Skating Teaches Junior Competitor the Value of Hard Work

Participating in a sport while being a student is no easy feat.
 
There's practice after a long day in the classroom. Homework that must be completed once skates have been put away and the ice rink has closed. Weekends that are often spent at an ice rink, rather than hanging out with friends or spending time with family.
 
The demands of skating may not be small, but for junior skater Robert Yampolsky, the sport has taught him that going the extra mile pays off tenfold.
 
Before he was a member of Team USA, Yampolsky was just a little boy who loved the ice. He first strapped on skates at the age of seven, when his mother signed him up for Learn to Skate lessons. Before long, both mother and son realized he had a knack for the sport; what they did not know was that his time as a skater had only just begun.
 
After a bout with Learn to Skate's group lessons, Yampolsky hired a coach to work with him privately. Working one on one with a more advanced skater allowed him to further hone his skills, and at the age of 10, he brought home a silver medal, which he had won while competing at the 2017 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships at the juvenile level.
 
Yampolsky's career was blossoming. Yet despite attaining such an impressive victory at such a young age, the adolescent found himself questioning whether or not he wanted to continue skating.
 
"I was a little kid, probably nine or 10," he said. "I [saw] everyone else playing soccer outside. And that's what I wanted to do [rather than] spending my days and afternoons skating all day."
 
But as he brought home victory after victory, Yampolsky's attitude began to change.
 
"I realized [that] this [is] the work and the sacrifices you have to put in to be successful," he said. "Once I started winning competitions, I realized that [it] made me happy. And that's a sacrifice that I was willing to make — to put in the extra hours when other kids were fooling around."
 
The realization propelled Yampolsky to push himself even further. He began putting in more work and completing more reps to improve various aspects of his craft, and the dedication would go on to pay off. As a middle school student skating at the intermediate level, he brought home first place at the 2019 Geico U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
 
Victory was sweet, but Yampolsky did not allow himself to revel in the success for too long. There was still more to do, more to accomplish. Though the mindset may not make sense to some, for the junior skater, such a thought process is the key to making sure success is not a one stop shop.
 
"I think if I was satisfied [with the win], I would've been too comfortable," he said. "I win a competition, and then I move onto the next. It's a little discomforting, [but] it makes me try harder."
 
Competitions were not the only 'next' in Yampolsky's life. In the midst of everything that was happening on the ice, he moved to River Edge, New Jersey. Getting used to a new town was an adjustment. However, skating served as a constant, as did the presence of Anton Nimenko, the coach that Yampolsky has been with since he was 10 years old.
 
Nimenko's impact on Yampolsky's style has been anything but small. He has taught Yampolsky to stay calm on the ice and think things through, rather than spending hours practicing a single move.
 
"He kept telling me, 'Robert, you have to relax. Think about it.' The cliche stuff," he said. "At the time, I thought [his advice] was cliche, but I've realized it's super important.
 
"He makes me visualize how to do it, and I think that's helped me so much. I think a lot of [my growth] is due to him telling me that I have to visualize it and think about the jump, instead of going for it blindly every time."
 
Nimenko's expertise would also prove to be invaluable last season, after stress fractures in his right foot tossed Yampolsky an unexpected curveball.
 
The injury first occurred in January of 2021, and initially, Yampolsky brushed it off. "It's nothing," he thought. "I'll take a few days off, get some rest, and then I'll be back to skating the way that I was before."
 
That plan was not to be.
 
Rather than returning to the ice after a matter of days, Yampolsky was sidelined for nearly a month. The injury forced him to miss an annual competition in Milwaukee, which he admits was difficult to accept.
 
"It's hard, because you really want to prove that you can [compete at that level]," he said. "And I knew that I could. I had triples pretty consistently at that point. But then to have skating, [which was] that one thing that I enjoyed doing, taken away because you're injured, it [isn't easy]."
 
Rather than allow his young pupil to dwell on the circumstances, Nimenko implemented a recovery plan: Practice off the ice skills consistently while he was on hiatus, so that way when he was able to return, he did not miss a beat.
 
The pair continued to practice four days a week, and when Yampolsky was finally able to strap on a pair of skates again, he realized that there had been a method to his coach's madness. Not only was he jumping at the same height he had prior to his injury, but he was able to rotate at the same speed, too.
 
The outcome reiterated what Yampolsky had learned at the age of 10: Time, effort, and dedication yields rewards.
 
"Over the years, I didn't really notice because I was enjoying it, but he's pushed me pretty hard," Yampolsky said. "And at times, I hated it. I mean, I think every athlete hates going the extra mile and running programs for an extra time. But even outside of skating, I've realized that I put extra work into school … because of the values he's instilled in me."
 
A year has passed since Yampolsky first endured pain in his foot, and while the injury has gone on to heal, the wisdom from its lessons remains. Now, as a Learn to Skate coach himself, Yampolsky is trying to instill the value of hard work into the next generation of skaters, while still making sure they enjoy being on the ice.
 
"I try to push my kids as much as I can, [but] honestly, I've learned that I can only push them so much," he said. "Because a coach has to realize that if a skater doesn't like the process of skating and working hard, then you can't push [them] more. As a coach, I try to balance pushing them too much and giving them rest for the day."
 
At times, the balancing act may not be evident to the aspiring skaters under Yampolsky's care. There may be times when the extra requirements seem to be too much and the time off, not nearly enough. But one day, they will learn the same thing that 10-year-old Yampolsky did: Walking the tightrope between skater and other obligations may seem challenging, but the value of being able to go the extra mile will outlast even the most decorated skating career.
 
Robert Yampolsky will be one of eight U.S. athletes competing at the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series this weekend in Riga, Latvia. Follow the action live on the U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone Competition Central.