Sarah MacGibbon (19) is the ice queen - but she will happily show her fiery side if she gets angry. Sport editor Hayden Meikle talks to the young Dunedin woman who is the best ice figure skater in New Zealand.
Hayden Meikle: How many hours a week do you train?
Sarah MacGibbon: I'm doing around two to three hours, six times a week. It kind of depends what I'm aiming for.
HM: Are you working or studying as well?
SM: I've got a job at Embers, a brand-new restaurant in the old Crown Mill building. It's pretty cool. I'm working as a waitress and training to work on the bar.
HM: Everyone raves about the quality of the ice at the Dunedin Ice Stadium. How can ice be good or bad?
SM: That is a really good question. You might think ice is just ice, but it's not. The size of the rink is a big thing. Our rink is Olympic-size, and it's really symmetrical. Some of the other rinks are quite narrow, and you can't do a lot on them. The actual ice at the Dunedin stadium is also great. Ice can be soft or hard or bumpy. We've got a good zamboni, so we've got really good ice. It's the best ice rink I've ever been on.
HM: Most common injury?
SM: Just general pulls and strains of muscles. Lower leg and back. If you try something new, your body sometimes tells you, ''Noooo''. We also get cuts from grabbing our blades.
HM: And if you try something new, you just clatter on to the ice?
SM: We do have padding. I have this silicon stuff which you shove down your pants. You can wear that in practice to absorb the shock. We also have a harness, so a coach can lift you up slightly on the landings.
HM: Next big goal?
SM: I really want to keep my national title. There are some good new skaters coming through.
HM: Is the Winter Olympics a realistic goal?
SM: Yeah. I mean, it's very hard. There's never been anyone from New Zealand do that. To be the first would be pretty cool. But I've got a lot of things to do before then.
HM: How do you afford to stay in the sport?
SM: We're trying to get some more funding, but it's always difficult. My Mum is in Australia at the moment, working her butt off to make money. She's been amazing. I wouldn't have got anywhere without her.
HM: What's that feeling like when you nail a perfect display?
SM: It's a feeling that no-one can touch you, no-one can bring you down. It's an amazing feeling. Really hard to describe.
HM: Who makes your costumes?
SM: A lot of different places. We've ordered some off the internet. My Mum designed a recent one and we had to stick all the diamantes on by hand. That took ages.
HM: Favourite piece of music to skate to?
SM: I really like this year's programmes. I have a tango, and I have Black Swan.
HM: Who are your skating heroes?
SM: I really love Evgeni Plushenko, the Russian. And Adelina Sotnikova, who won the last Olympics.
HM: Do you get to be a role model to younger skaters?
SM: I'm actually coaching now, so I have a few wee girls. One did a school project on me, and asked me for my autograph. That was pretty cool.
HM: Are you old enough to know anything about Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding?
SM: I've definitely heard about them, ha ha.
HM: Ever had an opponent you, er, wished would succumb to a sudden knee injury?
SM: No, I haven't. I've had opponents who I disagreed with. But most of the people I skate with are really lovely and welcoming, especially overseas.
HM: You've got quite a distinctive tattoo on your leg. What's the story there?
SM: It's a dreamcatcher with a peacock feather. I wanted it to be different. It says ''Fight for your dreams''. I'm a bit of a fighter. It's on my landing leg, my left leg, so it sort of tells me to stay up.
HM: You were given the ice challenge that's become very popular on social media - but giving an ice skater an ice challenge is a little pointless, isn't it?
SM: Hah, yeah, I was adamant I wasn't going to do it. But I figure I already live in an ice box. And it's for a good cause.
HM: What do you say to any of the cynics who say, bah, ice skating is just pretty dancing?
SM: I'd say, come and try it. It might be dance but it is also a very athletic, risky sport.
- Can you suggest a worthy candidate for The Chat, an occasional series looking at some of the lesser known athletes, coaches and stalwarts in Otago? Email the sports editor (hayden.meikle@odt.co.nz) with your ideas.
