US Figure Skating- Recipients of 2011 Joyce Komperda Athlete Support Fund grants.
Colorado Springs, Colo. – U.S. Figure Skating announced today the two athletes who have been awarded grants from the Joyce Komperda Athlete Support Fund. The fund provides support to intermediate, novice and junior athletes who demonstrate financial need.
Olivia Kelis (Arctic Figure Skating Club) and Gwendolyn Prescott (Peninsula Skating Club) will each receive a $1,700 grant to assist them with skating expenses for the 2011 calendar year.
Kelis, 12, a native of Farmington Hills, Mich., skates at the intermediate level. She won the pre-juvenile free skate at the 2008 Eastern Great Lakes Regional Championships. Last May, Kelis was accepted to the National Junior Honor Society for maintaining a 4.0 grade point average, participating in extracurricular activities and performing community service.
“I worked hard this year to adjust to my first year of middle school,” Kelis said. “I’m proud that I have kept my grades up and also moved up to the intermediate level of skating.”
Kelis was recognized with her club’s Sportsmanship Award in 2009-10. Her immediate goals in skating include perfecting her double Axel and learning triple jumps. She strives for the opportunity to someday compete at the Olympic Winter Games.
Prescott, 13, a native of Fremont, Calif., started skating at age 6. Her skating accomplishments include capturing the juvenile and intermediate titles at the Golden West Championships in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Last season, she won the intermediate title at the Central Pacific Regional Figure Skating Championships and placed second at the U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships.
Prescott aspires to qualify for the 2011 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, and would eventually like to join Team USA and compete internationally.
The Joyce Komperda Athlete Support Fund was established in 2008 by Joyce Komperda in honor of her parents. After a successful and rewarding career at one of Wisconsin’s most prestigious law firms, Komperda now spends her time judging U.S. Figure Skating competitions. She resides between her two homes in Menomonee Falls, Wis., and Minocqua, Wis.
