Laci Stapp begins animal coalition and trains for the Olympics
Laci Stapp takes care of animals and trains to be an Olympic ice skater
By Anne- Kathryn Flanagan Anne@TheColumbiaStar.com

It's cold. She's been at it for hours, and quitting isn't an option. The road to being an Olympic athlete takes dedication, passion, hard work, and a lot of money.

Laci Stapp fell in love with ice- skating at six years old, and began competing spending the next few years commuting to and from lessons, moving from home to home, and cycling through a number of coaches. The lessons and the skates became so expensive that Stapp's sister gave up her dreams of becoming an Olympic gymnast so Laci could skate.

While her family struggled to pay bills and support her dream, the family had to deal with another crisis. One evening, while Stapp was on the road for a competition, a drunk driver hit her father. Fortunately, he recovered, but efforts to keep Stapp's dream alive became increasingly difficult. The family decided to settle into a permanent home in Columbia and look for a coach who could take her to the Olympic level.

In 2005, Stapp began working with Olympic coaches Evy and Mary Scotvold. When she can afford lessons, Stapp takes one from the Scotvolds and one from her other coach Libby Chabot- Lundeen. She trains six days a week for several hours each day.

Stapp's only focus isn't ice- skating. She is trying to change South Carolina's view on animal welfare and protect animals in shelters.

Stapp started her own coalition, Laci's Animal Coalition in S.C. (L.A.C.I.'S.C.), which sponsors events and raises money. A percentage of the money goes to the animal agencies involved with L.A.C.I.'S.C. and to the cost of her training. The coalition will sponsor Tails on the Trails dog walk, which will be the first of its kind in Columbia and the first in history for a U.S. Figure Skating Association (USFSA) member. The Tails on Trails dog walk will be December 1, 2007, at the Saluda Shoals Park in Irmo.

Stapp hopes to make a difference on her way to the Olympics..

For more information visit www.lacisolympicdream. com or contact Fundraising Manager Jewel Hendrix, jewelhendrix@hotmail. com.