The Malibu Times Athlete of the Week: Regan Banvard, Figure Skating

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Photo courtesy of Amy Alcini

As she took to the ice for a recent performance in front of family and friends, Regan Banvard was in her element. The skate rink is her sanctuary, a place she calls her “other world on ice,” where she can forget about the daily rigors of high school simply by skating along to the music of Katy Perry.

“Like a lot of skaters who are teenagers, we have a lot going on with schoolwork,” Banvard, a freshman at Oaks Christian School, said. “When I step on the ice, it all goes away. I’m not stressed about anything … There is the real world and then my other world on ice.”

U.S. Figure Skating has proclaimed January “National Skating Month,” and ice arenas across the country are promoting the mantra “It’s Great to Skate.”

Nowhere is this more evident than the Iceoplex in Simi Valley, where Banvard, 15, hones her figure skating skills.

Last month Banvard participated in two programs at the “Ice Skating Institute Artistic Challenge” in Burbank.

Skating to Perry’s “The One That Got Away” and “California Gurls,” respectively, Banvard flashed a series of graceful moves that earned her two medals. The Malibu resident finished in first place in the artistic bronze division and second in the entertainment spotlight bronze category.

“I was a little bit nervous at first,” Banvard said. “But I became really excited and confident because my coach was there and I had family and friends there supporting me.”

Her coach, Danielle Kahle, has competed 10 times at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, and was crowned national champion at the novice level in 2002. Banvard trains with Kahle, only 22 herself, once or twice a week at the Iceoplex and is very appreciative of Kahle’s coaching.

“I’m grateful that I have a great coach who teaches me everything,” Banvard stated. “She has been a great mentor who pushes me to do the best that I can.”

Banvard laced up her first set of skates at the age of seven at a small ice rink in Culver City. But her love of soccer at the time put skating on the backburner until the age of 11, when Banvard’s passion for ice skating took precedence.

Living only a stone’s throw from the beautiful beach community of Paradise Cove, even her mother Rachael asks, “How does a Malibu girl have such a passion for winter sports?”

Uh, mom? Banvard says she enjoys the sun and surf as much as anyone, but skating is something else entirely.

“I just love skating because it is something that I can do that is not a common sport,” Banvard said. “You need a lot of perseverance. The first time you do jumps, you will fail. And you will keep failing unless you keep practicing and practicing. The more you persevere, the better you will get.”

Banvard has taken part in a number of ice skating performances such as “The Lion King,” “Aladdin” and “Cinderella” at the Iceoplex over the last three years. She will be performing in April at the “Spring Fling” at the Toyota Center in El Segundo and other recitals at the Iceoplex in May.

For Banvard, the future is clear. After high school she plans to continue her education at an elite university, where she hopes to join a figure skating team to continue to pursue her passion.

“I want to figure skate for as long as I can,” Banvard said. “I love it so much.”