Liberty University’s Figure Skating team has quietly built a consistent record in collegiate club skating.
Founded in 2010 by Tatiana Payne, the program has grown steadily under Head Coach Courtney Kirschke, who took over the team in 2023 after former Head Coach Dawn Harter stepped down.
“Coach Harter did an amazing job of setting up the team with really spirituality being the foundation and honoring Christ in what we do and really having our skating be a worship to the Lord,” Kirschke said.
Kirschke highlighted how the growth of the team has allowed more skaters on the roster and more chances to represent Liberty outside of Virginia. That growth is feeding directly into the 2026 season goal: an eighth consecutive trip to nationals.
Leading that push is team captain senior Odessa Olver, whose path to this season has been anything but easy.
Last season, a foot injury took her away from the ice.
“I couldn’t jump or spin, and I’m competing at a pretty competitive level at the junior level,” Olver said. “It got to the point where the doctors told me that there was nothing I could do but to have surgery.”
The decision prevented her from performing in last season’s nationals.
“It was kind of a gamble,” Olver said. “There was a chance the procedure wouldn’t have worked, and I wouldn’t have been able to come back to skating, or I would have lost some mobility in my foot.”
She spent 12 weeks off the ice, the longest break from skating she had taken since childhood, but in that time, she learned to rely on the Lord.
“Don’t let the sport define who you are,” Olver said. “I’m defined by God and who he says I am.”
Kirschke said Olver’s response to the adversity is exactly what earned her the captain role.
“She stepped up even more, celebrated with those who were celebrating, was there for those who weren’t, and across the board demonstrated excellent character,” Kirschke said. “That’s really the example we want for the team.”
Olver is grateful to be back on the ice. “My skating is just so much more comfortable and I’m not in pain, but also mentally, I’m just skating because I love it,” Olver said. “I feel like it’s a gift that God’s given me.”
Kirschke sees the difference too.
“It’s so beautiful to watch her be pain-free and enjoying the sport, and seeing how that affects team culture, affects the girls on the ice,” Kirschke said.
Olver said she’ll never forget her first time back at the LaHaye Ice Center, surrounded by teammates cheering her on.
“The first few times I was landing jumps that they didn’t see at all last year, they were screaming for me and cheering for me, which just warmed my heart,” Olver said.
Olver said the injury reshaped what leadership means to her.
“I not only get to skate and do this role, but I also get to be here with my team members and just do what we all love to do,” Olver said. “Being able to lead them and do that with them and have them as my support system, but also support them, is just so exciting.”
Stokely is a POV reporter for The Liberty Champion.