Just 12, Geneva skater is one of the Top 10 on ice

Last December, 12-year-old Derek Wagner was the last to take the ice among the top 20 skaters competing in the championship round of the 2012 U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships in East Lansing, Mich.

The pressure was on, but the soft-spoken Geneva Middle School North seventh-grader tackled it like he always does — with confidence and pure enjoyment of his moment in the spotlight.

Derek placed ninth, achieving his goal of making the top 10 and besting the previous year's result, when he placed 17th in the qualifying round.

“I was happy with it. I did what I wanted to do,” Derek said.

His figure skating coach, Denise Myers of Twin Lakes, Wis., says Derek has made a qualitative jump in his skating this past year.

“People are looking at him like, ‘Wow. Where did he come from?'” said Myers, who has coached for 30 years and whose students have included U.S. national champions. “He stands out because he has made some big leaps and bounds. He ended his season very strong. I think he realized he's very committed to this and really does like to skate. You have to enjoy that process of working to get better.”

Derek's work ethic also applies to school, where he always gets good grades.

Geneva Middle School North biology teacher Jennifer Benjamin says Derek is one of her top students, always hardworking and conscientious.

Benjamin credits his parents with communicating with teachers about his schedule and helping him stay on top of his school work.

“He either turns in work early or makes it up when he gets back,” Benjamin said. “He likes to learn, but not for the grade. He's the kind of student that teachers love, because he enjoys learning new things.”

Derek does most of his homework in the car while being driven to ice rinks in Geneva, Buffalo Grove, Naperville and, on the weekends, Pleasant Prairie, Wis. He also takes ballet and strength classes, which help fine-tune his ice skating technique.

Sandy Wagner says her son doesn't need any prodding.

“He's definitely self-motivated; he just knows what he needs to get done,” she said. “I think all skaters, from what I have learned, are very disciplined. Just to be that hardworking, it spills into the academic world as well.”

Derek first got on ice skates when he was 4½ as part of a hockey program, but his mother didn't like what she saw.

“They were just rough. I remember the coach kicking cones at them, taking a (hockey) stick and pretending to shoot at them,” Sandy Wagner said. “It was a roughness I wasn't comfortable with.”

So Derek moved to a figure skating program at the Fox Valley Ice Arena in Geneva and immediately took a liking to it. “I just remember I always wanted to go skating,” he said.

The sport is a natural choice for Derek, who has an innate showmanship and likes to entertain relatives with magic tricks, his father said.

“He never used double blades. He immediately had a lot of balance and poise,” Bob Wagner said. When Derek was 7, the Wagners decided it was time to invest in private lessons.

The family spends tens of thousands of dollars annually for Derek's training and travel. His blades and boots alone cost $1,600 and have to be constantly changed, Bob Wagner said.

“Every time we think, ‘This might be it,' he continues to grow (as a skater),” he said. “Both of us think that while he continues to be focused, we will continue to do this.”

The Wagners are considering part-time home schooling for Derek, but say that negotiating that with the Geneva school district is tricky.

Derek says he looks up to U.S. figure skater Jeremy Abbot, who placed ninth at the 2010 Winter Olympics. “He's fluid with all of his jumps,” said Derek, whose goal is to make it to U.S. nationals. One day, he added, he might become a skating coach for kids.

Coach Myers says Derek definitely has the potential to make it to the top in the country.

“Time will tell. I think he has the ability, and he has a passion for it. He's good a jumper, he likes to compete and he handles his nerves very well,” she said. “This is just the beginning stages of national competition, and commitment and longevity (within the sport). He could have a long future with skating.”

Ÿ Elena Ferrarin wrote today's column. She and Kimberly Pohl always are looking for Suburban Standouts to profile. If you know of someone whose story just wows you, send a note with name, town, email and phone contacts for you and the nominee to standouts@dailyherald.com.

Derek Wagner

<B>Age:</B> 12

<B>Hometown:</B> Geneva

<B>School:</B> Geneva Middle School North

<B>Who inspires you?</B> My parents, Sandy and Bob Wagner

<B>What book are you reading? “</B>Sabotaged (The Missing, Book 3)” by Margaret Peterson Haddix

<B>What's on your iPod?</B> Mostly games, “Temple Run” is my current favorite

<B>The three words that best describe you? </B>Kind. Loving. Nice.