LT: Everyone knows that you are pretty competitive in ice skating, but what exactly is the sport that you do?

GB: My brother and I do ice dancing. It’s not where you jump, we skate together and it’s more like dancing on ice. There are no times when he throws me or we jump, but we do lifts together.

LT: Are you currently holding any titles?
GB: Yeah, my brother and I won intermediate nationals in 2012 and then we were the novice champions in 2014.

LT: How long have you been skating for, and how did you first get into it?
GB: I started skating when I was four and I just did group lessons. I started to really liked it, so then my coach, who is actually still my coach, came up to me and said, “wow, you have a really nice talent, you should skate,” so I said okay and then from there I just started skating.

LT: How often do you practice, and what do your practices consist of?
GB: We have practice six days a week, and most of them are before school and after school. Each one is about four hours a day. It feels like I’m always at practice, but I have to work hard and be dedicated.

LT: What is the core reason that you skate?
GB: Well my dream is that I really want to make it to the Olympics someday. I think that it would be really cool and it would show the pride I have for skating. Also, it’s just really fun and I love it a lot.

LT: Does being so committed to ice dancing interfere with your school work or your social life?
GB: Yeah, it definitely makes it harder to go to parties and be with my friends and stuff like that, even just hanging out, but it’s fine. I’m used to it now. In terms of homework, I have to stay up later to get all my work done, but it’s not that big of a deal. It’s all worth it in the end, even if it makes other priorities more difficult.

LT: Have you ever done any ice dancing individually?
GB: No, everything is with my brother, we’re a team.

LT: Do you think this has made you and your brother closer?
GB: Yeah, definitely, I mean we do everything together. I feel like I see him more than I see my mom. Especially since on top of ice dancing we go to the same school, it feels like I’m always with him.

LT: Out of everything you do, would you say that ice dancing is your favorite?
GB: Yeah, I’d say that it’s my favorite. I mean I do it more than everything else. I guess it’s because once I started, I just never stopped, and now it’s just my whole life. It means a lot to me.

LT: If you were to try to get into the Olympics, how would you qualify?
GB: To get into the Olympics you have to be a certain age, and to qualify you have to go to Nationals and you have to place in the top three, and then a panel of judges has to choose and decide if they want to send you. I know it’s in a long time from now because I’m too young, but I hope one day I’ll get there.

LT: How has ice dancing affected your life?
GB: I think ice dancing has helped develop the person I am. It’s definitely helped me gain more self confidence, because we’re competing in front of so many people and performing so much. It’s caused me to just let loose and feel good about myself, which has transferred over into my everyday life, giving me confidence in whatever I do.

LT: Was it hard to get into a sport that most people your age aren’t so active in?
GB: Not really. I was so young when I started all of this, so it wasn’t very hard. I just knew I liked it, and that’s all that mattered to me. I was always excited, and my attitude was always, ‘yeah, let’s do skating, it’s so fun!’

LT: Who is your inspiration in this sport?
GB: I look up so much to my coaches. I mean they’re Russian and they’re super strict and tough on me, but they work so hard, and they can be really nice. They can also be mean, but in the end I know it’s for my benefit and it helps me get better. They’re the reason I’ve been able to get good at what I do and I couldn’t be here without them.

See Gigi ice dance: