by Bea Peterson
Not all of the Hoosick Falls Central School sports champions compete on school teams. Eighth grade student Ayla Senecal, for example, achieves her awards and medals in a skating rink. [private]On February 16 Ayla placed second in Free Style Skating, Intermediate Level, at the Massachusetts Bay State Games at the Chapman Skating Rink in Williamstown, MA. Five hundred skaters of all levels participated in the competition. Her medal qualifies her to compete in the upcoming State Games of America figure skating competition in Hershey Harrisburg, PA, on July 30 to August 4. On March 23 she will be competing at the Garren Invitational in Troy.
Ayla has skated since she was six years old. She started at the Hoosick Falls rink. Then she heard about an indoor rink in North Adams, MA, that was open in the summer. After that she never left the ice! She joined the Christmas Book Figure Skating Club where she has always been coached by Laura Wood.
In her first competition Ayla won two gold medals, and she has been doing well ever since. She has competed from Lake Placid to Cape Cod, including events in Vermont, Rhode Island and New Hampshire as well as throughout New York and Massachusetts.
No doubt she is competitive. Ayla spends two hours at a time, four days a week, year around, on the ice. When she is not skating she is working out at the gym with a skating trainer, or she is dancing. Ayla studies ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop and modern dance. She is a member of the Ski Club at HFCS and plays percussion in the Junior High Band. Ayla has tried soccer, baton, baseball and cheerleading, but skating is her passion. As competitive as she is, Ayla is at a level where she can give back. She often helps younger skaters improve their skills.
Dedicated Mom
Ayla is fortunate her mom, Sara Senecal, is as dedicated to her skating as she is. When Sara and her husband Art were expecting Ayla they learned he had a brain tumor. “We didn’t expect him to live very long,” said Sara. “But he got to see Ayla born and to see her walk – every day was a blessing.” Since then, Sara, who is a full time social worker, has dedicated her life to Ayla. “She is only little once, and I want to enjoy every minute of it,” said Sara. “When she is older and in college, then I will have time for myself.”
As Ayla is busy every day of the week, it is quite a juggling act. “Fortunately there are six different skating rinks within an hour of Hoosick Falls,” said Sara. They are in Albany, Troy, Manchester, North Adams and Pittsfield. “Unfortunately all the rinks are an hour away!” This means a lot of travel time every day. And, fortunately, Ayla is able to
complete a great deal of her homework during those rides to and from the rinks, or the gym or the dancing.
Whatever the case may be, it is paying off. Ayla is dedicated to doing what she loves and reaping the rewards with her medals.
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