BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – As Olympians from across the world compete in PyeongChang, there are children with big dreams training at the Detroit Skating Club.
Emilia Nemirovsky, 7, practices on the ice every day but Wednesday and Sunday. Emily Rosenberg, 9, is at the Detroit Skating Club four days a week.
"I skate Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday," Lexi Lang, 10, said.
Samantha Lang, 16, is more advanced in her skating career, and it shows in her work ethic.
"Three hours per day, times six," Lang said. "Eighteen hours per week."
Everyone from the youngest skaters to Olympians knows the sport requires a lot of practice, and that's OK with them.
"I like it because it's hard work and it's really fun to do," one young skater said.
"It's hard work but my grandma got me into it," another said. "Now I really, really, really, like ice skating."
So why do it? It's for the dream that seems to be inside each one of them. Any figure skater has the ultimate goal of being in the Olympics.
Samantha moved to Metro Detroit from Houston four years ago to train at Detroit Skating Club.
"Like everyone, the dream is Olympics," Lang said. "It's getting there that's the tough part."
Julie Berlin is a former skater and current coach.
"You ask the kids when you start teaching them, 'What do you want to do?'" Berlin said. "'Oh, I want to go to the Olympics.' Some think you can sign up."
But they learn that there's no sign-up sheet. It requires years of training, discipline and heartache. Even then, there's no guarantee, but Berlin said all of that time isn't wasted even if the children don't make it to the biggest stage.
"Figure skating gives these kids more than figure skating skills," Berlin said. "They learn goals and hard work and discipline and being in front of an audience. They take that skating history and past into their future."
Lessons learned on the ice go well beyond spins and jumps, but the hard work could turn into something big.