Q&A with Erika Choi Smith and Nate Bartholomay ... - Susan L Field
Q&A with Erika Choi Smith and Nate Bartholomay ... - Susan L Field Q&A with Erika Choi Smith and Nate Bartholomay ... - Susan L Field
Choi Smith: I just finished my freshman year as a biology major at Widener University (in Chester, Pa). Outside of skating I generally work and teach at the rink and also go to kick boxing classes as a hobby. Bartholomay: I took the last past year off from school to focus on skating full time, but I plan on going to Widener University part time next semester for physical therapy. Outside of the rink I have a part-time job at American Eagle Outfitters and I do landscaping on the weekends for neighbors. I also enjoy playing with my dog, Libby, and playing basketball as a hobby. 8. Field: What did you perform in the Penn State ice show? Choi Smith/ Bartholomay: We preformed our short program for this year’s competitive season, Punch Drunk Love by Jon Brion, and The Prayer by Josh Groban. 9. Field: What did you enjoy most about being guest performers in the show? Choi Smith: Everyone involved was so nice and accommodating. We felt right at home. It is always great to make new friends. The facility was beautiful and the show was very professional. I particularly enjoyed the music and costumes to the group number “Happy Feet.” It made me smile and I told Nate that I needed one of those costumes! Bartholomay: I agree with Erika: everyone was VERY nice and accommodating and we really did feel right at home. It was really special being the “featured” skaters in the show because we have never done that before. We had people come and ask for autographs! It was a whole new level of support that we had not experienced. 10. Field: While you were in town, I know you participated in a skating clinic at Penn State for skaters in the community. How did you like teaching? Choi Smith: The seminar was great! You can always learn new things about skating from everyone you meet. It was fun to teach the students but we always come away with new ways to think about our skating as well. That is what makes this sport so exciting. Everyone views things differently and you learn from each other. 11. Field: What’s the strangest thing that’s ever happened to you during your skating career? Choi Smith: There are a multitude of strange things that have happened during my skating career, but the one at the top of my strange occurrences was when last year I broke my foot. I was actually doing a throw and came down and pierced my blade right through my metatarsal. It was on April first, believe it or not! In fact, when I called my Mom to tell her that I was at the hospital, she hung up on me in disbelief because she thought I was playing an April Fool’s joke on her! It was quite terrible-- not because of surgery or pain-- but because I had just received an invitation to an international competition in Canada the day before. Fortunately I had a great doctor who got me
epaired, I took my Senior Ladies test, and Jeff DiGregorio trained me in a little less than two months to prepare. I came in third. On top of all that, it was also about the time when Nate and I decided to go for it and skate together too! Bartholomay: I’m not going to answer-- Erika’s story was too epic! 12. Field: If you could ever participate on a Skating with the Celebrities show, who would you want to be paired with? Choi Smith: Skating with celebrities would be pretty cool if I were paired with Zach Braff from Scrubs, because he is a really cool dude who would be so much fun to skate with, I’m pretty sure. Or Brian Elwin Haner, Jr., also known as “Synyster Gates,” the lead guitarist of Avenged Sevenfold, because he is a wicked guitarist and I’m a fan. Bartholomay: Jessica Alba-- she’s super hot. 13. Field: What are your skating career goals? Choi Smith/ Bartholomay: Our career goal for skating is to go as far as we can take ourselves. Wherever that may be, we’ll push ourselves to the limit. We think we have things in clear perspective and we’re very optimistic that we are going to go far. 14. Field: What are your plans for after your skating careers? Choi Smith: After skating, my major career goal is to be in medicine, become a doctor, and ultimately be a reconstructive surgeon for Operation Smile. Bartholomay: After I finish skating, I definitely want to continue with coaching. I really enjoy working with the learn-to-skate kids. It would be a major accomplishment to one day train a team like Erika and myself. 15. Field: How do you think Penn State’s football coach, Joe Paterno, would do on skates? Choi Smith/ Bartholomay: Joe Paterno would probably do just fine on skates, but we would persuade him to get the whole team on the rink for support! I think he would approve of pairs skating since he is all about team work!
- Page 1 and 2: Q&A with Erika Choi Smith and Nate
- Page 3: 4. Field: What do you think sets yo
<strong>Choi</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>: I just finished my freshman year as a biology major at Widener University<br />
(in Chester, Pa). Outside of skating I generally work <strong>and</strong> teach at the rink <strong>and</strong> also go to<br />
kick boxing classes as a hobby.<br />
<strong>Bartholomay</strong>: I took the last past year off from school to focus on skating full time, but I<br />
plan on going to Widener University part time next semester for physical therapy.<br />
Outside of the rink I have a part-time job at American Eagle Outfitters <strong>and</strong> I do<br />
l<strong>and</strong>scaping on the weekends for neighbors. I also enjoy playing <strong>with</strong> my dog, Libby, <strong>and</strong><br />
playing basketball as a hobby.<br />
8. <strong>Field</strong>: What did you perform in the Penn State ice show?<br />
<strong>Choi</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>/ <strong>Bartholomay</strong>: We preformed our short program for this year’s competitive<br />
season, Punch Drunk Love by Jon Brion, <strong>and</strong> The Prayer by Josh Groban.<br />
9. <strong>Field</strong>: What did you enjoy most about being guest performers in the show?<br />
<strong>Choi</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>: Everyone involved was so nice <strong>and</strong> accommodating. We felt right at home.<br />
It is always great to make new friends. The facility was beautiful <strong>and</strong> the show was very<br />
professional. I particularly enjoyed the music <strong>and</strong> costumes to the group number “Happy<br />
Feet.” It made me smile <strong>and</strong> I told <strong>Nate</strong> that I needed one of those costumes!<br />
<strong>Bartholomay</strong>: I agree <strong>with</strong> <strong>Erika</strong>: everyone was VERY nice <strong>and</strong> accommodating <strong>and</strong> we<br />
really did feel right at home. It was really special being the “featured” skaters in the show<br />
because we have never done that before. We had people come <strong>and</strong> ask for autographs! It<br />
was a whole new level of support that we had not experienced.<br />
10. <strong>Field</strong>: While you were in town, I know you participated in a skating clinic at Penn<br />
State for skaters in the community. How did you like teaching?<br />
<strong>Choi</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>: The seminar was great! You can always learn new things about skating<br />
from everyone you meet. It was fun to teach the students but we always come away <strong>with</strong><br />
new ways to think about our skating as well. That is what makes this sport so exciting.<br />
Everyone views things differently <strong>and</strong> you learn from each other.<br />
11. <strong>Field</strong>: What’s the strangest thing that’s ever happened to you during your skating<br />
career?<br />
<strong>Choi</strong> <strong>Smith</strong>: There are a multitude of strange things that have happened during my<br />
skating career, but the one at the top of my strange occurrences was when last year I<br />
broke my foot. I was actually doing a throw <strong>and</strong> came down <strong>and</strong> pierced my blade right<br />
through my metatarsal. It was on April first, believe it or not! In fact, when I called my<br />
Mom to tell her that I was at the hospital, she hung up on me in disbelief because she<br />
thought I was playing an April Fool’s joke on her! It was quite terrible-- not because of<br />
surgery or pain-- but because I had just received an invitation to an international<br />
competition in Canada the day before. Fortunately I had a great doctor who got me
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