Skater takes silver in competition

Adelyn Hoo, 15, of Sparta won second place in the junior women’s event at the 2024 Excel National Final and Festival in July in Norwood, Mass.

She finished less than a half-point behind Sabrina Weiler, who received the gold medal.

More than 900 skaters took part in the competition, which was divided into senior, junior and novice events.

Adelyn, a sophomore at Pope John XXIII Regional High School, started skating when she was 5 years old and her father took her to open skate at Skylands Ice World in Stockholm.

Since then, she has taken part in many competitions, where she has made more friends than foes.

“I have made a lot of friends with the girls that I compete against since I see them at a lot of other competitions, but this competition I met some new girls from the West Coast,” she said. “It was all a good experience. I bonded with a lot of the girls when being taught new choreography.”

Being an ice skater takes a lot of work, and Adelyn is on the ice five days a week. On three of the five, she does workout training and dance classes.

Her coach is Kim Sutton, skating director at Skylands Ice World.

It can be challenging at times, juggling skating, school and a personal life, but Adelyn handles it all.

“I am very proud of her,” said her mother, Carol Fahy. “I wouldn’t be able to train as hard as she does five days a week.”

Fahy does her fair share of work, organizing travel plans, hotel and competitions. Parents of other skaters at Skylands help by chaperoning multiple skaters at some competitions.

The competitions are all over the country; the farthest that Adelyn has gone is Colorado.

Her goals on the ice are to continue working hard and competing to be the best she can. She would like to make sectionals this year.

Off the ice, she is interested in the veterinary field. She helps walk the dogs at Father John’s Animal House, an animal shelter in Lafayette.

Adelyn’s next competition is in October. She will be back in Norwood for an event similar to the one in July.