For the Tomahawk Leader
TOMAHAWK – A pair of Tomahawk youth figure skaters are raising funds for a trip to compete in a national skating competition next month.
Aubrey Graeber, 16, and Nicholas Theis, 15, have each qualified for the U.S. Figure Skating (USFSA) Excel Nationals, slated to be held in Boston, Mass, from Wednesday, July 10 through Sunday, July 14.
To qualify for Nationals, Graeber and Theis had to compete in USFSA Excel competitions and finish among the top skaters in the United States.
Graeber competed in the Women’s Excel Intermediate level and finished in 9th place in the Midwest and 17th in the nation.
Theis competed in the Boys Excel Pre-Preliminary Plus level and finished 5th in the Midwest and 7th in the nation.
Aubrey Graeber
Graeber attends Tomahawk High School and has been figure skating for 13 years. She is a member and coach of the Tomahawk Figure Skating Club, as well as the Rhinelander Figure Skating Club, the Lakeland Figure Skating Club and the Timberline Figure Skating Club.
This marks Graeber’s second year in a row qualifying for the Excel Nationals. Last year, she made the cut and competed at the Excel Juvenile level, coming home with a silver medal in her Excel Juvenile Freeskate, a 5th place in juvenile spins and a 7th in juvenile jumps.
Graeber spends a lot of time on- and off-ice training. During the regular season, she trains a minimum of five to six days a week.
Nicholas Theis
Nicholas Theis has been skating for three years while virtual schooling from home, allowing him to have a more flexible schedule to train and compete. He currently skates for the Lakeland Figure Skating Club and is an associate member of the Rhinelander Figure Skating Club and the Tomahawk Figure Skating Club.
Theis is on the ice five to six days a week in-season and three days to as many as possible while finding places to skate in the summer, when most rinks close. He and his fellow skaters even go to Minnesota, Canada and Chicago to train and compete.
Theis has now qualified for the USFS Excel Nationals for two consecutive years. Last year, he competed at the Excel Beginner and placed first in all three events.
Coaching
Graeber and Theis are both coached by their primary coach Danielle Wolosek, from Wisconsin Rapids.
Both skaters go to camps and clinics to receive additional coaching and choreography from other coaches from around the world. Graeber has traveled to the Mariposa School of Skating in Canada over her Christmas break to receive additional training and coaching.
Fundraisers
The cost of the trip to Nationals is approximately $3,000.00 for each skater.
Graeber and Theis have done a variety of fundraisers for their trip, including holding bake sales, hosting a food booth at the Tomahawk Farm and Flea Market, mowing lawns and selling T-shirts and candles.
The Tomahawk skaters will hold a garage sale at N9603 Sunset Point Rd., Tomahawk, from Friday, June 28 through Sunday, June 30 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day in an effort to raise funds for their trip to Boston.
For more information on the garage sale or how to donate directly to Graeber and Theis, email Kate at [email protected].