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Figure Skating Sisters Overcome Competition for Sisterly Bond in Baldwinsville Skating Sisters Prioritize Sisterly Bond

Skating sisters use their bond to help each other on the ice in Baldwinsville

By Sierra Ryder

SIERRA RYDER: FIGURE SKATING HAS BECOME THE FAMILY SPORT FOR THE SCHERFLINGS. AND IT ALL STARTED WITH A LEARN TO SKATE FLYER IN A KINDERGARTEN.

ERIN SCHERFLING: AND THEN SHE GOT MORE AND MORE INTO IT DURING THE SYNCHRONIZE TEAM GOT A PRIVATE COACH AND THEN HER YOUNGER SISTER STARTED RIGHT AWAY FROM WHEN THEY WERE LIKE THREE OR FOUR YEARS OLD, ALREADY HERE, AND THEN THEY GO YEAR ROUND.

RYDER: TODAY ALL THREE OF THE SCHERFLING SISTERS SKATE…EACH BECOMING INTERESTED IN THE SPORT FROM THEIR OLDER SISTER.

MOLLY SCHERFLING: I WAS REALLY LITTLE AND BOTH OF MY SISTERS DID IT SO WHEN I WAS OLD ENOUGH I WANTED TO DO IT TOO.

LYDIA SCHERFLING: I TRIED ALL THE OTHER SPORTS LIKE SOCCER AND HORSEBACK RIDING AND I’VE JUST ALWAYS LIKED THIS ONE.

RYDER: THE SISTERS SKATE 5 DAYS A WEEK WORKING ON DIFFERENT ROUTINES…LANDING JUMPS AND TRYING TO REACH THEIR GOALS.
BUT SKATING SO CLOSE TOGETHER…CAN PUT THE SISTERS ON THIN ICE WHEN IT COMES TO SKILLS.

ERIN SCHERFLING: IF THEY JUST HAVEN’T LANDED YET AND SOMEBODY ELSE DOES, ESPECIALLY IF THEY’RE THE YOUNGER ONE, IT CAN CAUSE A LITTLE STRESS.

RYDER: INSTEAD OF LETTING THE COMPETITION SPIRAL OUT OF CONTROL, THE THREE SISTERS FIND A WAY TO BREAK THE ICE AND SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER.

ERIN SCHERFLING: THEY’LL DO PRACTICE JUMPS THAT THEY HAVE ON ROLLER BUT SPECIAL ROLLERBLADES… THEY’LL DO THAT TOGETHER OR MAKEUP ROUTINES AND THEY HAVE LITTLE SPINNERS AT HOME SO THEY DO THEY SHOULD COME UP, MUSIC….YEAH, AND THEY LOVE TO WATCH EACH OTHER AND GIVE EACH OTHER TIPS AND IT’S GOOD.

LYDIA SCHERFLING: I LIKE WINNING BUT IF SHE GOT FIRST AND I GOT SECOND I WOULDN’T BE LIKE DANG IT I GOT FIRST BECAUSE IT IS HER SO WE ARE NOT RIVALS SO I WOULDN’T BE MAD IF SHE WON”)

RYDER: EVEN WHEN THE COMPETITION IS FIERCE…THE SISTERS AGREE THAT THE ICE IS MORE FUN TOGETHER.

LYDIA SCHERFLING: ITS GOOD BECAUSE IF WE HAVE COMPETITIONS AWAY OR SKATE CAMPS I ALWAYS HAVE A FRIEND WITH ME LIKE I AM NOT ALONE.

BALDWINSVILLE, N.Y. (NCC News) – The Scherfling family spends a lot of time at the ice rink.  All three daughters aged 12, 16 and 19, participate in the competitive sport of figure skating.

Erin Scherfling, the mother of the three skaters, never skated competitively. It was all from a learn to skate flyer found in a backpack that lead the girls to picking up the sport.

“It was just a flyer in her backpack and she said she wanted to try it,” Scherfling said.  “So, we started there, and she would do just it in the winter a little bit and then she got more and more into it.”

The younger daughters, Lydia, 16, and Molly, 12, watched their oldest sister skate and knew they wanted to try the sport, too.

“I don’t know I just didn’t like soccer,” Lydia Scherfling said.

“I was really little, and both of my sisters did it so when I was old enough, I wanted to do it too,” Molly Scherfling said.

Soon the family became invested in the sport joining the synchronized skating team, hiring private coaches and becoming involved in the figure skating community. However, participating in the same sport can often make for difficult situations.

“My oldest daughter, she didn’t have as much experience when she was younger and is always mad that she didn’t get the private lessons as young,” Scherfling said.  “She thinks she could have gotten a lot further because her sisters are able to do things a lot younger than when she was able to start doing them.”

The oldest sister is currently in college skating, so the competition between the younger sisters is more pronounced.

“Sometimes it’s a little competitive if one of us does a jump and we can’t do it we get mad,” Molly Scherfling said.

Despite the conflict of competition, the girls are also able to come together and help each other out.

“They’ll do practice jumps or makeup routines. They love to watch each other and give each other tips and it’s good,” Erin Scherfling said.

In the future they also have similar desires to their oldest sister. Molly Scherfling said she hopes to skate in college, too.

“I would do it in college. Maybe a team and a little free skating,” said Molly Scherfling.

 

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