{"id":128913,"date":"2020-12-16T08:07:41","date_gmt":"2020-12-16T15:07:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/?p=128913"},"modified":"2020-12-16T13:34:09","modified_gmt":"2020-12-16T20:34:09","slug":"commencement-feature-mirai-nagasu-builds-a-legacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/?p=128913","title":{"rendered":"Commencement Feature: Mirai Nagasu builds a legacy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/a>
Mirai Nagasu, the first American woman to land a triple axel at the Olympics, graduates from UCCS this December. Having made history, she’s focused on building her legacy of authenticity, courage and never giving up. Photo credit: Christopher Huang<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMirai\u201d means \u201cfuture\u201d in Japanese, and Olympic figure skating medalist Mirai Nagasu \u2013 who is graduating this December from UCCS with a degree in business administration \u2013 has always been focused on it. But in many ways, she is also focused on the legacy she is leaving behind for her sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nagasu, born and raised in California, wasn\u2019t always sure what her figure skating legacy might be. In fact, by age 21, she thought her skating career might be over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By that point, she had already competed in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, but was not named to the 2014 U.S. Olympic figure skating team competing in Sochi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt that point in my life, I was like, \u2018I\u2019m a washed-up\nhas-been,\u2019\u201d Nagasu said. \u201cI thought it might be time to start looking at\ndifferent avenues for my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But visiting a friend in Colorado Springs changed her mind \u2013 and helped her to make history. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During that visit in 2014, Nagasu skated at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center. She met the coach who would take her to the Olympics for the second time. And she began learning the oldest and most difficult jump in women\u2019s figure skating: the triple axel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For years while she lived and trained in Colorado Springs, Nagasu\nbalanced the most extreme athletic commitment in the world with classes in the\nUCCS College of Business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Nagasu before one of her first skating competitions.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI applied to UCCS while I was training because I was still craving that balance between education and sport,\u201d Nagasu said. \u201cEven during the Olympic season, I signed up for classes to give myself an out in case I didn\u2019t qualify for the 2018 games. But the day I qualified, I took the entire year off.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I was putting in every single ounce of effort I could,” she continued. “I wanted to show my federation and the nominating committee that I would stop at nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perfect Pressure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Nagasu faced intense pressure leading up to the 2018 games \u2013 from the world, and also from herself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most competitive figure skaters learn their jumps, spins and\nturns at a young age, then spend the rest of their career honing them. Nagasu\nwas learning to perform the three-and-a-half rotations of a triple axel at age\n24.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is a jump so challenging that filmmakers recreating Tonya\nHarding\u2019s triple axel for the 2017 film \u201cI, Tonya\u201d had to digitally construct\nthe jump using special effects, because they could not find a figure skater able\nto perform it on camera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But for Nagasu, an impossible goal never truly seemed out of\nreach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause I started skating so young, the unrealistic goals\nsometimes feel realistic,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have this undying faith in myself. I\u2019m the type of person who, when someone says, \u2018Don\u2019t do this,\u2019 or \u2018You can\u2019t have that,\u2019 or \u2018You can\u2019t do this,\u2019 I\u2019ve always asked \u2018Why not?\u2019\u201d Nagasu said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy thought process becomes, \u2018I\u2019m going to show myself and anyone who ever doubted me that I can achieve whatever is asked of me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, Nagasu did just that: she took flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Four years after the greatest rejection of her skating career, she became the first American woman \u2013 and only the third woman in history \u2013 to land the triple axel at the Olympics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Nagasu screams with joy after landing the triple axel in a clean program at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Photo credit: Peter Zapalo<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The performance stands out in her mind with the sweeping\nperfection of a Disney movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was my dream moment,\u201d she said. \u201cIt felt like the stars aligned.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI used to dream about being able to do the triple axel,\u201d she continued. \u201cI wanted it so badly that it was something I manifested. To do it in competition, at the Olympic Games, when I felt so much pressure and stress on myself, and when I wanted it so badly\u2026I think that the things in life that are worthwhile are also very, very frightening. So to be able to deliver it, in that moment, was really rewarding.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Breaking the Ice Ceiling<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Nagasu\u2019s performance at the 2018 PyeongChange Winter\nOlympics made history. Yet Nagasu hopes it won\u2019t be the only thing she is\nremembered for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe learned in my business classes \u2013 and even in skating \u2013 to ask, \u2018What is my legacy? What am I going to leave behind?\u2019\u201d Nagasu said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want to stay true to myself. I want to become a different type of role model.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As she focuses on finishing school, Nagasu has taken on the role\nof host for Ice Talk, U.S. Figure Skating\u2019s podcast. She\u2019s also been vocal\nabout critical issues in the sport using her platform on social media. Already,\nshe\u2019s opened conversations on issues not always discussed in figure skating \u2013\nfrom the need for young athletes to have access to mental health resources, to the\nneed for better representation of Asian-American women. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nagasu hopes that by being open about her struggles and\nflaws, she will encourage other young athletes to seek out the support they need\nto be successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And she is already seeing one impact of her legacy on the\nsport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was the only female to attempt a triple axel at the last Winter\nOlympic Games. And to see the number of girls who can land a triple axel now \u2013\nwho are not afraid to attempt it in competition \u2013 is inspiring,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Nagasu now uses her social media platform and role as host of the Ice Talk podcast to start critical conversations for young athletes.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think that when one person is able to break down that barrier, others have the ability to see what they\u2019re capable of themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taking Flight<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Having made history, what in the world is next for Mirai\nNagasu?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nagasu plans to use her degree in business administration to\nlaunch her into the next phase of her career. She\u2019s been accepted to the\nDartmouth College Tuck Next Step program, which helps Olympians, elite athletes\nand military veterans to transition into business careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And she plans to keep building her legacy of courage, authenticity\nand never giving up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf skating has taught me anything, it\u2019s this: even if\nyou\u2019re rejected, if it\u2019s something you really really want, don\u2019t give up. Take\nthe rejection and try again,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI hope the legacy I\u2019ve created is \u2013 once you figure out what you want to do \u2013 to just unbearably keep going for it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nagasu will be one of a record-setting 1,100 graduates from the summer and fall semesters at UCCS. She will celebrate her achievement during the 2020 fall commencement ceremony<\/a> on Dec. 18. Congratulations to Mirai and the Class of 2020!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As Olympic figure skating medalist Mirai Nagasu graduates from the College of Business, she’s focused on building her legacy of authenticity, courage and never giving up. (More)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":128779,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1,46,49],"tags":[40,42,332,63,60],"class_list":["post-128913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-business","category-campus-announcements","tag-college-of-business","tag-commencement","tag-more-news","tag-student-life","tag-student-success"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/IMG_7260.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1mBpJ-xxf","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128913","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=128913"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128913\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":128979,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128913\/revisions\/128979"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/128779"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=128913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=128913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=128913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}