By Ethan Clarke

For the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) figure skating team, the day often starts at the rink. Four mornings a week, skaters train at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC), balancing early practices with classes, assignments and commuting.

Unlike many varsity sports that compete weekly, the figure skating team prepares for just a few events each season: a fall invitational, a winter invitational and the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championship. For many skaters, maintaining that routine requires discipline long before the academic day begins.

Third-year team leader Emily Erner starts many mornings before sunrise.

“I commute from Scarborough. That in itself means waking up at 5 a.m., and then you’re still doing school on top of that,” said Erner.

Weekly practices consist of two days of “synchro” which involves training with the entire team, and two days of individual member training.

Despite the demanding schedule, the team often goes unnoticed across campus. Second-year skater Arianna Goarley said many students are surprised to learn the university even has a varsity figure skating team.

“I’ll say like, ‘oh, I’m on the figure skating team,’ and people, most of the time, their reaction is, ‘I didn’t even know we had that,’” she said.

Still, the skaters remain active across the university community. Fourth-year captain Hailey O’Brien said the team regularly participates in campus events alongside its training schedule.

“We helped out with homecoming, orientation week and move-in day,” she said. “We also do performances during men’s and women’s hockey intermissions and help with face painting at the women’s hockey kids game.”

The team also participates in community events throughout the year, including the CIBC Run for the Cure and campus showcases like TMU Frost, where skaters perform exhibition routines for students and the public on Lake Devo.

From March 10 to 11, the team hosted the OUA championship at the (MAC), bringing university skating teams from across Ontario to compete.

For the athletes, the championship marks the highlight of the season.

“All year we’re working towards OUAs, so to see everyone shine…that’s just so rewarding,” said Goarley.

During the competition, TMU earned the Team Spirit Award despite placing ninth, recognizing sportsmanship and support shown toward other schools. O’Brien said the team worked hard to create an atmosphere that welcomed every competitor.

“We made 65 little DIY pom-poms, we had a poster for other graduates to sign off. And then we also had a poster as skaters got on, they were able to sign and put any like reminders or good luck wishes,” said O’Brien.

The effort reflects a culture that some skaters say sets varsity competition apart from other skating environments.

“You have your entire team up there cheering for you the whole time you’re warming up and the whole time that you’re competing,” Goarley said.

Regardless of the team’s results, Goarley felt like achieving school spirit was the most important thing. Being proud of what they do and staying connected to each other and the skating community were their biggest goals at the tournament.

“We are very team-oriented and just feel proud afterwards, regardless of the technical score or how the other teams skate,”said Goarley.

Unlike traditional competitive skating, where athletes often train alongside people they later compete against, university skaters represent their schools and support their teammates.

Still, the program faces challenges. According to Goarley, there have been struggles finding a school to host a championship.

Even after the championship ends, the work continues. Practices resume quickly as skaters begin preparing for the next season.

Having to manage the load of both team commitments and class, these figure skaters consider their on-ice community a reason to push through their busy schedules.

“Just to think about how hard everybody is working, and to want to contribute to that and not let anybody down is definitely a big [motivator],” said Goarley.