COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – This week has been full of stories about how the U.S. Figure Skating Championships at Nationwide Arena are inspiring young skaters, but there is one story that is decades in the making.
John and Mary Hackett’s love story started decades ago when they were both Ann Arbor Figure Skating Club members. Even after all these years, they still love the sport and travel to as many U.S. Figure Skating Championships as possible.
“He came up to me and said, ‘If you’re going to do that jump that way, you’re going to hurt yourself,’” Mary Hackett said. “So I said, ‘OK, show me how.’”
That’s where it all began. Both Mary and John were in college and shared a love for skating. John took a figure skating class at the University of Michigan.
“I got more and more interested and my skating skills got better and better, and I started skating with the Ann Arbor Figure Skating Club, and my skills got a little bit better and better and so on,” John Hackett said.
Neither John nor Mary competed, but they did ice dancing and also tried out some pair skating.
“And then one day, he proposed to me on skates and at an ice rink, and I said, ‘Yes,’ and that was 43 years ago,” Mary Hackett said.
Now, the couple travels to other U.S. Figure Skating Championships, having been to events in Greensboro, Detroit, and now Columbus. They’ve been here all week and said the athletes are amazing.
“They were doing quads and triple jumps and that type of thing and it’s just mind-boggling,” John Hackett said. “I like to sit right there on the boards and watch because, mentally, now I’m an old man, now I’m a senior citizen, but I project my mind and I’m in their body and I’m doing that. I can’t begin to do that nowadays.”
John said the U.S. Ice Dancing Team has progressed enormously over the years.
“I mean, they started with good skaters, but we never could really break that barrier on the international scene of being in the top three,” he said. “Now the U.S. champion ice dancers today are the world champion ice dancers and I’m sure they’re probably going to win the Olympic gold medal in a couple of years. They’re just fantastic.”
And they have some tips for the younger generation that may want to get into skating.
“Make sure there’s an ice skating rink near you,” John Hackett said. “A lot of the cities like Columbus here have skating clubs, U.S. figure skating clubs, and call them and see what kind of programs they have that can be good for educating you child in skating.”
“It is great exercise,” Mary Hackett added. “Not everyone’s going to be a champion, but you can enjoy it.”
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2024-01-28 04:12:49Z
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