story by MARIO BOUCHER
photos courtesy of KRISTY HEMSTREET & POLAR ICE
Figure skating is an exhilarating blend of speed, skill and artistry. The excitement of perfecting jumps and spins, paired with the elegance of gliding across the ice, creates performances that are both powerful and beautiful. The sport challenges skaters to refine a range of elements—jumps, spins, footwork and choreography—while maintaining focus and creativity on the ice.
Kristy Hemstreet, a former professional skater and the regional skating director for Polar Ice, draws on her extensive experience to guide skaters at all five Polar Ice facilities in the Triangle—Morrisville, Cary, Garner, Raleigh and Wake Forest—helping them develop both skill and confidence on the ice.
Hemstreet began competing at age 9 in Michigan and went on to earn the USFS Gold Medal in Skating Skills. She also medaled at the US Adult Championship Masters Intermediate/Novice Eastern Sectionals and competed at the US Nationals Adult Championship Masters Intermediate/Novice level. Not bad for someone who fell on the ice at the tender age of 3 and said she would never skate again.
As a coach, Hemstreet has guided athletes ranging from a Disney on Ice cast member to an International FISU World University Games competitor and several National Excel Series Championship contenders.
She enjoys the process of choreographing a unique program that fits a particular skater.
“When working on choreography, it starts with choosing a piece of music that not only is aimed towards the level the skater is in, but also the skater themself,” she says. “If a skater does not resonate with the music, they will not skate to their fullest potential. Once the music is selected, we carefully select the jumps, spins and choreographic and/or step sequence for the program based on the requirements for the level.”
Kristy Hemstreet, a former professional skater and the regional skating director for Polar Ice, poses with a young student who
successfully competed in a recent figure skating event.
Grace Meets Grit
In figure skating, one of the greatest challenges is balancing artistic expression with the technical demands of judging—a task that
has become even more complex since the introduction of the International Judging System (IJS), which evolves each season. It consists of two main components: a technical element score based on the difficulty of elements and their execution, and a program components score that evaluates the overall performance in areas like composition, presentation and skating skills.
“We are striving to constantly do bigger jumps, hold longer spins in more difficult positions and all of these things take time in a program, which can make it hard to feed in the artistry that figure skating is known for,” Hemstreet explains. “However, that’s what makes this sport so great!”
She knows it’s natural for her skaters to feel nervous before competing. To her, those Jitters simply show how much they care about performing well.
“The best way to help manage nerves is to have a well-prepared skater. Confidence is everything in this sport,” she says. “We practice on ice, off ice, and even do things like running our programs in our minds and doing breathing exercises. I also remind my skaters that our goals are always to have a personal best. Medals, winning, that comes second to going out there and simply having fun and doing your best.”
Hemstreet poses with another young skater.
With 22 years of coaching experience, Hemstreet knows how to push athletes toward excellence while also preserving their love of the sport. “The second I see that isn’t working for someone, we change it up and see what else we can come up with to help them be successful.”
She takes pride in seeing her students’ faces light up as they conquer a skill they’ve been struggling with. “There is nothing better than that moment and the smile they get. I hope my skaters remember that learning can and should be fun, whether you are a beginner or a high-level athlete.”
Give Skating a Spin
Find your stride on the ice while building skills, confidence and a lifelong love of figure skating. Polar Ice offers year-round Learn to Skate programs at all its Triangle locations, with classes designed for kids, teens and adults. Skaters progress through six levels before advancing to Aspire, an advanced program. Private lessons with experienced coaches are also available. Learn more at polaricenc.com.
Hemstreet works with a student at Polar Ice. She pushes athletes toward excellence while keeping their love of the sport intact, adjusting her approach whenever needed.