{"id":36334,"date":"2024-08-16T10:59:22","date_gmt":"2024-08-16T14:59:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/?p=36334"},"modified":"2024-08-16T11:03:36","modified_gmt":"2024-08-16T15:03:36","slug":"veronica-carhart-from-singles-to-success-in-solo-dance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/veronica-carhart-from-singles-to-success-in-solo-dance\/","title":{"rendered":"Veronica Carhart: From Singles to Success in Solo Dance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Anne Calder<\/em><\/p>\n

Novice solo dancer Veronica Carhart has three sisters who have competed in ice dance. However, she started with freestyle when she was very young and stuck with it for almost 12 years.<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/b>I was adopted [from China] and came to the United States when I was two and a half. It was Adrienne, Helena and me and then a couple of months later Marian was born.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"The older sisters had begun their skating journeys at Chelsea Piers in New York City and Hackensack, New Jersey several years prior to the family\u2019s 2019 move to Florida. Veronica had tagged along when her mother drove the siblings to their lessons.<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/b>I used to watch them skate, but the day I actually decided I wanted to go on the ice was when we went to a warehouse skate shop in either NY or NJ. I can\u2019t remember which\u201d Veronica said. \u201cThe only memory I have was walking around the shop and looking at all the cool things. However, my mom said that when the girls were getting their skates, I said, \u2018Me Skate too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring my final season as a singles [freestyle] skater, my mom would kind of edge me toward ice dance. I\u2019ve always been hesitant because I didn\u2019t know if I\u2019d like it or not because I\u2019d been doing singles for so long.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never really thought about going into ice dance. My sisters transitioning into ice dance was more melancholy because I was the only one left. Before Marian went to ice dance I was okay with it. When she went, I was like, \u2018I\u2019m the odd one out again.\u2019 I guess in my mind being the only adopted child, I felt left out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Previously, Veronica had shared that when she\u2019s on the ice with them, she feels very connected to them and her family.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter two serious injuries that kept me off the ice for eight months, I decided I couldn\u2019t go back to jumping due to the injuries and pain. I decided it would be easier if I just went to ice dance.\u00a0 <\/span>So around February 2024, I switched. We decided that I should try for the Solo Dance season, but I was a bit too late to sign up for the NQS. \u201cWe chose instead to do a couple of competitions and try out Solo Dance. So far I\u2019ve really liked it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Hertz Arena in Estero, Florida where I train is more of an ice dance based rink, Several of us Solo dancers train together with Marina Zoueva and Ilia Tkachenko. It really helps having them there. I\u2019m able to watch and see what\u2019s unique in their skating.\u201d<\/p>\n

After six months training in her new discipline, Veronica shared her thoughts about its advantage. \u201cFor me at least, what I like the best is Solo Dance is a little less stressful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn jumping [freestyle] I was always focusing on the jumps. If I didn\u2019t land the jumps, it was \u2018Oh my gosh, you did awful.\u2019\u00a0 <\/span>Also, there were these little girls who could do massive triples, so I always felt way behind. Sometimes jumping is also dependent on your figure and physical capabilities. You need to be small to jump high and also very strong.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I switched to ice dance, I realized that it\u2019s not centered on just one part of skating; it\u2019s very diverse.\u00a0 <\/span>You have to focus on the speed, you have to focus on the extensions, you have to focus on the twizzles. All these elements are really important.\u201d<\/p>\n

Veronica noted her pros and cons for competing in partner ice dance.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes I think it might be nice to have a partner –\u00a0 <\/span>to not be lonely. Often I look over at my little sister, and she\u2019s with her partner. They have people to talk to and confide in.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen sometimes I don\u2019t want to have a partner. I like to be in control. Depending on another person to get me somewhere sometimes scares me.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the recent Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships, Veronica was second with her Novice Solo Starlight Waltz pattern dance set to Copp\u00e9lia<\/i>, <\/i>six points behind the leader.\u00a0 <\/span>She leapfrogged into first place and took home the gold medal with a free dance to Lorenzo, <\/i>a Disney short film she watched as a youngster.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be honest, I really didn\u2019t think I could win because there was such a big lead. That was okay with me because I had just started ice dance,\u201d Veronica said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, since I was too late for the NQS, this would be my last competition of the season to lose, so I just got on the ice and skated. I wasn\u2019t too nervous, and I think that really helped. I got very present while I was skating. I made sure to smile at the judges and perform and do everything my coach said, and it came through.\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfterwards, <\/b>while I felt very confident about the performance, I also felt almost sad because it was my last competition to skate.\u00a0 <\/span>All the rush and nervousness was over for the season. And I was really happy with my skate\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Anne Calder Novice solo dancer Veronica Carhart has three sisters who have competed in ice dance. However, she started with freestyle when she was very young and stuck with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36335,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_gspb_post_css":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[6,142,424],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-interviews","category-featured","category-solo-interviews"],"blocksy_meta":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Veronica-Carhart.jpg?fit=1080%2C639&ssl=1","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Veronica-Carhart.jpg?fit=1080%2C639&ssl=1",1080,639,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Veronica-Carhart.jpg?fit=254%2C150&ssl=1",254,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Veronica-Carhart.jpg?fit=300%2C178&ssl=1",300,178,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Veronica-Carhart.jpg?fit=768%2C454&ssl=1",768,454,true],"large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Veronica-Carhart.jpg?fit=1024%2C606&ssl=1",1024,606,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Veronica-Carhart.jpg?fit=1080%2C639&ssl=1",1080,639,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Veronica-Carhart.jpg?fit=1080%2C639&ssl=1",1080,639,true],"et-pb-post-main-image":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Veronica-Carhart.jpg?resize=400%2C250&ssl=1",400,250,true],"et-pb-post-main-image-fullwidth":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Veronica-Carhart.jpg?resize=1080%2C639&ssl=1",1080,639,true],"et-pb-portfolio-image":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Veronica-Carhart.jpg?resize=400%2C284&ssl=1",400,284,true],"et-pb-portfolio-module-image":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Veronica-Carhart.jpg?resize=510%2C382&ssl=1",510,382,true],"et-pb-portfolio-image-single":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Veronica-Carhart.jpg?fit=1080%2C639&ssl=1",1080,639,true],"et-pb-gallery-module-image-portrait":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Veronica-Carhart.jpg?resize=400%2C516&ssl=1",400,516,true],"rpwe-thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Veronica-Carhart.jpg?resize=45%2C45&ssl=1",45,45,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Team IDC","author_link":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/author\/idcadmin\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"by Anne Calder Novice solo dancer Veronica Carhart has three sisters who have competed in ice dance. However, she started with freestyle when she was very young and stuck with […]","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7GOSM-9s2","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36334"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36334\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36338,"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36334\/revisions\/36338"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36335"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}