Olympic hopeful lands at Columbus Figure Skating Academy

The Columbus Figure Skating Academy has a new director of skating and he hits the ice on Tuesday.

The organization said Monday that Robbie Przepioski, a nationally ranked figure skater, will lead the ice-skating instruction at the Columbus Ink Rink adjacent to the Columbus Civic Center at 400 4th St. He is certified by the Professional Skating Association.

Przepioski, who comes to Columbus from San Jose, Calif., is a three-time men’s competitor at the U.S. Figure Skating Nationals, having participated in 2014, 2015 and 2016. He also competed three times in “novice pairs” at the nationals in 2010, 2012 and 2015, becoming a Pewter Medalist in the latter year.

The skating director also competed in the Junior Nationals in 2005 and 2006, as well as in the Boston Olympic Trials.

“My lifelong goal is to become an Olympian, an International Champion, and a National Champion for the United States,” the figure skater said about four years ago in a synopsis on the Protex Sports Foundation website. The organization supports and helps athletes raise money and achieve their dreams.

“I was recently at the National Championships/Olympic Trials for the senior men’s division with the opportunity to make the 2014 Olympic team, but fell short of reaching this goal,” Przepioski said. “My performance, however, set the stage for preparing for the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, Korea.”

For more information about the Columbus Figure Skating Academy and the classes it offers, visit www.ColumbusFigureSkating.com.

This story was originally published August 7, 2017 at 5:13 PM with the headline "Olympic hopeful lands at Columbus Figure Skating Academy."