By Mimi McKinnis
When the Capitol High School Figure Skating Team began their practice at an unfamiliar rink on Jan. 7, they were looking for a sign — a sign of certainty in an uncertain training environment, a sign of good things to come and a sign they were in the right place at the right time.
That’s when Alex Ovechkin walked in.
“We were getting ready to film our team maneuvers for an upcoming virtual competition, so there was already a lot going on — but there was still a lot of commotion,” head coach Emme Porter recalled of the Washington Capitals captain’s presence. “A lot of the moms were swooning.”
The moment, on a practice session unlike any other, was the culmination of several factors, beginning when three high school skaters—Ingrid Knutson, Elise Lady and Genevieve Kim—approached Porter with their moms about forming a team at the Mount Vernon Rec Center in 2021, just after Porter took over the role of Skating Director from the local parks and recreation team.
“I had skated at that rink as a member of the Washington Figure Skating Club my whole life,” Porter said. “The accessibility of those skating programs changed my life. When I took on the role of skating director two years ago, I remembered what a special thing that was, and I saw a huge opportunity to build it back up to what it could be. I could really grow something from the bottom that would make an impact in the community.”
With that, the Capitol High School Figure Skating Team was formed as part of Porter’s efforts to expand programming, camaraderie and competitive opportunities on the ice. Throughout its first years, the team found success in virtual competitions, even earning U.S. Figure Skating’s Dorothy Tank Team Spirit Award in March of 2022. But when the Mount Vernon Rec Center closed on Jan. 1 for renovations, a 2-year, $65 million project that includes the addition of a second NHL-sized ice surface, two-story fitness center, club rooms, childcare facility and pool upgrades, the team found itself displaced. Enter the MedStar IcePlex, host of their first relocated practice session.
“Most of the skaters in the program grew up at Mount Vernon, just like I did,” Porter said. “So to lose your home rink in your junior or senior year is pretty bittersweet. We showed up to our first practice of the year a bit out of place in a new and temporary space, so when Ovi (Ovechkin) showed up, it felt special—like everything was going to be okay.”
Considered one of the NHL’s greatest goal-scorers of all time, Ovechkin, who just weeks before scored a hat trick for his 800th-career goal against the Chicago Blackhawks to pass Red Wings sensation Gordie Howe as second-highest on the NHL’s all-time goals list, arrived at the IcePlex on a day off with his two sons.
“It was such an organic, Saturday morning moment,” Porter said. “He was just hanging out with his kids, and they came to the rink to skate together. But that’s what we do, right? We skate. We’re skaters. It was so relatable to see a superstar on that level. Once we were sharing the ice, it was just business as usual for everyone. He engaged with our skaters, and our skaters embraced his kids.”
While the IcePlex served as a temporary home for the Capitol HS Team that fateful day, it currently serves as the official practice rink for the 2018 Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals — a title formerly held by the Mount Vernon Rec Center, which also saw the success of figure skating greats like Derrick Delmore and Ashley Wagner during its heyday in the 80s and 90s. After the renovations are complete, Porter hopes to bring about a higher level of training while preserving the history, stories and relationships considered to be the fabric of Mount Vernon.
“We have a 50-year history there, and it’s important to look where we came from in moving forward,” she said. “Once we’re home, we’re going to continue building the legacy of this facility. I want to get back to hosting test sessions and skating competitions and offer more avenues for success on the ice like theater and synchronized skating, and to continue the evolution of our high school and adult skating programs. We want to look at our history, pay tribute and elevate our programs for the future.”
