A Skater and a Scholar

Local teen Christie Corn is a champion on the ice and in the classroom

Christie Corn, 17, is not only an award-winning figure skater but she is also an honors athlete. The Upper East Side teen recently became one of only 10 skaters nationwide to make the U.S. Figure Skating Scholastic Honors team. The team not only recognizes athletic prowess, but all ten members were on honor roll, in an honor's society or had a GPA of 3.7 or better.

Christie has been ice-skating since she was six years old. Her long list of athletic accomplishments include placing silver in the 2009 North Atlantic Regional Championships Ladies' competition, and since then becoming a regional finalist every year. She also is a member of the Skating Club of New York and has co-produced two charity skating shows to raise money for the Boys and Girls Club of America.

"I was very excited, I know it was very competitive, it's only 10 people," Christie said. "I had applied really early in early September, and then when I got the email I was shocked and surprised. I love the actual skating portion of the sport. If I call someone a beautiful skater, it's because their gliding is beautiful, not necessarily just the jumps."

Christie thinks her strengths lie in what she calls the "poetic part" of skating, as opposed to the technical jumps and triple axels. In fact, Christie's essay, as part of her application to the team, compared T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" to the ice skating phenomenon known as circling.

"It's when you set up a jump and don't go through with it over and over again, and instead have to circle back," said Christie. "I was a big circler, which didn't help with the progress of my jumps. In the end, I've mostly stopped circling."

As part of the U.S. Figure Skating Scholastic Honors Team, Christie received a profile in Skating Magazine, a $2,500 scholarship and a $1,000 donation to the charity of her choice. Christie chose the Boys and Girls Club because of her previous charity work with the organization.

Balancing schoolwork and skating is surprisingly easier than most people would guess, said Christie. She has arranged her high school schedule at Riverdale Country School so that she can leave school early to go to practice in New Jersey., and often does homework on the car ride there.

"Skating didn't hinder school, it helped me," said Christie." Having a routine made me efficient in my schoolwork. I love skating, but the best thing was it gave me a routine and made me have to work harder."