Skater Stories: Shannon Polovina
An adult skater from St. Louis, Shannon is inspiring skaters of all sizes with her videos on social media.
Every skater has a story. You don’t need to be touring with a show or setting records or competing in the Olympics for me to be interested in sharing your story with the world (though if any prospective Olympians want to talk to me, my inbox is open!).
I don’t remember exactly how I first came across Shannon Polovina’s videos on Instagram, but I remember being instantly captivated by them. Shannon (who, by the way, is a newlywed — congrats!) took some time recently to talk to me about her skating journey and how she serves as an inspiration for other skaters.
Q: All right, so first question. I wanted to start with your Instagram handle: shannontheadultskater. How would you define being an adult skater and what does it mean to you?
A: So being an adult skater, we have our own series of things. We have our own testing structure, we have our own competitive structure. And for me, I started skating when I was a little bit older than most kids. I was 15. And I had really big dreams and aspirations. And when you start in a sport that most people have been doing since they were super little, when you're a bit older, it's hard, but it's set me up for the adult world really well.
I took a little bit of a break, wasn't training as regularly, and then I came back, and I realized there was this whole community on Instagram. And I just kind of made it because there's just a whole community of us adults.
Being an adult skater is any skater who is an adult, not all of us start as adults. But we're just as competitive, we work just as hard, and that's something that's really, really special.
Q: You've competed in adult skating championships. What has that experience been like for you?
A: It is my favorite thing. The community of adults is so insanely supportive and we are really caring for each other. I always like to joke that if I'm at a competition over the weekend, I don't lose my voice, it's a bad day. But I feel that's how everyone is. I remember at the Adult Championships in Cleveland going out after they called my name and I couldn't hear them say my last name because everyone was screaming so loud. It's really what I'd like to call an aggressively supportive environment, and it's really neat to be able to have opportunities on a national and even their national level, no matter when you started skating.
Q: I've definitely seen that from the adult skating community. But one of the interesting things is I feel like outside of the community, there's still sort of this perception of 'oh, you're an adult who figure skates. That's weird.' Why do you think that that perception persists?
A: I think because skating is often thought of, and I often joke is, 'so I'm gonna do my children's sport now.' Kids are put into skating at young ages, and then as they matriculate to their levels, that's where you end up seeing them on TV. And usually when I get, when I tell someone who doesn't know skating that I'm a figure skater and I compete, the immediate response is, 'oh my gosh, that's so cool. How did you get into that?' Because it's not something you see many adults, particularly my body type doing.
Q: Speaking of your body type, obviously, when we started chatting on Instagram, you had specifically said to me, and I'm going to quote you exactly here, 'A skating body means you're wearing skates.' So what is it like being a skater who doesn't fit the mold of what people perceive as a figure skater?
A: It's hard. Especially when you're having a presence on the internet, because people who can hide behind a phone screen or a laptop or computer are not very nice. And I've gotten a lot of body shaming over the years. I've got a lot of hate. I've gotten to the point where I've been able to tune it out and I just delete and block. But I feel like it's really important to be seeing someone who is in a bigger body, who isn't a stick thin, doing these things that we do, because it shows anyone who's watching, 'oh my gosh, if they can do that, so can I.'
That was something that I got a lot of messages about, particularly around sectionals in 2024. I had a really rough skate, I wasn't feeling great. And I got so many messages saying, you inspire me, because I'm seeing somebody in my body type doing these things. And I remember thinking to when I started out and I was vulnerable at 15, 16, 17. If I saw somebody who was my body type doing those things, I think I would have felt more welcome and more encouraged in the sport.
Q: Maybe I'm just more attuned to it because of my body type, but it feels like there are more people our size who are on Instagram in the community, publicly sharing videos of them skating. How do you feel like that specific aspect of the plus size adult skating community has really grown?
A: I love it. Because I mean, like you quoted me, a skating body is one that's wearing skates. It doesn't matter how big your arms are or it doesn't matter if you have a tummy. It doesn't matter if you have short legs, long. It doesn't matter. If you are willing to go out there, put in the work, put on skates, and skate, it's an amazing, beautiful thing.
