Starr Andrews' season may have begun in fits and starts, but she is keeping her goals in mind and her eyes on the horizon.
By the end of the 2022-23 season, Andrews had made history twice over. On a personal level, she reached her first podium at the U.S. Championships with a pewter medal. On a historical level, she became first U.S. Black figure skater to win a Grand Prix medal, a silver at Skate Canada International, and the first Black skater to finish on the podium in the women's senior event at a U.S. Championships since Debi Thomas in 1988.
Needless to say, with all that momentum, she was eager to jump right into the 2023-24 season. Typically, Andrews works to create new programs in May. This year, she was working for about a month on a Coachella appearance that ended up not coming to fruition, delaying the development of her programs.
"I was really disappointed it didn't happen," she said of the experience – despite the extreme heat – and is hopeful that it could happen again in the future. "It was cool seeing it all come together, with me going to wardrobe and hair and makeup."
When she was finally ready to kick off the season, she had another heart surgery for
two different types of tachycardia that she has dealt with for over a decade. Â
"It's nice to know that I'm diagnosed and I know what I have," she said. "Before, I didn't know what it was."
By early July, she finally had programs, but normally she would be competing by July, along with everyone else at her rink. The programs would certainly be worth the wait, though.
The short program was choreographed by Adam Rippon and is set to "Alien Superstar" by Beyoncé, who Andrews got to see in concert in Las Vegas this summer.
"[Rippon] is such a joy to work with," Andrews said, but it was Beyoncé that she called "a super woman."
"I don't know how it's humanly possible to sing for three hours, as long as she did," she gushed. "I wanted to take an outfit inspired from the Renaissance Tour and towards the beginning of the tour she was wearing a lot of hot pink. I wanted a short skirt this time, not a pantsuit. It's really cute."Â Â
Longtime coach Derrick Delmore choreographed Andrews' free skate, set to the "Glee" cover of "Being Good Isn't Good Enough."
"It's a beautiful program," Andrews said. "Listening to the music just makes me smile. I watched 'Glee,' and I love Rachel Berry. She's a drama queen. I was happy to be able to turn this into a program."
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Finally, she was set to debut her new programs at the Pasadena Open in mid-September, but withdrew with an illness.
At October's Kings Cup International in El Segundo, California, Andrews finally got her season underway, earning the silver medal. She was part of an all-American podium, featuring Audrey Shin with the gold medal and Hannah Herrera with the bronze medal.
That finish suits Andrews just fine.
"My goals this year are to place on the podium, which has always been my goal," she said. "I know when I put out good programs and skate the best that I can, the results will be there."
In order to earn medals consistently, Andrews has been focused on hearing Delmore shout "eyes up!" during her run-throughs.
"I tend not to look up; I tend to look forward or look at the ice," she explained. Based on feedback she's received and watching herself on tape, she realized her eyes were down too often. "It makes a difference with the overall program because I'm including everybody in the program."
Plus, she said, it's nice to give the judges a taste of their own medicine with all that staring.
A common refrain from Andrews during her interview with Fan Zone was "if it was meant to be, it will happen," which seems like a healthy mindset considering her final goal for the season is to earn a spot on the 2024 World Championships team.
She has yet to compete at a World Championships on the senior level, but finished 12th and eighth at the World Junior Championships in 2017 and 2020, respectively.
The figure skating community will have to wait until January to see if "being good
is good enough" for Andrews.
Before U.S. Championships, Starr Andrews kicks off her Grand Prix season at Skate Canada International this weekend in Vancouver, Canada. Follow along, with live results, news and more on the Grand Prix Series Competition Central.
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