Six days a week, up to four hours a day. This is how long freshman Sara Zimmerman is at the Oakland Ice Center, gliding across the rink.

Zimmerman began skating at age two and fell in love with the sport. She attributes her passion to the feeling she gets while skating.

“I have kept ice skating because it makes me feel like I’m flying,” she said. “No other sport has felt the same.”

Sara’s older brother, Jacob Zimmerman, said that Sara has always been a great skater.

“I think she’s a very good skater,” he said. “She’s the fastest girl out there.”

Sara’s friend freshman Ella Lee agreed, saying that Sara is dedicated and hardworking.

“I’ve seen her practice. She seems very professional,” Leed said. “She spends a lot of time practicing.”

Sara has accomplished much in her ice skating career, including being ranked as the second best in California and winning several regional tournaments. She has also competed in the U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships.

Sara said that ice skating is mainly a mental sport.

“You have to overcome your head,” she said. “You body can do it, it’s just your brain thinking you can’t do it.” Sara spends around 18 hours a week practicing ice skating. She said that the sheer scale of this commitment has made her a better student.

“I have to be on top of my school work,” she said. “Being at the rink four hours a day is a lot. At the end of the day, when I come home and I’m tired, I just have to get through all my school work and I feel that it has actually made me a better student.”

Sara said that the other skaters at the rink motivate her to do well in school.

“All the kids around me at the rink are really good students and we all motivate each other to do our homework,” she said. “We’ll all do our homework together.”

Jacob said that this time at the rink has also made Sara into a more mature person.

“She’s around people who are older,” he said. “She’s a lot more social because of it. It’s made her more of a worldly person.”

Even though Sara spends such a large amount of time at the rink, she still manages to balance it with her social life.

“I try to not let it get in my way. I try to go to all of the social events,” she said.

She does admit, however, that skating is a higher priority that hanging out with friends.

“My friends know that ice skating is in front of hanging out,” she said.