sport where adult skaters are respected as athletes, role models and leaders," Cantor said. "There's always more work to be done, though. There are definitely certain rinks and clubs which are considered more adult-friendly than others, and I'd like to see all of them continue to make the change. As an adult skater and as the chair, being a role model is important to me and I'm really conscious of my behavior at the rink. I want the kids at the rink to see me skate and understand that if they really love this, they can do this forever, too. Skating doesn't have an expiration date which aligns with a high school or college graduation. It can be in your life forever, and I'd like to see this become the norm."

Another norm she'd like to see? The presence of LGBTQ+ role models for women in skating.

"It's highly unusual to meet someone in the skating world who openly identifies as a lesbian; I am one of the few," Cantor said. "While I've always been fairly private about my life, I'm very open about the fact that I have an amazing wife, Melissa. We have a strong, respectful relationship. I'm really proud that my wife and I have a marriage which is legally recognized in all 50 states. I'm so thankful to live in a time where we can be legally married, as this wasn't always the case. And in the skating world, I'm very glad that kids in the sport have more openly LGBTQ+ role models than we used to have. In particular, Amber Glenn and Karina Manta have made significant strides toward showing that you can be a woman who is not heterosexual and you can still love the sport, find your place in it, and be true to yourself. … I hope that others who meet me can learn about the importance of being yourself and owning it to the fullest. That's what Pride Month means to me. It's about taking ownership of yourself."

Adult skaters are no strangers to self-ownership. Often adjusting their goals and training regimens to fit changing physical abilities and the schedules and responsibilities of adulthood, adult skaters meet on the ice from all walks and stages of life to create one of the most diverse communities within the sport.

"[The Adult Skating Committee] currently has 40 members, which makes us one of the largest within the U.S. Figure Skating committee structure," Cantor said. "Our size is important because I want to represent diversity in our sport. We have skaters ranging from 20-somethings to 70-somethings. We have a member who is working on mastering a single loop jump and a member who competes with multiple triple jumps, plus plenty of skaters who fall in between.

"What I love most about adult skating is that we are in it for the right reason. We skate because we absolutely love to skate. We're not in it for quad jumps or Olympic medals; we're in it because we believe in skating for a lifetime. The sport fulfills us and gives us an outlet for fun, expression, and goal setting outside of our busy adult lives. I have always said that the day I stop having fun will be the day that I stop skating. This has yet to happen, so I am still skating."