Solomon spinning heads as figure skater, hockey player

Montrose native ranked No. 1 nationally among Juvenile Plus U.S. figure skaters; Olympics on radar

There’s not much Joanna Solomon can’t do when she laces up a pair of skates.

The 11-year-old Montrose native is already turning heads as an emerging young hockey star. When she’s not lacing up her Bauers, Solomon is leaping, twisting, and turning as one of the nation’s top young figure skaters.

Just recently, she earned the United States Figure Skating Gold Medalist status, an award she earned based on any skater who successfully passes the senior (gold) level test in a specific discipline (Skating Skills/Moves in the Field, Free Skating, Ice Dance, or Pairs). Only three percent of all figure skaters achieve this honor.

Solomon’s skills earned her a spot as one of 32 figure skaters to qualify in the U.S. National Finale competition taking place July 15-19 at the Boston Figure Skating Club in Norwood, Massachusetts.

Solomon earned that spot by finishing as the No. 1 nationally ranked figure skater competing in four events in the Excel Series Juvenile Plus Division. The committee figures in the two highest scores out of the four events.

Most recently, she placed first with a score of 77.07 in the Northland Figure Skating Competition that took place Jan. 29-Feb. 1 in Duluth.

“I did really good at Duluth. I was shocked,” Solomon said. “I love to figure skate. It’s fun. It’s relaxing. I feel like I could be myself out there.”

The 32 skaters in Boston are made up from the top eight figure skaters from the east coast, eight from the Midwest, eight from the pacific coast, and the next eight highest scorers after that.

When in Boston, she will skate to a song called “Victory.” 

“It’s a high-paced violin instrumental,” she said. “I usually pick faster songs.”

Solomon will participate in a Team USA camp on Thursday, July 16. Her competition date takes place Friday, July 17. It’s a competition she isn’t taking lightly.

“I want to place first,” she said.

Nobody knows her drive to be the best more so than her father, Kendrick, who recalls a moment when she didn’t place first.

“She had a competition two years ago in the cities. She was nine, and all the other girls were 14. She got second place,” Kendrick said. “I could tell when she came to the table to sign for her award that I knew she had only gotten second. To me second was great. But she looked up at me and said, ‘Dad, we don’t come here for second place.’”

Kendrick, who along with his wife, Crystal, are her top supporters when it comes to her choice to compete in both hockey and figure skating. 

“My family gives me a lot of support. Even if I do bad sometimes, they are still proud of me,” Joanna said. “My coaches are the same way, but Lorie (Charbonneau) is a little harder on me than my dad, but in a good way.”

Charbonneau is currently her primary coach where Joanna skates full-time the past two years with the Go4Gold Skating Academy in Shakopee. Joanna is also a member of the Buffalo Figure Skating Club, where Val Matzke leads her as her primary Ice Sports Industry coach. Christian Conte is her jumping coach, and Debbie Warne-Jacobsen is her skating skills coach.

“My favorite move is the Ina Bauer,” Joanna said. “I also like doing camel spins and double flips.” 

As her father in both sports, Kendrick says it can be an expensive process to put her daughter and two sons (Gabriel and Kendrick Jr.) all through hockey. Her younger brother, Kendrick Jr., also has taken up some figure skating lessons to help improve his own skating skills.

While Joanna’s father is on the road promoting and traveling her to most of her competitions and practices, Crystal is the one who stays back making some extra cash on the side.

“She (Crystal) doesn’t like to do the driving and doesn’t like the crowds. So, she’s more than happy to do this part. She does Instacart shopping for people and making the extra money to make these dreams come true,” Kendrick said. “I’m the more sociable one.”

Buffalo Civic Center has sponsored a two-hour skating party sendoff gathering for Joanna on Saturday, July 11, from noon-2 p.m. Cost for admission is $5, with proceeds going to the family to help offset costs. Former Buffalo girls’ hockey star and current PWHL player Jada Habisch is one of the special guests who will attend the sendoff.

Joanna also is being mentored by current Buffalo girls’ hockey player Savana Sabraski, who missed all but one game last season due to an injury. Her and former Buffalo figure skater Elsa Peterson are two people Joanna says she looks up to.

“Elsa used to skate at Buffalo. She inspired me,” Joanna said. “She was an amazing skater. Savana works with me once a week doing dryland stuff and mentoring me. We work on shooting, stickhandling, and stretching.”

Hockey success

While her success as a figure skater has landed Solomon more prominent roles, Joanna is a top-line center playing for the Minnesota Steel and Buffalo Bombers 12U Black hockey teams.

Like figure skating, hockey is another sport she has high aspirations for.

“I’ve played hockey since I was six. I want to play high school hockey for Buffalo,” she said. “I want to win Olympic figure skating and Olympic hockey gold medals and play in the PWHL (Pro Women’s Hockey League).”

In two recent hockey tournaments she’s competed in this summer, she led both tourneys in scoring with 19 goals, 10 assists, and 29 points in 10 games. 

Kendrick recalls a moment earlier this year where Joanna had a shining moment in both spots in a matter of hours.

“One of these competitions she did in Roseville in May, she played a hockey game at the Super Rink in Blaine, got a hat trick, changed into her figure skating dress at the hockey rink, drove to Roseville, and 45 minutes after we got there, competed in a figure skating event and won that,” Kendrick said. “She did it without the soles in her skates, because her skates were too small. She is insane.”

In fact, her figure skating career may not have happened if not for her hockey background.

“We were tricked into her being a figure skater. She started off as a hockey player. We asked if she could take hockey skating lessons on Buffalo Figure Skating Club Ice,” Kendrick said. “She was four and they said sure. In the spring, they asked me if she would like to be in the spring figure skating show. They had a little boy they wanted to pair her up with. She said yes. The first figure skating show she had, she did in hockey skates. She fell in love with it. She went to a couple competitions and won everything she competed in.”

Like figure skating, Joanna says she has some favorite moves she uses in hockey, but mostly during goal celebrations.

“I do the moonwalk for my main goal celebration,” she said. “I also do the bow and arrow.”

Joanna had the opportunity to celebrate plenty when she scored five of her team’s six goals in a 6-5 victory in a game earlier this year, including the game winner in which she showcased her moon walk move.

While her future in both sports is bright, her family also knows she is young. 

“She could decide in two years that she doesn’t like this anymore. You never know when they are this young,” Kendrick said. “I tell them, the day you don’t want to do it, let me know, because I could use the money for something else. But she loves it. My wife and I are of the belief that we will do whatever we can to help guide her dreams.”

If those dreams are to come true, nobody is going to stand in her way, except maybe one person.

“I told her, the only one that can beat you is you,” Kendrick said. “If you believe in yourself and put in the work, which she does, then you can chase your dreams. You make your own boat in life.”