If you watch the news, then you may have heard about McAuliffe seventh-graders Tracy Nguyen and Sienna Wu who won bronze medals during the Pacific Coast Sectional Figure Skating Championships. The Birdwatch had the opportunity to interview these outstanding athletes. 

Q: Were you nervous at all during the competition?

Tracy: Yeah, three people were sick and we were going against really experienced teams who had a lot more technique than us. 

Sienna: And they were also older.

Q: How did you react when you found out you had gotten the bronze medals?

Tracy: Happy, obviously. I think that’s the first emotion I felt cause even though we had three sick people we managed to get bronze. It was a very surprising event.

Sienna: We were happy, and I was excited.

Q: What was it like being on the news?

Tracy: I didn’t think we would get on the news, but they just happened to be videotaping us during our official practice and we were in our costumes, so I guess that’s why they videotaped us.

Q: How long have you been skating for?

Tracy and Sienna: Five years.

Q: Will you continue to skate?

Sienna: Probably until I get too busy or something.

Tracy: I’ll probably stop in tenth grade.

Q: Have you participated in any other competitions other than the Pacific Coast Sectional Competition?

Sienna: We’ve participated in solo competitions.

Tracy: We did our first competition, this season, at Irvine.

Sienna: And we got second in that one.

Q: How do you two know each other?

Tracy: Through skating.

Sienna: And then we figured out that we went to the same school.

Q: How often do you practice?

Tracy: Every other day of the week. I think Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.

Sienna: I practice once a week, all day sort of.

Q: Would you have changed anything about the outcome of the competition?

Tracy: I think it was the best we could have hoped for because we went against older and more experienced teams. 

Sienna: But everyone still tried their hardest.

Q: What are your hopes and dreams?

Tracy: I want to be a doctor.

Sienna: I kinda wanna be a doctor, but I’m still deciding.

Q: Will you be attending Los Al High School?

Tracy: Yes, I will.

Sienna: Yes.

Q: Do you have anything to say for people who might take an interest in skating?

Tracy: Don’t be afraid to fall. Falling is a necessity [in] skating. If you don’t fall, you’re not really [going to] go anywhere. I just went there for fun the first time I went, but then I ended up really liking it until I fell. But I still kept skating.