Originally aired on WDVM-TV – January 22, 2019
ARLINGTON, Va. – An athlete must be 16-years-old to enter the Olympic Games, but a local girl, half that age, already has her sights set on the competition.
8-year-old Sofia Bezkorovainaya wakes at 5 o’clock in the morning to train. She skates twice a day, breaking for schoolwork and other forms of exercise. Bezkorovainaya takes online classes through Virginia Virtual Academy.
Her coach, a former professional figure skater, says Sofia will go far. “Three years ago, when I saw this little girl’s first time coming here and skating on public session, I’m like, ‘This girl, she has a talent, she’s got potential,'” said Inna Volyanskaya.
Sofia says, at just 3-years-old, she was inspired by her cousin, a figure skater in Russia. “I came to my mom and I was like, ‘I want to skate,’ and then my mom just stuck me on the ice and I started skating,'” said Bezkorovainaya.
In the past year alone, Sofia has competed in seven national events on the East Coast, placing each time.
To learn more about Virginia Virtual Academy, visit https://vava.k12.com/
