SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: Gliding to the Top

Lindsey Piel’s story is one of resilience, hard work, and figure skating. 

Lindsey was born on January 4, 2007 along with her twin sister, Amanda, in Kalamazoo. Their parents met in the Air Force, where they both served for a number of years. Their dedication and hard work has inspired Lindsey to give one hundred percent in all she does. When asked about her parents, she said, “They inspire me. I love them a lot, and they have worked really hard to make me and my sister happy. I want to work hard in life with what they’ve given me to succeed.”

When Lindsey and her sister were only five years old, they began their journey of figure skating. Having been in figure skating for thirteen years has shaped Lindsey into who she is today. It has taught her many things, such as discipline. She also has a deep appreciation for the lifelong friendships she has from skating. Since the girls on her team grew up with her, they will always have a place in her heart. Skating has taught her many important lessons such as perseverance, pushing herself, and being physically and mentally disciplined. As a figure skater, she has also learned a lot about how to take care of and listen to her body, which has made her a well rounded and healthy athlete. 

Something that not everyone knows about Lindsey is her various medical debacles. After sprained ankles, finding out she has an extra bone in her foot, and not healing, she had to have it surgically removed. This led to an eight month recovery, where she was unable to skate. She still went to the skating rink because of her sister, which taught her to appreciate skating. Now, she has much more gratitude for health and movement, and learned how to persevere to recover.

More recently, Lindsey was riddled with back pain, and discovered she needed surgery to have the part where her kidney drains restructured. She missed the entire month of January from school, which she says was a horrible experience. She missed out on skating, which was hard for her. Even harder was the two night stay in the hospital, plus the following months of recovery. She was very excited to move again and due to the journey to recovery, she came back stronger than ever. 

While she is excited for what the future holds, Lindsey has truly made the most of her time in high school. This year, after she was done skating, Lindsey joined the soccer team. She wanted to do a Hackett sport for fun and team unity. She played basketball her freshman year, and wanted one more chance to do a school sport. So far, she has had a ton of fun, and enjoys getting to use her body and move, while also hanging out with friends and meeting new people. She has enjoyed her time at Hackett, saying, “I love small communities like figure skating, so I really enjoy small supportive groups like at Hackett.” In her free time, you can catch Lindsey playing pickleball in a park near her house, out and about with friends, or playing with her dog, Dixie, and her cats Luna and Angel.

Next year, Lindsey will be attending the University of Michigan, where she is excited to test herself and develop her many strengths and interests. She has many fields that she is interested in and wants to make the most of her skills. She doesn’t know exactly what direction her life will take her, but she is excited to find out! She will also continue her skating career by joining the synchronized skating team at Michigan. She is also excited to be on her own, while also being close to her sister, who is attending the same school. When asked if there was a lesson she took from grade school, Lindsey’s advice was to “Appreciate all the abilities God gave you. We’re all very blessed, so we should have happiness and gratitude for what we have.” Good luck, Lindsey!