It's so incredibly important because it shows anyone who may have dreamt of it doing this for years and years and years and think, 'oh, I'm not the right body type. I can't do it.' It shows me yes, you can. It spreads the joy of skating, because skating is art, love, it's beauty, it's everything wonderful. And people should be able to do it if they feel like they want to.
Q: No, I completely agree. And you had mentioned, obviously, dealing with haters and dealing with body shaming and just deleting and blocking at this point. But how challenging was it when you sort of started to post your videos and were dealing with that?
A: It was hard. The feeling has been more recent as I've gotten bigger on my platforms and on Instagram, and I've seen more flux in it and waves. But there is one video, where I was training for nationals in Cleveland, and I posted a combination for my programs, a toe loop-toe loop, and I remember, I got so many hate comments saying, 'you're fat, you're too big, you shouldn't be doing this. How are your ankles not breaking?' I just deleted it. But I remember being so taken aback, like, 'Wow, you guys are being so mean to someone who's trying to share something they love. That's horrible.'
I remember my favorite comment, which it's horrible, but it made me laugh because I'm like, 'this is the most creative hate comment I've ever seen in my entire life.' It was, and I quote, 'if I owned an ice rink, I would charge you double because you take up so much space.' And I'm like, 'I'll give you credit for the creativity, but how awful a person do you have to be that you feel like you can say that to another person?’
Q: No, it's awful, and I deal with it too. It's why I don't post pictures of myself anymore. But shifting gears a little bit. You said you started when you were 15. What made you want to get started?
A: So I was always interested in skating. Seeing it on the TV. I think there's a video my mom has of me when I was like seven or six years old, skating around my kitchen. I was always interested. I did theater, I did dance, I did all the things that I like to consider skating adjacent. I never actually skated. The first time I ever put ice skates on, I was maybe four or five and my mom fell on top of me and I never wanted to do it again.
I'd always had interest and it was fascining. I remember just watching the videos of Sasha Cohen on YouTube over and over and over again. And when I was in high school, one of my friends was taking Learn To Skate lessons. So I kind of used that as a stepping stone to sign up for skating. And then I just never looked back.
Q: You mentioned Sasha Cohen, obviously a legend. Did you have any other skating inspirations, any other favorite skaters you watched growing up?
A: Definitely. I was always a big Sasha fan. Dick Button once described her as 'beauty in every position' and that couldn't be more true. And then as I actually started skating into 2015 and on, I really was inspired by Ashley Wagner. Because I'm also a lefty skater, meaning I rotate in a clockwise direction versus a counterclockwise direction. So seeing somebody on the national circuit rotating my way was very exciting for me.
Q: You compete now, but I know you still follow the sport too. So who among the current crop do you really enjoy watching?
A: I am a Glennhead through and through. I love Amber Glenn so much. I'm really excited. She started announcing her programs, very excited for what's to come this season. I also really am liking Alysa Liu. Full disclosure when she was younger, I thought her skating was very immature and I was not a big fan, but now seeing her come back just because she loves to skate, is so inspirational and it's so, I mean, she comes back because she wants to skate for fun and she wins the world title her first year back. Like, how much more inspiration can you get than that? And watching her skate, especially at worlds and nationals, she just enjoys it. You can see it on her face, how much fun she's having, and that's been really fun to watch.
Q: Now, about five years ago, you tore the labrum in your hip. So how difficult was it for you to be off the ice for an extended period of time after that, and how challenging was it for you to get back to where you are now as a skater?
A: That's a really good one. So, yes, I had a labral tear and an impingement, actually, in my right hip that had been bothering me for years. And then in 2020, I finally got it repaired once a lot of surgeries were back up and running [post-COVID]. And. It honestly wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I have some pretty bad hypermobility in my hips. So I'm pretty sure I re-tore the right and also have a left tear. But since there's not an impingement on the right grinding anymore, it's not as bad, it just gets stuck.
