Lake Orion Review Staff Writer
Oakview Middle School sixth-grader Harmony Risca will be ‘California Dreamin?? for the Detroit Skating Club’s (DSC) annual ice skating show on June 10-13.
Risca, who has been skating since she was three years old, was selected to perform a group solo to the Beach Boys? song for the show. This will be her third time skating in the annual performance, which takes place in Bloomfield Hills at the club’s training center.
‘I was happy and surprised,? Risca said about getting the solo.
Also featured in the show will be previous World and Olympic Champions, who skate at DSC, including this year Jason Dungeon, Yuka Sato and Dan Hollander.
Teams and competitors from National and World competitions will also perform.
‘I see them all the time, but I’ve never sat down and had a conversation though,? said Risca of Dungeon, Sato and Hollander.
Sarah Daley, a fifth-grader at Orion Oaks Elementary School, will also perform in the show.
Risca also performs gymnastics, another one of her passions, and said that influences her performance on the ice.
‘It’s more showy then competitive,? she said. ‘I started ice skating because of my mom…I was active as a kid, so she signed me up for ice skating.?
Risca spends up to 13 hours a week on the ice, and up to three hours off the ice conditioning and weight training. ‘Hydroblading? is her signature move.
‘I touch the ice with my hand,? she said. ‘You’re on an inside edge on one foot, and I lay on the ice.?
‘It’s like a death spiral without the partner,? said mom Nadia Risca.
Risca said she plans to continue skating through high school and hopes to possibly make a career of it.
‘I’d like to be a profession skater and a coach,? she said, adding that her coach Natasha Haase, a former member of the Russian World Team for 10 years, is her favorite skater.
‘I love all sports basically,? she said. ‘I also play violin and piano.?
Risca’s younger sister Felicity, 10, recently took up skating.
‘We were at the rink so much, and she was just sitting there waiting,? Risca said. ‘So she started skating.?