Santa Barbara Ice Skater Maeva Chapman Competing at Nationals In Florida

Maeva Chapman, a 16-year-old ice skater from Santa Barbara, is set to take the ice at her second National Solo Dance Finals appearance in Florida later this month. Qualifying for this competition is a testament to her hard work, dedication, and family support.

Maeva began skating at age 3 in France, where the family was living at the time, but officially got her skating career started at Ice In Paradise in Goleta. There, she fell in love with the sport, taking early morning lessons and building up her skating skills.

When Ice In Paradise closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, Maeva began commuting to rinks in Los Angeles, practicing with higher-level coaches in Simi Valley and Burbank. As a result, Maeva is currently enrolled in online school in order to accommodate her busy schedule and focus on her skating career.

“For the last four years, we’ve come down to Simi Valley and Burbank at least three times a week,” said Nadia Chapman, Maeva’s mother. “I think that’s part of her success. It’s the commitment and training with national and Olympic coaches.”

Nadia, who is also an ice skating coach, was Maeva’s first coach. “Figure skating is a crazy sport. I never wanted her necessarily to pursue it,” Nadia said. “But she fell deeply in love with skating and started doing really well right away.”

Maeva’s main coach is Svetlana Anisimova in Simi Valley. Her ice dancing coaches are Renée Roca in Burbank and Yaroslava Nechaeva in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Dean Copely is Maeva’s coach on the road, and will be with her at Nationals.

In order to be invited to the National Solo Dance Finals, skaters must place in the top six of each category in each division, which is done by gaining points in competitions throughout the season. This year, the Chapmans have traveled to San Jose, Ann Arbor, Lake Placid, and Salt Lake City for competitions, with Maeva accumulating points to qualify for Nationals. She will be competing in Intermediate Solo Combined and Pre-Silver Pattern Dance in Florida.

Nadia hopes that her daughter’s accomplishments bring attention to an often-overlooked sport in the Santa Barbara area.

“Figure skating is such a difficult sport, and you’re by yourself,” she said. “It is so much work to get to the high level, and nobody talks about it.”

“Maeva is by far the most qualified skater in our region…. It’s nice that we can spread the word [in Santa Barbara] and see what can happen. So the younger kids can say, ‘You know, I can do that,’” Nadia continued.

She is also in awe of her daughter’s dedication and passion for the sport, despite its hardships.

“It’s not easy, the commitment that she’s doing so she can put all her energy in her goals and dreams,” Nadia said. “Every time she places, we have tears in our eyes. It is a lot of work, but it’s also a testament of when you put your energy out there and you commit and stay positive when it gets hard, you can reach your goals.

“It’s very inspiring for me too,” Nadia added.

Maeva will be competing in the National Solo Dance Finals in Wesley Chapel, Florida, from September 12-15.