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Rachael Flatt

Before Rachael Flatt was famous she was just a regular person like the rest of us. But if you were to ask someone who knows her, "How did she become a figure skater?" You might get an answer like this:"It all began with a simple trip to the mall with the motive to buy her grandfather a birthday gift. But instead, her and her dad got her skating lessons."

Rachael Flatt is a 2008 Junior World Champion and 2010 U.S. Champion figure skater. While she is currently training for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, she lives in Colorado Springs, CO so she can train for events. But she hasn't always lived there, her hometown and birthplace on July 21, 1992 was in Del Mar, CA. Her parents have nothing to do with skating, her mom being a molecular biologist and her dad is a biochemical engineer. Lucy and Ethel, her English Sheepdogs always offer her support. She is a astonishing student for Cheyenne Mountain high school. On account of her not competing in the Summer Olympics, she consumed her summer with tours of top-notch colleges. Since she is a senior she is preparing for her transition to college. But she still puts lots of effort into skating. In Rachael's 2009 to 2010 programs, she preformed to //Fosse// the musical by Sergei Rachmaninov for her free skate. .For her short program she did part 2 of "Sing! Sing! Sing!" Her coaches are Tom Zakrajsek, Becky Calvin, Erik Schulz, and Eddie Shipstad. But her former coaches included Suzie Semanick, Tiffany Mayes, C. Sullivan, and R. Chalmers. After the 2009 Nationals her mentor became Dorothy Hamill, a 1976 Olympic champion.

To conclude, Rachael answers the question "What has skating taught you?" "It's taught me how to be incredibly passionate about something. I feel like for some people, they've really lost a sense of passion or love for something. And I think that's very important in your life. And [your passion] has to be a huge part of your life, but it doesn't have to necessarily take up all of your time. You just have to immerse yourself in it and really enjoy it, and have a sense of happiness."

"Rachael Flatt Biography" at NBC"Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletes/athlete=2278/bio/index.html