The University of Utah hasn’t always had a figure skating team. In fact, 2026 will be the year that the inaugural season comes to an end. Here’s how it has quickly turned into one of the main attractions to students on campus.
The history
Andee Lyons, the team’s founder and president, started the program in 2025 with the hopes of competing on the highest stage. Lyons, the Utah native, grew up training in Park City at five years old. After becoming “mentally burned out” from skating, she decided to take a break, but it didn’t last long.
“After coming to the U, I started to really miss it [figure skating] again. That sparked my interest to start the team because collegiate figure skating was growing pretty quickly in the U.S. figure skating world, and we didn’t have a team,” Lyons said.
However, creating the opportunity for figure skaters to compete as part of a collegiate team wasn’t easy. Years of work went into the celebration in August 2024, when the Utah figure skating team became an officially recognized student organization.
“I started this process in October of 2023, so it’s been a few years. In January of 2025, we became recognized as an official sports club. That allowed us to compete for the first time in February, which was pretty exciting. I think we had seven skaters in the competition,” Lyons said.
The program consists of three separate teams, which skaters fall under: a rec team, a performance team and a competition team. The performance team has partnered with the University of Utah’s hockey team, as well as the Utah Grizzlies. This allows them the opportunity to perform at games, sometimes in front of thousands of fans.
Utah’s figure skating team was also granted the chance to host Nationals in April 2026. Long story short, the University of Utah’s figure skating team is progressively moving in the right direction. A fast-moving and innovative club team has shown determination to continue growing into one of the top teams in the nation. The attention to detail not only benefits the team, but the individuals as well.
Culture and growth
“The main culture that I try to cultivate within the team is a really supportive family environment. We make sure that everyone is having a good time, but we also focus on effort and hard work when we practice,” Lyons said.
This effort has positively spread throughout the team. When the idea first came to life, the roster wasn’t nearly the size that it needed to be. Through the strong culture that has been developed, many new faces have walked through the doors, signing up to be a part of something special.
“We now have 29 starters ready to go. We would have 30 if one of our teammates hadn’t gotten injured, so it’s really cool to see how much we’ve grown in just a year,” Lyons said.
Building a roster from seven to 30 in under a year is a sensational feat. Figure skaters from around the country have found a new home at the University of Utah to continue living out their passion.
The team is always looking for new faces with skating experience to try out. Check out the website here to get involved.
