Kids & Family

Reading Athletes Complete High Level Figure Skating Program

A trio of Reading skaters are thriving on the ice of Burbank Arena.

It may not be winter yet. But a trio of Reading residents are already thriving on the ice of Burbank Arena and beyond.

According to the North Shore Skating Club, three Senior Club members recently completed Free Style 6, which is the highest level of the Basic Skills Program set forth by United States Figure Skating, which governs figure skating in the country.

Christina DiCostanzo, Natalie Ho and Lindsay VanderZouwen each completed the program that, according to the skating club is "the first step in the ladder toward qualifying competitions which may eventually lead to representing the U.S. at international events like the Olympics."

DiCostanzo, a sixth-grader at Parker Middle School, has been skating for seven years. She earned the silver medal at the North Shore Basic Skills competition, first place at the Silver Streaks Basic Skills competition, and Bronze at the Lake Placid Figure Skating Championship.

Ho is in third grade at Wood End School and has been skating for four years, according to the North Shore Skating Club. The young skater placed fourth at the North Shore Open Pre-Preliminaries, and first at the Lake Placid Figure Skating Championship. 

VanderZouwen, a fifth grade student at Wood End School, started skating five years ago according to the press release. Earlier this year she earned a gold medal at the North Shore Open, and a silver medal at the Connecticut Fall Classic.  

“I like to skate because I like setting and achieving goals," said VanderZouwen, according to the press release. "I like working on new jumps and spins, and I have made some of my best friends at the rink.”

Find out what's happening in Readingwith free, real-time updates from Patch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here