Swedish-born Camilla Ojansivu Underhill has been on the ice since she was 4 years old, competing in singles and synchronized skating on the national and international stage. After completing high school, she joined "Holiday On Ice," touring with the performance group to South America, Europe and SoutheastAsia. Following the tour, she hung up her skates long enough to earn a law degree from Lund University in Sweden and the University of London. After a year withPricewaterhouseCoopers in Vietnam, the lure of the ice was too strong and she decided to dedicate herself to her true calling. Now a part-time lawyer in Beijing, Underhill spends the majority of her time on the ice, coaching children and adults at All Star Champion Skating Club and Ice Zone. Underhill is also the founder of Ice Breakers, a company that provides team-building exercises on the ice for companies and organizations. Before skating off to her next class, this part-time lawyer, ice skating coach and full-time mother spoke with students at The British School of Beijing about finding balance and following her passion.
Elisabeth Henssler,
11, Germany
What is a typical workday for you?
I drop my kids off at kindergarten and if I’m lucky, I can get a run in at the rink. Then I coach some classes. Law is part-time, so it’s two to three days a week at a law firm. The rest of the time, I work at different ice rinks.
Lucy Lin, 11, Singapore
Do you really like being a lawyer?
It doesn’t compare to being a skater. I enjoy it, but not nearly as much as skating.
Chenny Lee, 12, South Korea
Why did you choose to do law?
There was some pressure from the parents. And when I watched some fun law programs on TV, I thought it looked glamorous. But once you start working in law, it’s not that glamorous. So I needed to switch it up a bit with skating.
Alexis Brunel, 11, Mexico
Who inspired you to skate?
My mom brought me to the ice rink for the first time when I was 4 years old. But the coach I had when I was 10 totally inspired me. Even now, I think of her as one of my role models.
Lucy Lin, 11, Singapore
How long did it take to become a professional skater?
When you start, you start young and you just skate and compete. And before you know it, you’re just doing it. When I was 15, I was already teaching younger children. If you think of that as being a professional, then I started quite early and it took about ten years to get to that point.
Emily Sun, 11, US
Have you ever competed in the Olympics?
No, but I have competed [in other competitions].We came in seventh place for synchronized skating at The World Championships. I was happy with that. Then, fifth at The Nordic Championships, and second three years in a row at The Swedish Championships.
Maria Garcia, 11, Spain
What do you like better: being a coach or a professional ice skater?
It’s so different. I love wearing these crazy costumes [for ice skating shows]. But teaching,you get to know people in a different way. The show is the same every night, whereas teaching is different every day.
Isabelle Brundieck,
11, US
Have you ever been really embarrassed about falling down?
Not really. Many years ago, on opening night for a show, I fell over – as if on a banana peel. I felt really bad because there were so many people watching. But normally, I don’t feel bad. It’s normal to fall, because if you don’t, it means you didn’t try hard enough.
Lisa Peng, 10, UK
Have you ever been badly injured?
There’s been a little bit of blood, but nothing huge. Once I fell on my chin and I still have a bit of a scar. And once, a girl’s toe pick went
into my knee, but it wasn’t that bad. I was back on the ice in a week.
Ricky Hao, 11, China
Are you ever afraid to try a new trick?
Now I am. When you’re younger, you don’t think like that and you just go for it.
Paul Salomon, 11, France
Is it hard to be an ice skater, lawyer and a mother of three?
It’s hard. But it’s easier when you do a little bit of this and a little bit of that – instead of being a full-time lawyer and cramming in some skating and parenting, which I did for awhile. Now it’s a better balance.
Maria Garcia, 11, Spain
Would you like your children to ice skate?
My kids can choose what they want to do. If they like it, they can. If they don’t, they can do something else.
David Heo,
12, South Korea
Who’s your favorite ice skater?
I like Miki Ando from Japan. The top skater, Kim Yu-Na from South Korea, is really good. And there are older skaters that I really like: French-African Surya Bonaly is really special and awesome on the ice.
