McHenry grad Brooke Gewalt will compete at U.S. Figure Skating Championships

Although Brooke Gewalt did not initially qualify for the 2024 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, she kept going to the Crystal Ice House every day and honing her routines.

The 2022 McHenry graduate did this for a few weeks after taking fifth place in the Midwestern Sectional Finals, which made her the first alternate.

Every day, Gewalt kept working with her coaches just in case one of the four qualifiers from her sectional had to withdraw.

On Jan. 17, Gewalt received the best news of her life. Another competitor had dropped out and she was heading to the championships, which take place Thursday and Friday in Columbus, Ohio.

“My coaches continued to encourage me that anything could happen, and a call could come at any time,” Gewalt said. “Getting that call from U.S. Figure Skating the week before the event was beyond my wildest dreams.

“I kept up my training as normal, so I am definitely prepared and I feel confident in my programs.”

Gewalt and her parents, Karl and Ellen, traveled to Columbus on Monday. She skated her first practice session Tuesday afternoon with five other skaters.

The 18 finalists in the Senior Women’s championships are split into three six-skater groups for practices.

“I am not too sure [what to expect],” Gewalt said. “This is a new experience. I know it’s going to be exciting. The energy is going to be really high when we’re competing. This is my first time. I’m kind of going in with an open mind.”

Gewalt started skating at the Ice House when she was 3 and began with private lessons at age 4. Even that young, she was hooked on the sport.

“I don’t have much memory from 3, but my mom said I always wanted to keep going back [to the rink],” said Gewalt, who is 19. “I had the biggest smile on my face, and that meant to her that I loved it.

“I always wanted to go back to the rink and skate. It made me feel free. It was a place where I felt artistic. It was fun, and I really liked the environment and my friends there. It was fun to accomplish things and learn new stuff and keep moving forward.”

Jiaying Johnson, another Chicago-area girl who sometimes skates with Gewalt at the Ice House, also qualified among the 18 competitors. Gewalt also is friends with U.S. Olympian Bradie Tennell, who sometimes skates at the Ice House, but is out of this competition with an ankle injury.

Lars Jensen, an international skater from Denmark, has been Gewalt’s coach for more than a decade. She also works with choreographer Rohene Ward and spin coach Amber Gill.

“I am very excited and proud to take Brooke to her first Nationals,” Jensen said. “She and her family truly deserve it. She is a bit of a perfectionist. She has a very kind heart.”

Gewalt qualified for the sectional competition for a fourth time by winning the Senior Women’s Texas Trophy National Qualifying Series event.

Gewalt finished eighth in the sectional last year, which was a solid move forward, then moved up three more spots this year and will now skate in her first national competition.

“There was a last-minute withdrawal, it happens all the time,” Ellen Gewalt said. “That’s where the first alternate gets called up. She got the call the week before the event. Kind of crazy.

“Being a figure skater brings many challenges, not only physically, but mentally, as well. Brooke faces those challenges with a true-grit mindset. Her dedication, drive and commitment to her sport started early on and has only grown throughout the years.”

The women’s short program will be streamed live at 6:15 p.m. Thursday on Peacock and air at 7 p.m. on USA. The women’s free skate will stream at 6:45 p.m. Friday on Peacock and air at 7 p.m. on USA.

“I’m looking to really just have fun and use it as a new experience and take it all in,” Gewalt said. “I also want to take this year as a good experience and to work harder to make it again next year.”