Gold Medal Skater Only 10, but Has Dreams of Future Olympic Glory

At 10 years old, Alyssa Dunn has already learned some very mature lessons.

Success comes from hard work, dedication and passion.

Trust in yourself. Believe everything will be OK.

And if you fall down, pick yourself right back up.

A figure skater since she was 5 years old, Alyssa said she finds her passion on the ice through figure skating, ice dancing and synchronized team figure skating. Training 20 to 30 hours a week, the fifth-grader from said she hopes to one day represent the United States at the Olympics.

“I like the jumps, the spins and how the routines all piece together,” Alyssa said. “It feels good, open and free. I like competing. It feels good with all the pressure on you. I always get nervous, but I think that everything will be OK. Dedication will pay off.”

Alyssa skates for the Northern Ice Skating Club with an associate membership with the Chicago Figure Skating Club. She trains at the Canlan Ice Sports center in Romeoville, but also practices at rinks in Darien, Bensenville, Buffalo Grove, Rolling Meadows and Park Ridge.

Awake by 4 a.m. on weekdays, she is at the rink to practice for about two hours before school and three hours after.

On weekends, she wakes up by 3:30 a.m. and trains until noon.

She often begs her parents for more time on the ice.

“It’s fun to wake up early and be ready to work,” Alyssa said.

Being at the ice rink is a peaceful place, she said, and her coaches motivate her to succeed.

“My coaches are nice,” Alyssa said. “They make me work hard to achieve my goals in life. … I really want to go to the Olympics and represent the U.S.”

Alyssa fell in love with figure skating after attending an ice show when she was 5 years old. She was enthralled with the glitz and glamour as well as the sport, mom Keri Dunn said.

Once she began lessons, she was hooked.

“She’s a very dedicated little girl,” Keri Dunn said. “She wants to go as far as she can with the sport. She has been on an amazing journey. We never expected to have a child raise her own bar in life and pursue it with the passion she does.”

Mom said that Alyssa lives by the motto: “To be the best, you have to do what everybody else doesn’t want to.”

And all her hard work has paid off. After earning the silver medal last year, her team, the Chicago Jazz, recently earned gold at the 2012 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships in Worcester, Mass., beating a dozen other teams from across the country.

The girls, who range in age from 10 to 12 years old, skated a near perfect performance to a Mary Poppins medley.

Alyssa’s younger brother, Aiden, who she calls her good luck charm, played the part of the chimney sweep.

“It felt really good,” Alyssa said of the gold medal. “You feel as though you’ve accomplished a lot.”

Kristi Frank, the synchronized skating coach with the Chicago Jazz Juvenile Team, said Alyssa has been a “pleasure” to coach for the past two years.

“She has shown full dedication to the team by getting up very early on Saturday mornings … (for) early morning practices,” she said. “Alyssa is always at practice and gives 110 percent. She is an excellent listener and follows through with practice on her individual skills to help make her a strong synchronized skater.

"During these two years, she has earned a national gold and silver medal. She has learned how to set goals, improve her confidence, and gain knowledge in the areas of sports psychology and nutrition. She has improved her presentation skills, flexibility, edges and extension. She is a skater who strives to make all of her technique perfect.”

Frank said she feels that Alyssa one day could become a member of the internationally competitive Junior Synchronized skating team or compete in synchronized skating at the collegiate level.  

When she isn’t on the ice, Alyssa enjoys reading, playing with her brother and friends, and swinging on the swings. She keeps up with her homework, even when traveling for competitions, and is prepared for class when she returns.

Her teacher and principal said they are amazed by her dedication to not only ice skating, but her schoolwork and friendships.

“It was obvious from the beginning that Alyssa is a special young lady,” said Terri Russell, principal of .

“I am most impressed with Alyssa's overall commitment and dedication to everything she does. Most importantly, despite her success, Alyssa is a humble and genuine young lady. It's obvious that she is grateful for her talent; she is not ‘showy’ or presumptuous."

Her teacher, Audra Kovaka, said Alyssa is a wonderful student with “100 percent dedication.”

“School is just as important to her as skating,” she said. “She is never late with an assignment. She is organized, on task, and tries hard. She comes to school happy and eager to learn. I am so impressed with how she can balance both ‘worlds.' I am one lucky teacher to have such a beautiful girl on the inside and out.”

For now, Alyssa plans to train hard, have fun and try to one day represent the United States in the Olympics.

“We fully support her following her dream,” Keri Dunn said. “And I truly believe she is capable of doing anything she puts her mind and effort into.”