It may feel far away, but February 2022 has been marked on Kaitlin Hayawek’s calendar for a while.
“It’s a goal that I’ve had since I was a little kid,” she told 2 On Your Side.
By this time next year, the East Aurora native hopes to be a U.S. Olympian.
“Over the last several years I’ve realized that it’s right within reach and super attainable,” she said.
The 24-year-old ice dancer and her partner, Jean-Luc Baker, are some of the best in the world. They were Team USA alternates for the 2018 games in PyeongChang. Every year since, they’ve taken bronze at the U.S. National Figure Skating Championships, including last month in Las Vegas.
They’re now back in their home base of Montreal training for Worlds, set for March in Sweden. It’s a long way from the Western New York rinks and dance studios where Kaitlin got her start.
“I started out skating when I was four years old in the Skate Great program in WNY,” she said. “I spent almost ten years having all the support of all the coaches that trained me and telling me if I wanted to go after skating that I shouldn’t kind of quell to dream.” ………. read more here