The Triangle

Issue date: 10/10/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Photo Courtesy of Rebecca and Synthia Slawter

It was a sweltering summer day and 15-year-old Michael Solonoski was none too interested in jumping into the pool.

He wanted to get some relief from the heat, but he was also looking to find an activity that was out of the norm.

Unexpectedly, he found the answer to his troubles at an ice rink-in a pair of figure skates.

"I was just messing around [at group lessons] and a coach came up to me and said I had some natural talent," Solonoski said. "I took her up on her offer for private lessons."

Now, some nine years of progress and training later, the 24-year-old is ready to take his skills to the next level.

Solonoski, an architecture major at Drexel, who first began taking skating lessons at his local arena in Allentown, Pa., will compete in his first senior international figure skating competition, The Cup of Nice, which takes place from Oct. 15 to 19 in Nice, France.

"[The Cup of Nice] will be my first breakthrough on the senior international scene," Solonoski, who has competed mostly at events in the U.S., said. "[Competing in The Cup of Nice] establishes my name on the international circuit. It also allows me to achieve a world ranking."

The Cup of Nice will feature 20 of the top figure skaters from across the globe, including 2007 World Champion Brian Joubert.

But while the goal for many serious figure skaters who compete in the most prestigious competitions around the world is to make it to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, B.C., Solonoski understands his chances of making the U.S. squad are minimal.

"Everyone looks at competing in the Olympics as the ultimate goal," he said. "But right now that's not an immediate goal that I'm looking at, because realistically I'm not ranked high enough in this country right now to compete in Vancouver in 2010."

Nevertheless, that doesn't mean Solonoski won't set his personal bar high.

"My goal in Nice is to skate two clean programs and make a respectable showing," he said.

Solonoski, who has won three medals at the U.S. Collegiate National Championships, endures a grueling four-hour training regiment each morning at the University of Delaware in Newark, Del.

But that's just the kickoff to his day.

He also co-ops at the Center City architecture firm Kelly/Maiello in the afternoon and takes classes during the evening.

"It's an intense day but it's really rewarding to try and succeed at all three," Solonoski said.

Solonoski believes Drexel was definitely the right fit, both for its strong architecture program and the University's location.

"[Drexel] was halfway between where I grew up, where my family is and where my training base is in Delaware," he said.

In November, Solonoski will also compete against the best skaters from the East Coast at the Eastern Sectional Championships in Boston, Mass. The competition is the qualifier for the United States National Figure Skating Championships in Cleveland, Ohio in January 2009.

If he were to put up near-perfect scores, Solonoski could find his way to Vancouver.

Always motivated by the athletic challenges of skating, he's set a goal of mastering the quadruple loop jump. No one in the world has ever executed that jump in competition.

Seems impossible. Then again, so does figure skating in the summer.

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