It started with a birthday party.  An ice skating birthday party was the inception of years of dedication, practice, and sacrifice that would take her all over the world—first introduced amongst party hats and balloons.

Tamaki Sasa, a sophomore applied psychology major and synchronized ice skater, had her first exposure to what would soon become her greatest passion when her friend celebrated her seventh birthday party at an ice skating rink.

“I saw all the figure skaters at the party doing their tricks, and I just wanted to be them,” Sasa said.  “I started taking figure skating lessons a year later.”

The San Francisco native honed her skills and began her foray into synchronized skating after meeting one of the girls on the team and watching them perform.

“I watched them and I fell in love,” Sasa said.

Synchronized skating consists of a group of about 12 skaters on the ice, and combines elements of both ice dancing and figure skating.  One of the most well recognized synchronized skating teams in the country, the Skyliners, is based in the tri-state area.

“I first found out about the Skyliners when I was 13, at my first national competition.  I saw the Skyliners perform, and I was mesmerized,” Sasa said.  “I went home and watched all their videos and tried to memorize all their footwork.  Then my friend who introduced me to synchronized skating moved to New York to be on the Skyliners, and I was like, this is it.”

Sasa tried out for the Skyliners during her senior year of high school, flying all the way from San Francisco to New York for her audition.  Once she made the team, Sasa flew out once a month to attend practices.  However, the reality of being on the team did not jive with the fantasy she had dreamed of.

“Being on the Skyliners wasn’t what I expected at all,” Sasa said.  “It wasn’t like sunshine and rainbows and let’s just skate because we love it.  It was so competitive.  It was vicious.  If you made a mistake, you’d get cut and be put as an alternate.  It was so frustrating.”

After arriving at Pace for her freshman year, Sasa was juggling schoolwork, a job, a social life, and a rigorous and demanding practice schedule.

“The physical strain, plus classes, plus being away from home—it wasn’t a good mix,” she said.

Sasa and the Skyliners traveled around the country for national competitions, competing in Paris for the French Cup, and in Finland for the Junior World Championships. To achieve such great opportunities, however, Sasa had to make substantial personal sacrifices.

“I was always missing things on campus—events, time to study, field trips, and class.  I thought, ‘what am I doing this for?’  I loved it, but at the same time it was hard going to practice all the time, and feeling like skating had became more of a chore.  It wasn’t something I enjoyed anymore,” Sasa said.   “I couldn’t handle the competition.  While the other girls were really excited, I was pure nerves and anxiety.  I would count down the minutes until we went on.  I hated all the pressure to perform well.”

After deliberate consideration, Sasa made the difficult decision to quit the Skyliners in favor of a more balanced, well-rounded college experience for her sophomore year.  In the process, however, she learned essential knowledge about herself.

“I feel like I kind of found myself, as cheesy as that sounds.  Growing up, skating was all I did.  With this experience, I realized I am not just a skater,” Sasa said.  “This year, there’s so much more that I’m doing with college life.  I have time to do more things that could help me in the long run.  I feel like I’m more prepared for my life after college, because skating isn’t going to be forever.  I’m in a more realistic setting for myself.”

However, she isn’t ready to put away her skates for a long, long time.

“I still do ice dancing once a week.  It’s a good compromise.  I’m at the point where I actually enjoy myself while I’m on the ice.  I’m not dreading every minute of it like I was last year,” Sasa said.  “I never really want to stop.  I’ll never be ready to say goodbye to skating forever.”