But getting back into skating was something I was like, 'I have goals, I have things I want to do, I want to compete. I want to do this, this, this, this, this.' And that was my drive. That being said, being an adult happens, I was starting nursing school at the time, too, so I was very, very busy. So skating had to kind of be on the backburner for about a year or so. But I think that what helped me to getting back everything so easily is because I was pacing myself whether or not I wanted to pace myself because I had a very packed school schedule and clinical schedule.
Q: You mentioned goals, so I'm curious, what are you working towards these days?
A: I just passed my Adult silver moves in the field, so I want to pass my adult gold, which would give me adult gold medal by really want to pass the senior test on moves in the field. That's something that's been a goal since I started skating and I don't care how old I am. I want to pass that test. Another one is, obviously working towards my competitive season. While we can't control what the judges give us in terms of ordinals and points, I have some personals I'd like to accomplish, including skating clean, getting my levels called on my spins, and then I would really, really like to compete internationally in one of the ISU events. Either the one coming up in the fall at DC or coming up in Oberstdorf in Germany next summer.
Q: Can you describe the feeling that you get when you finally nail something that you've been working towards?
A: It's like an explosion of happiness because I'm very hard in myself. I always try to tell myself this is just skating. Just because I have a bad skating day doesn't mean I'm a bad person. Doesn't mean I'm any worse at my job. It's just skating. But that being said, it is something I've put a lot of time and energy into the past 15 years now. So when you have something that you're struggling with and you're finally feeling it click, it's just like, ‘oh, yes, something's working right.’ I know for me, my lutz jump has always been a challenge, and now it's finally clicking and making a lot of progress in the past few weeks. So it's just, it's a feeling of joy, excitement, and relief at the same time.
Q: No, I can imagine. Now, right before we started this, you posted a reel with Skye Patton and Elsa Wagnon, who I happen to have seen skate a few times. But you actually grew up with them at your skating club.
A: Yep, those are my girls. Those are my girls.
Q: I'm just curious, what does it mean to you to be able to see women who you knew from the start of their skating journey go on to be able to achieve their goals in the sport.
A: I always like to joke that I am their mother. So it's a feeling of pride. I remember, I think Skye said I was one of the first people she told that she got a face character. She wouldn't tell me who, but she said, ‘they're very strong; and I knew she was talking about. I was so excited for her. With Elsa, she won the AIT choreography quest for creativity in the ensemble number. And just seeing these girls grow into the best versions of themselves has been such a treat and such a pleasure, especially having known them as long as I have, which is a very, very long time. I've known Skye and Elsa since they are probably like seven. A long time knowing those girls, and seeing them reach their full potential that I feel like is something that we've always known. Like, Skye's always been so expressive and she goes to Disney and Ice and Elsa has always been so creative and seeing her do these awesome things with AIT has been such like a proud mother hen moment.
Q: All right, if you're up for it, I want to do a little lightning round here.
A: Okay, okay, let’s do this.
Q: Favorite move to perform on the ice.
A: Layback spin.
Q: All-time favorite song to skate to.
A: My Hadestown program.
Q: All-time favorite venue you've skated in.
A: Ann Arbor Ice Cube.
Q: All-time favorite figure skating movie.
A: Ice Princess.
Q: Who would be your dream skater to work with on the ice?.
A: That's a hard one. I would love to do some choreography with Kaitlin Weaver. I'd love to work with her. A dream.
Q: There are six kinds of jumps in figure skating. Loop, toe loop, flip, Salkow, Lutz, and Axel, Which one is your most hated?
A: Lutz. I hate that jump. It is not my friend.
Q: All right, and last but not least, one piece of advice you would give anyone starting out in skating.
A: Just do it. Enjoy it. I once heard Scott Hamilton say, 'skating is love, skating is art, skating is life,' and nothing has related with me more. It's a beautiful sport. It's a wonderful thing. It doesn't matter what you look like, it doesn't matter where you come from. Just enjoy it, skate, and go have fun with it.
Want to become a skater? It’s never too late! Visit U.S. Figure Skating’s Learn to Skate site to find a program near you.