Paige Rydberg did her university proud at the 2021 U.S. Collegiate Championships late last month in Aston, Pennsylvania. She continues quite the legacy of gold medal winning skaters from University of Colorado, Colorado Springs.
Angela Wang and Max Aaron won in 2016, Mirai Nagasu took the title in 2015, and Ryan Bradley was a three-time champ from 2005-07. Rydberg is honored to be mentioned in the same sentence with some of the greats.
The 2021 U.S. Collegiate Senior Ladies Medalists
"It was cool to carry on that tradition after having those big names and people that I look up to accomplish the same thing as me," Rydberg said.
Not only did Rydberg grab gold, but she also won big. Her total winning score was 175.25 points, more than 32 points ahead of her nearest competitor.
"It was my second time backloading my triple toe-triple toe, so that means doing it in the second half when you're a little bit more tired. This time I was able to do it with a lot of positive GOE (Grades of Execution), so that was a pretty big milestone for me," she said of her short program. "My long, it's still a work in progress. I need to work out the kinks and gain more confidence. I need two or three competitions [before I] start feeling muscle memory."
This season, Rydberg is skating to a "sassy and fun" version of "Fever" by Celine Dion for her short program and "Broken Vessels" by Hillsong Worship for her free skate.
"It's a version of 'Amazing Grace,'" she explained. "It's probably one of my favorite long programs. Every time I skate to it, I just get inspired because it is a Christian song. Any opportunity that I can get to honor God and to do that through skating is a super cool opportunity."
As a rising college senior, Rydberg has one more year of eligibility to compete at the collegiate level. She plans to return in 2022 to defend her title. Alissa Czisny is the only lady to win the competition twice (2004, 2008).
Aside from a couple familiar faces, the competitor pool consisted of mostly new skaters to Rydberg. She brought her A-game and chose not to water down her routines. She went all out with the same technical skills we'll see her competing for the remainder of the season on the national and international circuit.
One thing she did do very differently was leave her coaches at home, but she did have her mom cheering for her in the stands.
"I wanted to prove a different level of maturity to myself by putting myself out on the ice," she said. "That was definitely an awesome opportunity. I learned a lot about myself that I don't know if I would have learned [otherwise]. I always have a coach with me when I compete. I feel like you rarely see senior-level competitors without a coach."
Rydberg also skated away with a $5,000 scholarship and new friendships.
She will next be competing at the 2021 Cranberry Cup Singles and Pairs International hosted by The Skating Club of Boston from Aug. 14-15.
Rydberg is working toward qualifying for the 2022 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Following the disappointment of withdrawing from the 2021 event, she has her sights set on making a triumphant return to the national stage.
"I've never had a top-10 finish at Nationals (U.S. Championships). Last year my goal was to finish top six and I really wanted to accomplish that, so I am carrying that over to this season," she said.
During an Olympic-packed year, Rydberg enjoyed rooting on Team USA, especially the swimmers, at the Olympic Games in Tokyo while in her hotel room at the U.S. Collegiate Championships.
"I enjoyed watching Caeleb Dressel," she said. "I think he's an awesome athlete and a few of the things he said are things my coaches have said."
Rydberg calls 2018 Olympic Team Event bronze medalist Bradie Tennell not only a training mate, but a close friend.
"We knew each other from Chicago and then she ended up moving here and taking from the same coach as me, so we've really bonded," Rydberg said. "She is such awesome motivation and she helps me a lot if I am struggling on a session. She'll be the first one to skate up behind me and give me words of encouragement. I'll do the same with her."
Rydberg is majoring in strategic communications at UCCS. She is interested in pursuing a career in public relations or broadcast journalism. Her "ultimate dream job" would be figure skating commentary, and with a scholarship boost from the U.S. Collegiate Championships, she is on her way to achieving her goals.
