9-year-old skater joins Olympic anniversary celebration


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KEARNS - The Utah Olympic Oval is "welcoming the world" as part of Utah's 10th anniversary of the Winter Olympic Games.

The building, like other structures build for the 2002 Utah Winter Games, has become a training facility for athletes and has been getting international attention.

One such athlete is Isabella Miller. If it's not school time, dinner time, or bed time there's a good chance, 9- year old Isabella is at the Olympic Oval.

"You get on the ice and you just feel really happy to just be floating around and skating," she said.

The Taylorsville girl has a figure skating coach who says Isabella could go all the way.

"I noticed that she gets things a lot quicker than even the older kids," said her coach Genia Chernyshova, of Russia.

Elizabeth Miller, Isabella's mother, calls the girl a natural. Miller has been figure skating for two years after getting on a small rink in South Jordan. She loved it so much, she asked her mother for lessons. Miller has been in a few competitions, placing fourth, second and first.

Miller was born in 2002, the very year Utah hosted the Winter Olympics. The Utah Olympic Oval makes lessons convenient.

"It is amazing to think we have a facility like this that is so close," Elizabeth Miller said. "We just live down the street, maybe 5 minutes."

Isabella is at the facility five or six times a week, spending almost two hours on the ice each time.

"When she skates, everyone watches her because she's extremely exciting to watch," Chernyshova said. "That's what makes her a good competitor."

She was one of the children chosen to light Utah's Olympic Torch at Rice-Eccles Stadium last week, as well as other 10th anniversary programs. At Energy Solutions Arena, a Stars on Ice show will pay tribute to the Salt Lake 2002 Games, where Isabella will get to skate with her idol Sasha Cohen.

As far as competing in the Olympics goes, her coach believes she could make it one day.

"It's wide open at this point, because you never know what could happen in life, but as potential goes, she can accomplish everything she possibly wants to," Chernyshova said.

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