UCLA Figure Skating had a strong season, finishing 4^th in the Pacific Coast section out of 11 teams, and placing in the top four at all of their competitions. Individually everyone skated really well, earning a total of 14 gold, 5 silver, and 9 bronze medals across the season.

The season started well with a 3^rd place finish at the Tiger Challenge in Colorado, and with only taking a team of five skaters. The team bobbled slightly at Golden Bear Open in Oakland, placing 4^th, but rallied at Pioneer Open in Denver to place 3^rd again. Unfortunately, that left them in 4^th place overall, missing out on qualifying for nationals in April by only a single point.
Secretary Toffy Charupatanapongse says that despite the disappointment of just missing out on nationals, the team actually had a really good season. She said, "I think we made a really bold and noble effort for our competitions this year. We definitely did very well considering we are such a small team."
 
The team also made some great improvements over the season, really working on getting in more consistent practices and pushing themselves in competition, and should still be proud of their 4^th place finish. Special mentions should go to second years Marisa Goff and Julia Feng who both competed at all three competitions in the maximum number of events they could, and brought back a lot of medals between them! Third year Ai Ohno also had a particularly good season, earning gold medals in all of her freestyle events and inspiring the rest of the team with her work ethic and enthusiasm.

With that in mind, the team are not resting in the off season but instead working hard to prepare for the Fall. Not only do they want to be prepared earlier, but they are also trying to recruit more skaters so they can take a larger team to all of the competitions next season. Toffy said, "Looking to next year, I think we'll have a very solid team especially with new incoming freshmen. We are hoping to make it to nationals next year, and with a more experienced team I'm feeling very optimistic about our next season."
 
Of course the end of the season also means saying good bye to some valuable members of the team. Figure Skating has four graduating seniors, all of whom have been involved with the club since their freshman year. Tyler Vollmer didn't compete with the team this season, but for the last three years he was an invaluable asset, competing in the maximum number of events and always bringing something unique to the team. Evan Bender, the president from 2013-15, is also graduating and should be commended for his commitment to the team throughout his time at UCLA. Current External Vice President Carol Lin will also be missed, as she moves on to optometry school. Special mention should go to Adrian Siew who has competed regularly across his four years at UCLA, bringing in gold medals at almost every event- including one at nationals. All of the seniors will be greatly missed, though the team wishes them luck in their future endeavors!

Although it's always sad to say good bye, the team is looking forward to the next season and the new experiences it will bring. They are ready to work harder than ever to improve on their placements and make it to nationals.