Gloria Xia Takes Second Place at U.S. Figure Skating Regional Competition

At the event, held October 5–9 in Ashburn, Virginia, Gloria went up against 137 other competitors and emerged with the high placement as well as her personal best score, 57.58. Her performance also earned her the right to compete at the next level of the tournament, the Eastern Sectional Figure Skating Championships on November 16–20 in Indian Trail, North Carolina.

These U.S. Figure Skating events are part of the qualifying competitive pipeline that selects elite athletes to represent the United States at the World Championships and the Olympic Winter Games, and as such they are the most important events in a year for figure skaters. The juvenile level is the first of five competitive levels. Although these athletes are all 14 years old or younger, they are hardly beginners—on average they have been training for seven years and log more than 12 hours of training a week.

If Gloria places in the top four at the Sectionals competition, she will be eligible to compete at the national level at the 2017 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Kansas City, Missouri.

Congratulations and good luck to Gloria!