Ava Ziegler: “My Favorite Thing is the Work”

Ava Ziegler: “My Favorite Thing is the Work”

In her second season on the senior circuit, Ava Ziegler is ready to make her mark. The 2022 US silver medalist at the junior level, Ava was a little under the radar when she turned senior last year, at least compared to Junior World Champion Isabeau Levito. 

However, she surprised audiences in her Grand Prix debut at Skate Canada International last fall, placing third in the short program and impressing judges with her expressive skating. She went on to finish 4th in the competition. 

Unfortunately, Ava couldn’t match that early success as the season went on, finishing 9th at US Nationals. But now, with a year of experience under her belt, the 17-year-old is looking to climb the ranks. 

“Last year, I put a lot of pressure on myself, which was very unnecessary,” Ava explained. “This year, I’m really focusing on being consistent and just trusting myself. Because I know I can do everything that I’m doing. It’s just putting it all together.”

Ava Ziegler (left) earned a silver medal at Cranberry Cup

Ava began her season in August at the Cranberry Cup International, where she won the short program and placed second overall, behind her training mate Lindsay Thorngren. 

It’s clear Ava is a motivated athlete. “I kind of love everything [about skating]. But my favorite thing is the work that I have to put in. The hard work, and feeling the tiredness and the hurt, and just the struggle, because it’s very rewarding at the end of the day when you go out and skate your best. I worked my hardest and it paid off.” 

Over the summer, Ava upped her training at her base in Hackensack, New Jersey. “I’ve just been working really hard and pushing myself to do bigger and better things and become more consistent. And I’m also balancing work with taking time for myself to go do good things.”

“I love going to the beach with my friends. And shopping and driving around.” She also loves her dog and her pet rabbit, Cocoa (who came to Massachusetts with her for Cranberry Cup!) 

Connecting to new programs

This season, Ava worked with choreographers Jamie Isley (SP) and Nikolai Morozov (FS). For the short program, Ava is skating to “Jazz Man” by Beth Hart and Juan Carlos. It’s a fun program with a lot of opportunities to appeal to the audience and the judges. “I just connected with it really well,” Ava shared. “So as long as I connect with my programs, I love them.” 

The light-hearted short program contrasts with a more emotional Free Skate to “Liberation” and “Bound to You” by Christina Aguilera. “My Free Skate is a lyrical piece – it’s kind of like a mix of lyrical and dark and I love it. It’s so pretty. I had a couple of options and we kind of just choreographed it to fit both and then at the end, we decided which piece we wanted to use and which like I connected best with.”

Ava Zeigler and coach Steven Rice after her short program at Cranberry Cup

Ava admires many of the American skaters who were at the top of podiums while she was climbing the ranks. “When I was little I looked up to Nathan Chen, Mirai Nagusu, Karen Chen. Mariah Bell was a big one that I looked up to. I always loved her skating style.”

Ava also has a role model closer to home. Her mom, Tricia Mansfield Ziegler, was a competitive figure skater who finished 5th at the 1995 US Nationals. She’s been one of Ava’s coaches since she started skating as a toddler. “I think that it’s such a special bond,” Ava said. “It means a lot to me. I wouldn’t be where I am without my mom, my coach Steven [Rice], and the whole big group that helped me get to where I am. I’m just thankful.” And when they go home, her mom is her mom, not her coach. “We just leave everything at the rink.”

It was recently announced that Ava will be returning to the Grand Prix this fall at the NHK Trophy in Osaka, Japan. She was a late addition after Nicole Schott withdrew. 

In the meantime, Ava will head to the Lombardia Trophy in Bergamo, Italy.  It’s her second Challenger Series event – she won the Budapest Trophy in 2022 – and a chance to show that she belongs as a regular on the international scene. 

Like this article? Share it!

Leave a comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

「ユニゾンを高めて」:吉田 唄菜選手と森田 真沙也選手に聞く

To read the English version, click here. ともに2003年生まれの吉田選手と森田選手は、現在京都の木下アカデミーで元アイスダンス選手のキャシーリード氏と有川 梨絵氏の指導を受けている。吉田選手がスケートを始めたきっかけは、2010年バンクーバー五輪での浅田真央選手の演技だ。森田選手は、京都アクアリーナで一般滑走に滑りに行ったのが楽しかったので、スケート教室に入ったのに始まり、そこでレベルが上がっていった時、コーチから誘いを受け、選手活動を始める至った。 2023年に二人はペアを組み、始めてチームとして試合に挑んだ2023-24シーズンでは、全日本選手権で3位となり、フリーダンスでは最高得点をだした。このシーズンを振り返っての印象は「日々の練習」だった。「毎日の練習で自分達が成長できているのを感じその過程がとても楽しかったです」と語ってくれた。この3位という結果を踏まえて四大陸選手権に選出され、この大会では合計166.13点をだし、10位となった。「インターナショナルの試合での自分達の立ち位置や、他の選手との差などを実際に感じることができたので、トップのチームに入っていきたいという気持ちがさらに高まり今シーズンのモチベーションになりました」。 Yoshida and Morita compete at the 2024 4CC 両選手はオフシーズンの間、新しいシーズンへ向けてリチャージをした。「友達と日帰りで旅行に行ったり、買い物、カフェに行ったりしました。夏の間はカナダのロンドンのチームと一緒にトレーニングしたのもとても楽しかったです」と吉田選手。森田選手は「友達と遠くへ出かけたり、たくさん美味しいものを食べたりしてリフレッシュしました!」    技術的な面、あるいは芸術的な面で刺激となっている選手、あこがれのスケーターは誰ですか。 唄菜: Madison Hubbellさんは昔からの憧れです。現役の選手はChristina/Ponomarenko、Marjorie/Zacharyの2組の表現力、スピード感、2人の作り出す雰囲気などがとても好きでよくみて勉強しています。 真沙也: パイパー・ポール組です。滑らかに滑るのももちろん、雰囲気やストーリー性が伝わってくる演技なのもとても尊敬しています。   

Read More »