This Fall,
Jacob Sanchez, 14, is walking the halls of his Montgomery, New York, high school as a freshman. Despite being in a new school, Sanchez is already making a name for himself in the skating world as a three-time U.S. medalist.
"I started skating when I was 5-years-old because I wanted to be a hockey player," Sanchez, the 2021 U.S. junior pewter medalist, shared. "My mom enrolled me in Learn to Skate lessons, and I tried it on hockey skates. But I couldn't stand or skate at all."
After switching to figure skates, Sanchez said he found comfort, ease and was able to skate on his own. After two years, Sanchez decided he wanted to be like the skaters he saw on TV and asked his mom if he could start training with a coach so that he could fulfill his dream and be like his role models.
At home, Sanchez is the middle child of three kids in his family -- none of whom are skaters. His older brother is 17 and a member of the track and field team. Sanchez's younger brother is 7 and plays a variety of sports. Raising the boys are Sanchez's parents, Jose, a retired police officer, and Johana, a teacher. At school, Sanchez's favorite classes are social studies and English, but he wants to take cooking next year, just like his older brother. In his free time, he loves to play lacrosse, basketball, soccer and video games with his friends.
During the summer, Sanchez skated three to four ice sessions each day, with an additional two hours of off-ice training, ballet and stretching to finish off the day. Now that he is back in school, he is a full-time student from 7:15 a.m. until 2 p.m. After school, Sanchez skates two to three sessions a day and saves his off-ice training for Sundays.
"After skating, I go home, do my homework, eat dinner, go to bed and do it, again, the next day,'' Sanchez said.
A dedicated student-athlete, Sanchez has been working to improve his jumps and try spins he has seen senior elite skaters perform on TV. He takes the most pride in his artistry, though, and describes it as the most "powerful" piece of skating. Footwork, especially, is where Sanchez feels he shines and can best portray himself.
"I really look up to Nathan Chen and Jason Brown. I love [Brown's] skating," Sanchez said. "I also look up to skaters around the world like [Japan's] Yuzuru Hanyu, Nam Nguyen from Canada...and the Russian girls doing quads!"
Like many skating fans, Sanchez admires Chen's athleticism and technique and hopes his jumps can be like the "Quad King" one day. However, it's Brown's portrayal of personality and artistry that Sanchez looks to emulate.
"In 2019, for my intermediate season, I skated to 'Riverdance.' [Brown's 2014 'Riverdance' free skate] was one of my biggest inspirations for that," Sanchez explained. "It was really my inspiration for skating, too. When I saw him, I told my mom I want to be like him. I want to skate to 'Riverdance.'"
Brown's 'Riverdance' performance was choreographed by coach and choreographer Rohenne Ward. Ward quickly became a fan of Sanchez's during his short program performance at the 2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships. In an
article published in February, Ward remarked at Sanchez is a "raw talent and believes the young Latino skater has the potential to be a force in the sport" and had endless compliments for Sanchez and his coach, Oleg Makarov. More importantly, Ward saw the future of skating represented in a skater of color, much like himself.
"There aren't a lot of Latinos in figure skating. Being a Puerto Rican in the sport, I really feel like I am representing the Latino community," said Sanchez. "Whenever I see a Latino skater, I try to watch them and pay extra attention to them. If they live in my area, I talk to them and introduce myself to them. There needs to be more [Latinos] in the sport."
Since their first encounter, Ward and Sanchez have become acquainted through the
Diversify Ice Foundation, where Sanchez serves as an ambassador. Over the summer, Ward led workshops and Sanchez was a performer for the Diversify Ice Juneteenth SkateRaiser.
"[As an ambassador,] I completely support the Diversify Ice mission of seeing diversity in figure skating," Sanchez said. "I feel we need to see more minorities, and I see a lot of that is happening right now."
As Sanchez continues to be a role model for Latino skaters, he has ambitious goals for himself. In the short term, Sanchez hopes to become a part of Team USA and receive an international assignment. Long term, Sanchez's biggest goal is to compete at the World Championships and, eventually, at the Olympics. In the meantime, the young skater is working on mastering the triple Axel, perfecting his artistry and enjoying his time on ice.
"I love performing, having an audience and entertaining them. I do my thing, and I have so much fun."
