Four Portland Area Figure Skaters Selected For National Events

PORTLAND, OR —Four local figure skaters will be heading to Nashville early next year to compete at the 2022 U.S. Figure Skating Championships and the National High Performance Development Camp, according to KGW.

Happy Valley's Samuel Mindra, 18, Beaverton's Tia Hilbelink, 15, and Andriy Kratyuk, 16, all are part of the Portland Ice Skating Club (PISC), which is based out of the Mountain View Ice Arena in Vancouver, Washington, and the Lloyd Center Ice Rink in Portland.

Lake Oswego's Mark Williams, 16, skates for the Carousel Sherwood Figure Skating Club (CSFSC), based out of Sherwood Ice Arena.

The quartet earned their trips to Nashville based on performances at qualifying events.

"Huge congrats to Samuel Mindra, Andriy Kratyuk and Tia Hilbelink for their great performances throughout the Championship Series! Their scores each earned them a ticket to Nashville, Tennessee in January," the PISC wrote on social media. "Additional kudos to local CSFSC member, Mark Williams, for qualifying to the camp as well!"

Mindra is the one local skater who will participate at nationals —which take place Jan. 3-9, 2022 — where he will compete in the Junior Men's Division. He has reached the competition in five of the last seven years, earning a bronze medal in 2020 and being named to Team USA in 2019.

"I (still) get nervous every competition, even if it's small," Mindra told KGW. " But I shrug it off and get ready. You can't hold back."

Kratyuk, who is two years younger than Mindra, said he would like find himself in Mindra's position —and at his skill level —in a few years.

"I look up to him a lot. He's a good skater, he's gone to nationals more than I have, he can do jumps better than me and I look up to him. He's good," Kratyuk said.

Though Kratyuk, Hilbelink and Williams will not be competing in Nashville, they are part of a small group of elite skaters —only a dozen in each division — invited to the development camp, which runs at the same time as nationals.

The camp gives some of the country's best young skaters a chance to hone their skills, while receiving feedback from judges and officials.

"(At the camp I want to learn) how to be a better skater, how to jump better, hit those quads, a triple axel," said Kratyuk, who said his ultimate goal is to qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.

Hilbelink also appears to have a bright future. She began training at the Lloyd Center almost 10 years ago, and currently trains in Irvine, California.

"I really enjoy performing and competing, not only for getting medals and winning. I enjoy performing for everybody and jumping and showing what I can do," Hilbelink said.