Photo Courtesy of Perkins Media
By Grace Knoop
The life of a student-athlete is rigorous. Mornings are early, practices run late and school assignments always pile up at the end of each day. What makes those early mornings and late-night study sessions worth it are moments like the U.S. Collegiate Championships and Invitational for University of Minnesota sophomore Wren Warne-Jacobsen.
Warne-Jacobsen, the 2022 U.S. Collegiate senior women’s bronze medalist has been counting down the days until she is reunited with her fellow collegiate skaters in San Jose, California at this year’s collegiate championships. The weekend will bring sunshine, skating and most importantly, the opportunity to show off the extraordinary community that collegiate skaters have created.
“There is just something really special about the collegiate skating environment,” said Warne-Jacobsen.
“I love to just show my enthusiasm for the sport and for being a collegiate figure skater and just connect with people who are passionate about academics and athletics, and also show younger skaters that you can do both,” she added.
The U.S. Collegiate Championships is a unique event where collegiate skaters from all over the country come together to compete with their names attached to their respective colleges, showing off their school spirit while competing in their short and free skate events.
“The student-athlete community I found is so different than regular competitive figure skating,” said Warne-Jacobsen. “There is a lot of camaraderie and we’re all there because we love what we do and I think that’s really special.”
Warne-Jacobsen, who plans to declare her major in the communications field, has always had her eyes set on continuing her education past high school. As she rose the ranks in the sport, competing at her first senior U.S. Championships in 2022, Warne-Jacobsen wasn’t quite ready to hang up her skates to pursue a college degree. When she committed to the University of Minnesota at the Twin Cities campus, she knew that one could exist with the other. A full load of college courses could coexist with her rigorous training schedule.
As most college students will attest, the beginning was a tough transition. For Warne-Jacobsen, in-person classes were a new experience, as she had spent her prior time in school at the Minnesota Virtual Academy, a fully remote program.
“It was really really overwhelming at first, it was tough,” she said. “The fall semester is pretty closely lined up with the competitive season. So, it was a lot, I learned a lot for sure. But I wouldn’t change a thing,” she said.
“The opportunities that I’ve gotten so far from being a figure skater and a college student have been amazing,” Warne-Jacobsen said. “I am really happy with where I am now.”
Along with the annual U.S. Collegiate Championships, Warne-Jacobsen notes the World University Games as one of the perks of being a collegiate athlete. Last winter, the skater made the trip to Lake Placid, New York, getting the rare chance to gather with not only U.S. collegiate athletes but those from all over the globe. At the Games, each athlete represents their country as well as their respective university.
“Being at the University Games with athletes in different sports from all around the world was just an experience that I’m really grateful that I was able to have, and I would love to be able to experience it again,” said Warne-Jacobsen. “I think that’s going to be one of the standout moments of my career.”
The University Games and the U.S. Collegiate Championships give skaters like Warne-Jacobsen an opportunity to pursue both their skating and academic dreams. The happy result has been the creation of a tight-knit and supportive collegiate community within the sport.
“I want to help more people see collegiate skating as something that is really great and is a great opportunity,” she added.
Warne-Jacobsen is excited to return to the U.S. Collegiate Championships this year to not only aim for a repeat podium placement but to be reunited with the ever-growing collegiate skating community, who like her, have learned to balance life both in the classroom and on the ice.
