Through coaching changes and graduations, the 2025-26 season has marked a new era for the Figure Skating Team at ASU.
The team was founded in 2019 with Karen Gesell serving as the first head coach. Gesell coached the Sun Devils through the spring of 2025, parting ways with them at the end of the season. Along with the loss of Gesell, the team had seven members graduate.
During these times of change, the Sun Devils have a familiar face leading the way. Stepping into the role of head coach was former assistant coach Paige Vasquez. In addition to her coaching role, Vasquez serves as the community programming and skating manager at Mullett Arena.
In Albuquerque, New Mexico, a 4-year-old Vasquez developed a love of skating through her local Learn to Skate program. She carried this interest throughout her upbringing, where she continued to skate competitively, ultimately performing around the world with companies such as Disney on Ice, Holiday on Ice and SeaWorld San Diego.
Vasquez brings experience and dedication to the team, where her biggest goal is playing to each skater's strengths.
"I tried to be more of a facilitator of getting these skaters to see their strengths and even their weaknesses," Vasquez said. "(I) try to build them up to be the most successful skaters for the team and themselves."
Alongside Vasquez are President Erin Ambroz and Vice President Ryann Kruger; these student-athletes use their passion for skating as a way to guide the team to its full potential.
Ambroz is a senior whose background begins in Minnesota, where, at just 8 years old, a familial interest in skating led her to naturally pick up the sport.
After being under the impression that her skating career would end in college, Ambroz discovered ASU's team during her freshman year. She has been with the Sun Devils ever since, serving as a team secretary as a sophomore.
Through her longevity with the team, Ambroz had created strong bonds and familiarized herself with the inner workings of the program, which influenced her to pursue a leadership position.
"As of last year, we had a lot of people graduating, and there was lots of spots open, and that's when I decided to run for president," Ambroz said. "It fit well, considering it's my senior year, and I've had plenty of experience on the team, knowing how things are working."
As a sophomore and sports business major, Kruger brings a new perspective to the team's executive board. Her career sparked in the desert, where she began skating in elementary school with local programs. Introducing her to the world of ice skating was her father, who played hockey.
Despite being an underclassman on the team, Kruger knew she wanted to pursue a leadership role from the beginning.
"I want to work in sports, so taking on that leadership role for me was really important," Kruger said. "It's going to give me the experience that I need, and to learn about how things work on the back end, like the finances, the travel (and) the operations on the day-to-day with the team."
Through the combined leadership efforts of Vasquez, Ambroz and Kruger, the team successfully hosted the first competition of the season, The Sun Devils Classic, at Mullett Arena. The competition took place on Nov. 8 and Nov. 9, with the Sun Devils finishing in 8th place with 156 points.
What was once an unfathomable idea to Ambroz ended as a huge accomplishment for the Sun Devils. Through the classic, they were able to bring in over 300 skaters from various universities to compete at their home arena.
"We've been able to create a figure skating competition at the arena that was a huge success for our arena, for the club, for everybody in Arizona," Vasquez said.
To continue this momentum throughout the remainder of the season, the Sun Devils have prioritized team camaraderie, working to create a unified culture in an individual sport.
As a coach, one of Vasquez's goals was to build a stronger community on the ice, and so far in her time at the helm, she's done just that.
"One of my biggest things this year was with our team practices," Vasquez said. "In the past, it might have been split up based on level, but that was one of my goals going into this year is getting everybody to practice together more. Whether they're a senior lady or just a newer skater starting out, I see the benefit of being a team as one of their biggest assets, so I make everybody practice together and help each other out."
Through the combined practices and encouragement to "stay on top of their program," Ambroz has noticed a surge in energy in the rink this season compared to the past.
"It's been great to see this year that we've had an increase in people practicing their programs and a little bit more motivation to do so," Ambroz said.
Kruger has used this year as a learning experience, where she feels the team has already accomplished so much. She looks forward to seeing how the program will continue to grow in seasons to come.
"I'm just excited to see what the future holds for our team and how we can shape it to be — it already is — one of the most amazing programs," Kruger said. "I'm biased, but I think we can really, truly make it into something that's incredible."
Edited by Alan Deutschendorf, Henry Smardo and Ellis Preston.
Reach the reporter at cjoneil6@asu.edu and follow @cjojournalism on X.
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Char O’Neil is a junior studying sports journalism with a minor in special events management. This is her second semester with The State Press. She has also reported for AZPreps365, Blaze Radio and Phoenix College Basketball.
