Above: CU Figure Skating Team members Emma Cumming, coach Courtney Wetterich and Kendall Taulbee celebrate after the team's qualification to the National Intercollegiate Final.
By Kama Stigall
In just a few short years, the CU Figure Skating Team from the University of Colorado at Boulder has evolved from a new club with big dreams to a national qualifier. For the first time in history, the team competed at the National Intercollegiate Figure Skating Final. The event took place at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, April 11-13.
The CU Figure Skating Team was co-founded in 2021 by Kendall Taulbee and Kelly Janetzo and was officially recognized as a club sport in 2022.
“Kendall and Kelly took it upon themselves to build a competitive team from scratch — one that could compete at intercollegiate competitions across the country,” said junior Emma Cumming, who serves as president of the club. “With the help of our team coach Courtney Wetterich (a CU alumna), they organized practices, established bylaws and created the team that we now have today.”
The team has 22 members and practices at the CU Boulder Ice Arena, which is in the student recreation center on campus. They practice three times a week, and many members opt to train on their own as well.
Their road to the National Intercollegiate Final was filled with twists and turns.
“Qualifying for the National Intercollegiate Final was the result of a long and dedicated journey that spanned three competitions,” Cumming said.
Their season began with the DU Open at the University of Denver.
“The first competition of the year can often be challenging, as many athletes are still adjusting to new programs and fine-tuning their elements,” Cumming said. “Despite this, our hard work paid off — we finished third overall and came just four points shy of our team’s competition record, which was an impressive achievement for the season-opener.”
The team moved on to their next event, which was the Aggie Open in Logan, Utah, hosted by Utah State University.
“Our skaters gave it their all, and we finished in fourth place, narrowly missing third,” she said. “After that competition, I told our team that if we kept pushing and worked just a little harder, we would have a real shot at qualifying for nationals.”
Their final regional competition, the Skates on the Bay Classic in San Jose, California, proved to be a turning point for the team.
“We broke our team’s competition score record, and all three of our team maneuver events placed in the top five,” Cumming said. “That performance sealed the deal — we qualified for nationals, finishing third in the Pacific Region with a total of 626.5 points for the season. This qualification has put CU on the map, proving that our figure skating program is something special — a team that feels like family. It’s a testament to the fact that you can create something incredible from nothing, and that’s so meaningful.”
At the NIF Final in Indiana, CU finished 15th with a team score of 99.00.
“It felt super special because none of us had ever gotten to experience something like that, and it always just felt like an underdog story for us," Cumming said. "We're always fighting to get to the top at our local competitions and we put in a lot of hard work this year and were able to pull through and qualify. So we were just happy to be there and see the strategy of the other teams, because I feel like it's going to help us improve for next year.”
Senior Kendall Taulbee, who is the competition chair for the club, noticed a significant difference in this year’s team.
“The overall team cohesion and motivation this year was at an all-time high compared to seasons in the past,” Taulbee said. “The entire team was incredibly supportive of everyone, and all the skaters were motivated to train harder and score as many points as possible in their events. I'm confident this was the tipping point for qualifying and making it to nationals.”
It has been an emotional ride for the co-founder.
“Proud is an understatement,” Taulbee said. “To see our team grow from just three members to a national qualifying team of 22 skaters in four short years means the world to me.”
….“Being part of this team has completely changed my experience at CU,” Cumming said. “It has brought back my love for skating and given me a sense of community I didn’t realize I was missing. I feel incredibly lucky to be part of something that feels like family.”
Several incoming freshmen have contacted the CU leadership about joining the team next season.
"We've kind of been put on the map now and people are realizing CU has a good figure skating program," Cumming said. "I would say next year just starting off stronger, we'll be a little bit more organized because now we know what nationals look like, we know what it took to get to it and the preparation involved. We have elections coming soon to decide who our new board is going to be. Hopefully I'll be elected president again and we can do similar to what we did this year and start reaching out to our athletes for next season and getting them ready and training over the summer so we can come back strong in the fall and kick it off with our first competition.”
To learn more about the CU Figure Skating Team, follow them on Instagram: @CUClubFigureSkating.
Boston University and University of Delaware square off again
Boston University secured its eighth intercollegiate final title with hard-fought victory, edging the University of Delaware for top honors.
“It’s crazy. It’s surreal. I have to process it a little bit but I’m proud of this team, " senior Philip Baker said. "We all did our job and we deserved it. We’ve been going at it since day one so we’re excited.”
The Blue Hens also had plenty to be happy about.
“No matter the outcome, we are proud just to be there skating alongside the teammates we love, doing the sport that brings us joy," senior Melissa Maldonado said. "The energy and support at nationals is unmatched. There’s nothing quite like seeing our teammates light up the ice with their performances and celebrating the final performances of our seniors.
"For us, it’s about more than placements — it’s about heart, growth and the memories we create as a team. We are proud to represent each other every time we step onto the ice, and we carry that pride with us in every moment. Being on the podium is an honor, but getting to compete as one united team is what makes it truly unforgettable.”
