After this week, Abby Coursey may never look at a stuffed animal or a bouquet of flowers in the same way.
As a member of the Charlotte-based Carolina Figure Skating Club, the 12-year-old will be volunteering as a "sweeper" at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Greensboro on Jan. 22-30.
That means she is one of the young skaters who get to zip around the rink picking up items adoring fans heave onto the ice after their favorite competitors perform.
Several dozen Charlotte-area skating enthusiasts will volunteer at the championships, giving them an up-close-and-personal perspective of national figure-skating's biggest stage.
Club President Jen Hoctor, who lives in Mineral Springs, says the club has a membership of just fewer than 200 skaters and parents. Nine members are serving as sweepers, including Hoctor's 8-year-old daughter, Kyra.
In the last year, U.S. Figure Skating, the sport's sanctioning body, put out feelers to attract volunteers for the championships. In April it hosted a sweeper tryout in Hillsborough, attended by 140 skaters from North Carolina and South Carolina, said Hoctor.
Potential sweepers were put through drills that simulated their on-ice responsibilities. Stuffed animals were placed around the ice, and skaters were tested on their ability to retrieve them without disruption.
Coursey was among those chosen.
"It (will be) exciting to go out and see the skaters on the ice," she said. "You don't get to give (the gifts) to them, which is kind of a boo-hoo. But it's great that you know in your heart you're actually getting this for that skater. That makes you feel good."
Carolina Figure Skating Club volunteer Tricia Warters of Indian Trail volunteered to coordinate all the adult sweeper supervisors. She schedules times for the other supervisors and makes sure the sweepers get onto the ice in a timely fashion.
One of Warters' two daughters, Caitlyn, 10, will be sweeping. She and her sister, 8-year old Madilyn, are two of the club's 17 skaters scheduled to perform in the opening ceremonies Jan. 26.
Danielle Logano, director of figure skating at the Extreme Ice Center in Indian Trail, and XIC instructor Melissa Vriner lead the group. They developed a three-minute routine based on Charlotte's ties to NASCAR. Logano is the sister of NASCAR driver Joey Logano.
Katie Irvine, a 17-year-old junior at Providence High, is a member of the opening ceremonies performance and was selected to be an awards presenter for the senior men's championships. She was chosen by U.S. Figure Skating after submitting an essay on how skating has helped her with life skills.
"I get to hold the medals before they get presented," said Irvine, who is hoping to get a chance to meet Alissa Czisny, one of the senior women's up-and-comers.
A couple of Charlotte adults probably will have the best opportunities for brushing with greatness.
XIC skate instructor Ann Harrison Wehr is serving as a practice time ice monitor, making sure skaters get on and off the ice properly. Robin Henricks, a Carolina Figure Skating Club member, will be announcing names and providing the music for senior men's, senior ladies, and senior pairs practice times.
Not everyone affiliated with the club is attending in a supporting role.
Alex Aiken, a 20-year-old native of Atlanta, is a club associate member who moved to Charlotte last year so that he could train under Paul Wylie, the 1992 Olympic silver medalist. Aiken will be competing in the junior men's championship.
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