Megan Williams-Stewart presses on
By Alvin A. Reid of the American
Megan Williams-Stewart, 17, saw her first attempt at making the U.S. Olympic Figure Skating team go down when she fell during her short routine last week in St. Louis. Undaunted at the fact that she will not be traveling to Turin, Italy for the Olympics next month, she said she is already preparing for the World Championships next year and another shot at the Olympics in 2010.
Williams-Stewart, who qualified for her first-ever trip to “big” Nationals in 2003, in Dallas, placed 4th in Junior ladies at Eastern Sectionals in November 2002 at the age of 13.
“My biggest goal in skating was to go to the 2006 and 2010 Olympics,” said Williams-Stewart, who finished tenth overall.
“I started skating when I was 3 years old. My mom was a speed skater so I would skate in the middle as she practiced around me.”
She says her favorite on-ice moves are the triple loop and double axle jumps.
“The thing I love most about skating is, even through the hard times, once you get past them, you feel like you’ve accomplished something.”
A true teenager, Williams-Stewart says her most-prized possessions are her 300 stuffed animals. She lists softball, dance, art and golf as her hobbies and says “I would like to meet Tiger Woods and learn his secret of success.”
She has a “passion for hot sauce” and calls herself a perfectionist.
“My motto is “Never give up on yourself.”
Her selection in music for her performances also sheds light on her personality and her heritage as an African American.
Her short program music in St. Louis was “Malaguena.” Her free skate music was from “Out of Africa” and “North and South.”
While she tumbled on the short program, one of the judge’s commented on her free skate that “Megan had another lovely program. I enjoyed her skating. Clean and simple, but fast and secure. Nice.”
