2024 Rising Dreams Scholarship Winner
Rise on Ice is thrilled to announce the winners for our 2024 Rising Dreams Scholarship: Elise Ozers and Aili Schultz!
About the Scholarship
The Rising Dreams Scholarship supports synchronized skaters by offsetting synchronized skating costs. Rise on Ice and the Olympic Dreams Project have partnered to provide this scholarship to advance the sport by fostering the development of individual skaters through financial aid.
About the Recipients
After careful consideration from a panel of Rise on Ice team members, Elise’s and Aili’s responses both stood out for their captivating demonstration of commitment to the sport through individual experiences.
We would like to share each of their responses to our short answer questions.
What does synchronized skating mean to you? What motivates you to keep pursuing this sport?
Elise: Synchronized skating means a safe place where you can connect with your teammates and grow relationships that will follow you far from the ice. This sport has provided me with almost a second family and so many people who support and care for me, and I truly appreciate this sport for the opportunities that it has given me. Synchronized skating holds a very competitive environment, and this motivates a strong team connection and a deep type of commitment from each member of the team. Teamwork and trust are integral parts of synchronized skating, and I have learned so much from my teammates, coaches, and other supporters as we have worked together to achieve great programs and performances. From being a part of the Wisconsin Inspire Synchronized Skating Team for three years and the Northernettes for two years, I have developed connections that have helped me. Synchronized skating has helped me to manage stress from other aspects of my life, and I believe that it is a healthy escape. There are so many motivating factors to keep going, such as coaches that have helped me and mentored me in so many ways and the connections I have formed with all of my teammates. Through all of the doubts I have had and struggles with mental health, these people have helped me and provided me with friendships for which I am thankful.
Aili: Synchronized skating, to me, is another open door for figure skaters. When most people think of our sport they think of singles. The first question they ask is, “Can you do a triple axel?” The thing most people don’t realize is how many different opportunities there are in our sport that don’t involve triple axels. Synchro is another opportunity for talented skaters to take their love for the sport as far as they can. Synchro is something you can do when you’re young and when you’re old. It is a sport that you can continue your whole life and it doesn’t have to stop once you graduate from high school. The most important part is it gives an opportunity to be on a team in a sport that is normally individually focused. Being a part of a close synchro team has brought me more memories and friendships than I could have ever asked for. It has also given me many more dreams that I didn’t even know were possible in skating. I am motivated to keep pursuing this sport because there is no end to how far you can go. Whether it is to medal at Nationals, be a part of Team USA, or even make it to the Olympics one day, there is always an opportunity ahead of you that makes the sport even more special. I hope to be able to continue synchro for as long as I can and hopefully share it with younger skaters one day.
Describe a challenge that you faced in synchronized skating. How did you overcome it? What did you learn from it?
Elise: Falling short of making it to the US Synchronized Skating Championships while on the Wisconsin Inspire Novice Synchronized Skating Team was a challenge that has helped form me into the skater that I am today. That day, we skated the way we had been training all season for, and we put out a really strong run. All of my teammates and I hoped that we would be able to make it for the first time in our skating careers. There was so much hope built up around this potential new experience that would have validated all of our hard work and would have labeled us as “successful.” I vividly remember the moment when our coach told us that we had not made it, the point difference of 0.26 is something that I still remember to this day. But now, I realize that this was just one motivating bump in my skating career, and I learned that there are different definitions of success. We succeeded by skating our best that day, and this experience bonded my team even closer. The following year as a part of the Wisconsin Inspire Junior Team with many of the same teammates from the previous year, we achieved our goal of making it to the US Synchronized Skating Championships. This experience has taught me how to handle challenges, how to re-define goals, and how to keep moving towards success. A new found motivation and hard work will help you to do great things.
Synchronized skating has not yet been included in the Olympics. What would Olympic inclusion mean to you?
Aili: Olympic inclusion, to me, means a new dream for younger skaters. Whenever you hear Olympians talking about their past, one common thing pops up. Watching their sport when they were younger and dreaming of all the possibilities it could bring them. If synchro were included in the Olympics, it would give the little girls and boys at home a dream. Hope and imagination are some of the most important things for anyone. Knowing that this would give more kids a chance to feel included and dream big is something no one should think twice about. It also creates a place for synchro skaters to show that all of their hard work and determination for years and years brought them to the biggest stage in sports. A place for them to look back on all of their challenges, victories, and memories that brought them to this moment. Even more importantly it brings together more people from all across the world to share their love for the sport. Not only would it give skaters an opportunity to grow in their sport, but it also gives them an opportunity to grow and learn as people. From that little kid grinning and watching their country represent their sport in the Olympics, to the skaters who finally accomplished their dream out on the ice, Olympic inclusion for synchro would create a family all across the world that brings people together for the love and joy of their sport.
Closing Remarks
We would like to thank everyone who applied to the Rising Dreams Scholarship! Every response was thoughtful and showcased the immense dedication to the sport.