Vanessa Anderson first ventured onto the ice at the Roseville Skating Center at the age of three. The young figure skater charmed the crowd at her first Roseville Ice Show, performing to “Teddy Bear” by Elvis Presley.
“I fell in love with the sport. I made a bunch of friends. It was my second home growing up and a big part of my childhood,” said Vanessa, who skated competitively through high school
!["A]("https://www.cityofroseville.com/ImageRepository/Document?documentId=38334")
She’s now teaching a new generation, including her own 8-year-old daughter, to love the sport as a coach and skate school communications coordinator for Roseville Parks and Recreation.
Vanessa grew up in the Roseville area, graduating from Roseville Area High School. As a teen, she worked as a part-time skating coach.
“As a kid it was my main sport. It’s what I loved to do. Roseville was the place that gave me the foundation to start and grow in my skating,” she said.
Figure skating also taught her valuable life lessons including resilience, Vanessa said. “Skating teaches you how to fail and then get back up. Think about how often a skater falls and then get back up on a daily basis while training.” !["Vanessa]("https://www.cityofroseville.com/ImageRepository/Document?documentId=38335")
Ice skating took a bit of a backseat when she left for college and then pursued a corporate career in business development and project management. She rediscovered her passion when she enrolled her daughter, Ellie, in figure skating.
Vanessa was quickly recruited to help out at practices, and she eventually took positions with Roseville Parks and Recreation and the Roseville Figure Skating Club. She teaches everyone from youngsters looking to compete to adults who want to pick up skating as a pastime.
“This doesn’t feel like work to me. I love helping these kids,” Vanessa said. “I have skated so many sheets of ice. There is nowhere I feel more comfortable than Roseville. This is home.”