This past week was a highly eventful one for Zakia Kalista.
Not only did she accept her diploma and graduate from Manitowoc Lincoln High School, but Kalista was also named to the USA Jr World Speed Skating Team.
Kalista has skated for the Manitowoc-based team under the tutelage of Carly Valdez, a fellow former national champion.
Kalista tells SeehaferNews.com that she has grown immensely since first strapping on the blades.
“It’s been a mental rollercoaster for sure,” she admitted. “A lot of ups, a lot of downs, but there’s always strength through it. (I’m) definitely really happy with my progression.”
Kalista is in for a very busy next couple of months.
“In like two weeks, I’m going to be heading to indoor nationals. I’m also going to be skating in the national speedskating clinic, but I’m going to be doing that before Nationals,” she explained. “Then after that, I’m going to be heading to a residency, and that’s going to be about two weeks long. And also after that, I’m going to be heading to China for probably the same amount of time.”
With her graduation and being named to the national team all happening within a couple of days, Kalista says it hasn’t truly sunk in yet, nor has the fact that she will be skating in China.
“It’s definitely a big, big thing for me. I never thought I would be going out of the country for this sport,” she revealed. “So I’m like really, really happy.”
Valdez praised Kalista for all of the work she has put in over the years.
“She puts in a lot of hours,” she noted. “You know, they always say what you do behind closed doors really pays off in, you know, in front of everyone. And she has trained, she has been mentally, you know, prepared for this for quite some time. So to see it actually come to light for her is just overwhelming.”
Her main coaching point is very simple: “Stay focused, keep your eyes on the prize.”
Kalista also had a message for her teammates.
“Keep your head up and make sure you have a goal for every race or every workout or even for the future.”
Those who would like to support Kalista in her speed skating journey are encouraged to either make a donation to help pay for her travel on Venmo, CashApp or PayPal, or purchase a T-shirt using the links below.
