A 16-year-old girl from Oakland would love to join the list of Olympic-caliber figure skaters from the Bay Area.
Like a lot of the greats, Mia Kalin got an early start. Her first lesson came at the age of 5. Winning her first medal happened at 7.
After years of continued improvement, Kalin eventually accomplished something no other female skater has. At the 2024 U.S. Championships, she landed a clean quad jump.
While her sights are set on competing at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, that accomplishment is something that can never be taken away.
"It was really exciting," she said. "Leading up to that point, I think I was even injured during that competition and I wasn't sure how I was going to be able to do it. But I was like, 'OK, I got to do it.' And I landed it, and I'm like, 'Yes!'"
Despite all the success, Kalin said she was getting down on skating and not enjoying it, but that all changed a few months ago when she made a coaching change. She said working with her new team and training at the Yerba Buena Ice Skating center in San Francisco has restored her love of the sport. She's energized to put in the work needed to be able to represent her country at the Olympics.
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