NORWOOD, MASS. (WHDH) – The Skating Club of Boston is the third oldest skating club in the nation and is a place where athletes come to perfect their sport.
Now, skaters young and old can head to Norwood to learn from an Olympian.
The Club has a new Skating Academy Coach, Mirai Nagasu, thefirst woman to land a triple axel in the Olympics — a feat that helped Team USA earn a bronzem edal at in Pyeongchang in 2018. Today, she’s helping to shape the next generation of olympians right here in Massachusetts.
“It starts with learning those swizzles. It starts with even getting up after you fall, and when you have knives on your feet and you have to balance and you learn to get up, like that’s a win in itself,” she said.
Nagasu coaches with the Academy’s Learn to Skate Program, which has seen a big boost in interest after the 2026 Olympic Games.
“I’ve always thought figure skating was a great sport, but now it has a little more popularity — as it should,” she said.
And the newfound interest isn’t just coming from kids looking to stand atop the podium someday. It’s also coming from adults who are looking to work on grace, balance, and getting their heart rates up.
“Exercise is important for everyone’s well-being, so whether you’re an adult or a kid, it’s kind of what we all need to have a balanced lifestyle,” she said.
From toddlers like Nagasu’s son, Taiga, who spends some time in class with his mom, to the adults starting lessons in their later years, Nagasu says that for all of her students, learning a new sport isn’t just about the big wins: it’s about the small ones and the life lessons that come with them.
“It teaches you that you have to lay down a strong foundation and come in regularly and practice,” she said.
But while fostering these small wins may be Nagasu’s way of giving back to her students, it’s inadvertently been figure skating’s way of giving something back to her.
“It’s allowed me to fall in love with the sport again. I think after competing, I felt a little bit lost. I was just so used to that regimented schedule: wake up, skate, train, eat, repeat, sleep, skating, so to not have that anymore was like a period of loss,” she said “But helping other skaters, including children, fall in love with the sport I fell in love with at a very young age just gave my life purpose again.”
The Academy is offering lessons for all ages and abilities every weekend.
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