If you've scrolled through Yik Yak at all, you've probably heard about the shirtless guy on rollerblades on campus. It's as if some of the famous people on this campus participated in a sports game.
Samantha Kurza is a sophomore competitive artistic roller skater with accolades to back up her skills. You might even say she was skating before she could walk.
“I've been skating since I was 3 years old and competitively since I was 4 years old. It's been a really long journey. My mom is a skating coach and I was offered a coaching position at a local rink. So I took all these small group classes with my mom and fell in love with skating and wanted to be a skater like all the other skaters I was watching, the big kids.” said Kurza.
Once she put on her skates, there was no stopping her. Ms. Kurza entered her first pageant when she was four years old, and since then she has competed in countless other contests and won numerous awards.
“It was actually the day before a competition at a local rink. My mom said, “Hey, there's a game tomorrow, do you want to come watch it?'' and I asked if I could compete, too. Someone else heard that and called my coach, who has been my coach since I was 4 years old. And she said, “Okay, put on your skates.” She learned the routine in seven minutes and skated in her first competition at the age of 4,” Cruza said.
From there, things just got better and better. Kurza participated in numerous competitions, many of which were at the national level.
“I've been to nationals a lot. I went to nationals for the first time when I was five years old, and I came in fifth place there, which was kind of crazy. Then I kept going. I skated freestyle, which is my main job now. I also skated in pairs events, where two skaters participate together. You've seen ice before – guy girl swinging around and all that stuff, and I did all that. I finished fourth twice at the world championships that way,” Cruza said.
Cruza has won a total of 34 medals nationally, including 18 gold, six silver and 10 bronze. Her gold medal, won when she was a senior in high school, meant a berth to the Pan American Games, a sporting event similar to the Olympics. The Pan American Games were held in her summer of 2023.
“I beat the girls that I had been beating for the past five years. It was so crazy. And it also qualified me to compete in the Pan American Games, where only one male athlete competes. [and] One woman from the United States will participate in the competition. [artistic skating]. So it was basically the Olympics. It happens every four years and I went there and got sixth place,” Cruza said.
After the Pan American Games, Cruza participated in another international competition, competing against another skater who also competed in the Pan American Games.
“I just competed in an international competition last week (late January) and I placed 3rd in the freestyle event. It was so much fun and so cool. I got to compete against the best in the world. One of those competitors was actually a girl who placed second at the Pan American Games, and I was actually one spot ahead of her,” Cruza said.
Kurza also prides himself on his originality when it comes to his routines in both skating disciplines.
“I'm actually at a developmental stage where I'm learning new programs and new routines. So in my freestyle, I'm actually skating two disciplines right now. So I skate freestyle and dance Freestyle, of course, involves jumps and spins and a little bit of choreography in between, but it's more like a set of dance versions of gymnastics. It includes more tricks. So in these programs, when I skate, I tend to be a very strong storyteller. That's what makes me special. I don't necessarily know what the top people in the world have. I don't have all the technical pieces that I have, but I have the top performance values in the whole world and that keeps me where I am and keeps me there,” Kurza said. .
Not only is she a world-class skater, she's also enrolled in another particularly difficult track: studying physics and mathematics.
“I'm majoring in physics and minoring in math, but I'm trying to get more pre-med so I'm taking all the extra classes. I also work at my home rink and also coach. Yes, there's a lot. It's unstoppable. I usually go back there about five days a week. Actually, on the weekends I go home and train on Saturday and Sunday, and the other three days I just go back and forth. [of the week]” Kurza said.
At Valpo, Cruza is especially grateful for the support he received from his professors, who helped him maintain his curriculum during the weeks he took off for games.
“In high school, I didn't have any support from my teachers or even miss school. That's not the case here. You get even more support here. Like I said, I'm very excited about the world championships and the pantheon. I went to the American Games. So there were two two-week gaps in the first semester where I wasn't there. Now the first few weeks of the semester are like three weeks off, which is tough. A lot. My professors helped me catch up and taught me just as much. [support] That way I can be successful here as well,” Cruza said.
Although she is glad she ended up at Valpo, it was never her first choice when considering colleges, but after visiting her first choice schools, she knew Valpo was the right place for her. I noticed that.
“There were actually two other options, closer to home and closer to the training facility, that I had listed as number one and number two, but before I started my visit, Valpo was number three on my list. I visited various places and told them: [skating] So I asked them what they could do, could we do some training on campus? Then I came to Valpo and told them about it, and they were all very excited about it. “It was like, yes, we want to help you,” Kluza said.
As for what Cruza plans to do after Valpo, it's up in the air at this point, and she plans to go with the flow.
“I'm going to skate for as long as I can or want to. I know it's still what I love, it's what adds value to my life, and I'll continue to do it. If I feel like I'm going to go, then I'm one of those people who kind of just rides with the wind. And then if I reach a ceiling, or find another dream somewhere else, I'm going to pursue that dream.” said Kurza.
