Editor’s note: This podcast was originally published on Nov. 8, 2023.

In this special edition of Texan Overtime, audio producer Lillian Vest features the 32 Figure Skating Club at UT — a tight-knit community that offers a space for new and experienced figure skaters alike.

Reported and hosted by Lillian Vest. Music is by Blue Dot Sessions.

David Dang: It was just a dead club basically.

*figure skates on ice*

Lillian Vest: The 32 Figure Skating Club, 32 FSC for short, has been newly revived by the current President David Dang, a sophomore architecture major. This is their second semester as an active club and although the community is new, they are very tight-knit, and, they welcome new skaters and experienced skaters alike. In this edition of Texan Overtime, we are taking you from the Texas heat to a freezing-cold ice rink. 

*rink ambiance*

David: I had nothing to do over the summer since I was waiting to go to college. Had some leftover money because I was living at home, working a job. So I decided, let’s try figure skating for fun. And I found it really enjoyable. It’s a really fun sport. And yeah, just love it.

Lillian: That was David again. He was reluctant to lead an organization as a freshman, but because he loved figure skating and recognized the need for this community at UT, he decided to take the lead.

David: I just had to step up and try to organize a meeting. And I think six people came to the first meeting, it was in the PCL, in the study room. And from there we started organizing the club to try to be more of an org. And now we’re almost one year in.

Lillian: He says the club has grown exponentially in just one year.

David: Our first actual general meeting was like 50 people. I was so shocked. I booked a room for 20 people thinking they’re only 20 would show up and then 50 people showed up. I was like, Oh my God.

Lillian: David emphasized the plans he has for the future of the club. One being starting collegiates, which is basically a competitive team and possibly competing against A&M.

David: We’re working with the collegiate figure skating like group right now. They’re known as USFA we’re talking to them right now and hopefully, we’ll be able to participate against TAMU

Lillian: Right now their practices are focusing on skill building, making connections, and most importantly…having fun

Demi Hu: I hadn’t skated in a really long time. And ever since the pandemic too, it really reduced my ice time, I found myself really missing it and wanting something to keep me active while I was in college.

Lillian: That was Demi Hu, a junior with a major in design. They are the Creative Director for 32 FSC and one of the more experienced skaters in the club. As she speaks about using 32 FSC to get back into skating, she remembers why she loves figure skating so much.

Demi: I keep coming back to it because it’s just really satisfying being able to move on the ice and in that really like graceful way. And I love the artistry of the sport.

Lillian: The community of the club plays a huge role in keeping her on the ice.

Demi: The community is really tight-knit, I think because we’re such a small community and we’re constantly like commuting to and from the rink we end up forming really close bonds with each other and I can’t say for sure because we’re still just starting out as a club. So I think we’ll see how this community develops but so far I’m very happy with how close everyone is, how supportive they are of each other’s goals.

Lillian: Considering that 32 FSC was recently revived in spring of 2023, most of the members have only been to one or two practices with the club

Megha Sengupta: It’s kind of like healing your inner child in a way like coming back to something that I used to love when I was a kid, but as an adult, with like, a different mentality, a different point of view. It’s been really, really fun. And like, very enjoyable.

Lillian: That was Megha Sengupta, a senior management information systems major. She recently picked skating back up three months ago and this was her first practice with the club. Here’s Evelyn Zhou, a freshman advertising major, and another newer member.

Evelyn Zhou: There’s so much like diversity in what you can do. It’s, it’s like, there’s a combination of jumps, spins, footwork, like you can really never get bored with it.

Lillian: Evelyn is an experienced skater who was looking for a figure skating community to join. This was her second practice on ice.

Evelyn: I like the sense of community that this club brings. I feel like even though skating, skating can be kind of like an individualized sport, so it’s hard to feel connected to other people. But I feel like this club does a really great job of making people feel included and like, just have fun skating.

Lillian: Demi described what it’s like to be involved in a cold sport in such a hot Texas climate.

Demi: It’s such a relief. It’s such a relief. Sometimes I’m I specifically look forward to skating in the summer because I know it’ll be a break from the heat.

Lillian: David, the president, talked about how the cold never bothered him anyway.

David: I personally like the freezing room. I hate the heat a lot. I always loved it. The few times I ever did have cold weather in Texas and especially snowed. I loved it so much. And I think just the feeling of figure skating is very free feeling like it feels just going so fast. And the wind blowing in your face doing all these cool moves. It just feels almost like you’re like you’re the main character a little bit just for like a tiny bit, which I find kind of fun.

Lillian: David emphasized that the club really is open to everyone, no figure skating experience or knowledge required.

David: I think going into it now, I have learned that there’s a wide group of people who’ve always wanted to figure skating in their life. And I think our club specifically appeals to that group more.

If you’re ever interested in joining figure skating, I think our club is the perfect opportunity to we do try to make it really accessible for how expensive the sport is.”

Lillian: This has been an episode of Texan Overtime, a production of The Daily Texan’s audio department. If you liked this episode, don’t forget to subscribe to The Daily Texan on your streaming platform of choice, and follow us on Twitter at @texanaudio. And check us out at www.thedailytexan.com. This is audio reporter Lillian Vest, thanks for listening.