For some skaters, path to Sochi goes through Lansing

A skater practices at Suburban Ice in East Lansing.

Credit Kevin Lavery/WKAR

The road to the 22nd Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia runs through East Lansing this week. Beginning today, the city plays host to nearly 250 athletes competing in the 2014 Midwestern Sectional Figure Skating Championships.

The event is a first for the Lansing area.  Skaters who place well enough here will advance to the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Boston this January.

For decades, the national title has been a springboard for athletes competing for Olympic gold. Current State’s Kevin Lavery met up with Megan Ziehmer at Suburban Ice near the MSU campus.  Ziehmer is manager of sports events for the Greater Lansing Sports Authority, and a co-chair of the event.