BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- It's as if their dreams were scripted at the age of five.
"I would cry if my mom didn't take me to the rink just to watch, I was obsessed," Kiri Baga, 14, said of her first days of going to the ice rink up in Duluth.
"It's just so fun, I love it, and I wouldn't trade it for anything," Kiri's training partner, and friend, Kate Charbonneau said of her love of skating.
Kiri is a figure skating world champion in her age group.
She is one to watch for on the USA's 2014 women's Olympic figure skating team.
"Getting my chance to show everyone what I can do is personally really self motivating for me," Kiri said of her skating.
In the other corner is 16-year-old training teammate Kate Charbonneau.
Kate is a Canadian national, vying for a spot on Team Canada in the Vancouver Winter Olympics next month.
"I just think that is the achievement of all achievements to compete in the Olympic Games," Kate said of her dream to skate for team Canada.
Their instructor is Lorie Charbonneau.
Lorie has been a professional figure skating coach for nearly two decades.
Lorie is also Kate's mom, or mum as they say in Canada.
"My mum accused me of picking the name Kate because it rhymed with skate, but that's not it, she's named after my grandmother," Lorie said laughing.
Lorie has been coaching Kate for Kate's entire 16 years in this world.
Kiri became her student after moving to the cities from Duluth to get serious about her skating career six years ago.
"Kiri doesn't give up, even on tough days, and that is what sets her apart," Lorie said of Kate's skating.
Kiri's manner on the ice is that of the optimist and she is almost always smiling.
Never a dull moment, but take her off the ice and she will fight to get back on.
"I love skating, I have to be skating or else I'm bored," Baga said.
Kate's demeanor is that of the perfectionist.
Saying one more time until the rink goes dark.
"I want to be responsible for what I do; I don't want to disappoint someone else," Kate said of her decision to make her sport of choice and individual sport.
Kate and Kiri skate, or train for skating, 5 to 8 hours a day six days a week.
Stretching takes up at least two of those hours.
And to pass that time the girls often do stretching alongside their homework.
The girls attend an online high school and do their work at the rink and at home.
It seems lonely, but they both claim it's isn't at all.
There are at least a dozen other teenagers who skate at the Bloomington Ice Garden daily, and use alternative schooling methods.
So in a sense, the Ice Garden is more like Ice Garden High School.
And it makes a big difference that they get to skate in their hometown, train with friends and go home at the end of the day.
Not overseas, or in other states, where many other Olympians train, because for Kiri & Kate, being home in Minnesota is their secret weapon.
"I could never be away from my mom, my coach, or my friends; I don't need to go anywhere else," Kate said.
"Minnesota is our home and these kids are young, Kate and the others, we don't want them to leave home. We believe we can do this in Minnesota and we are proving we can do it in Minnesota," Lorie echoed.
Training here at home left Kate and Kiri as virtual unknowns on the world skating stage, until they began to compete.
Now, Kiri is an international champion and Kate is just one skate away from the Canadian Olympic team.
And unlike other child stars these girls remain childlike with nothing but a good idea as to what life is all about.
"You can't get bored with something you love doing it with the people you love; when you put those things together it's impossible to be unhappy," Baga said.
Do what you love.
Love what you do.
And maybe, just maybe, these two ladies representing both Canada and the USA will face one another on the ice on an Olympic stage in 2014.
(Copyright 2010 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.)
