Fiesta Skate is an annual competition held by Skating Club of Phoenix. It is a qualifier for National Showcase 2017 this year. Skaters competed on Thursday, April 20, through Sunday, April 23, at AZ Ice Peoria. Fiesta Skate, according to Harp, is, “the first competition of the season” and “like a warm-up competition, I guess.” Figure skating is not necessarily the most common sport, and Harp described it “as a competitive sport” and stated that “when you’re in the lower levels you compete against other people and it’s basically who the judges like and who they think did the best, but then once you get to the higher levels, it’s based on an international judging system, so it’s not the judges’ choice. Really, it goes by your scores, so if you did something and you fell, you get a deduction, and it’s like a point system, and it’s whoever gets the most points.”

The Horizon Sun: What is figure skating to you?

Harp: I guess it’s mostly fun. I’m not really trying to go anywhere with it. I might coach when I’m older, but I guess it’s just for fun right now.

The Sun: How long have you been figure skating and why did you start figure skating?

AH: I’ve been skating for six going on seven years. I started because I used to see it on TV all the time so I was always doing it in the house on the tile and then my mom was like, “Let’s actually put you in classes.” I fell in love with it.

The Sun: Since you started because of watching skating on TV, what famous figure skaters are inspirational to you?

AH: I like Gracie Gold, obviously, and then Jason Brown. He’s probably one of my famous figure-skater-aspiration-type people.

The Sun: What is your favorite part about figure skating?

AH: Probably competing against my friends and just having fun with it. I don’t think any of us are going to go to the Olympics or anything, so it’s just basically competing against them and it’s friendly competition.

The Sun: What are your goals for this season?

AH: I guess to add some more double jumps into my programs and to get a level four spin, which is the highest level you can get in a spin.

The Sun: What events did you compete in at Fiesta Skate, and which one is your favorite?

AH: I competed in free skate and dramatic, and probably dramatic [was my favorite] because it’s more of the acting and it’s not judged on technicality. It’s just on acting and how well you tell a story.

The Sun: Can you explain the difference between free skate and dramatic in your own words?

AH: Free skate is the technical side of it, where you have choices of jumps. [I] have five jumps you can do and two spins. You get to choose which ones you want to put in, but some of them are required, and that’s when the point system comes into play. Dramatic is, like, if you fall you don’t get deducted, it’s not based on technicality at all. It’s just acting. That’s what the showcase programs are. They’re like acting; it doesn’t have to do with what jumps you have or anything.

The Sun: How did you prepare for Fiesta Skate?

AH: I finished my program, like, three weeks before [the event] so then I was just practicing that a lot. A week before I competed, I listened to my music at night and pictured my program on the ice. That’s usually what I do the week before.

The Sun: How do you think Fiesta Skate went?

AH: I think it went really well and I got sixth out of eleven and first out of two. I mean, the second one wasn’t very hard.

Harp did amazing at her first competition, and she will continue to impress everyone with her talent throughout the rest of the season and her skating career.