As an elite athlete and alternate for Team USA, Amber Glenn is in the rink every day.
“I'm just at a point where if I got a call and I needed to compete in like a week, I'd be ok,” Glenn said.
The Plano-native brought home a silver medal from the 2021 U.S. Figure Skating Championship.
She hoped to land a spot on the 2022 U.S. Olympic team but was only able to complete one skate at trials in January.
Get DFW local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC DFW newsletters.
“I felt weird. I went and had this short program that I didn't even feel like I was in my own body, like, I felt like a ghost. It was so strange. It wasn't me,” Glenn said.
At first, she said she thought it was nerve, allergies or a mental block.
Turns out, it was COVID-19.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
After two positive tests, she withdrew from the competition, her Olympic dream was crushed.
Glenn said it affected her physically and mentally.
“Heartbreaking and then kind of having that weight on my shoulders along with having COVID, it was just a perfect disaster,” Glenn said.
She said news Monday that fellow U.S. figure skater Vincent Zhou tested positive for COVID-19 came as a shock, especially since he's been in the Olympic bubble.
“I can't imagine what he's going through especially knowing that he's probably completely isolated in the village,” Glenn said.
Now, Glenn's training mates Ashley Cain-Gribble, of Coppell, and Timothy LeDuc, of Dallas, are set to compete in pairs figure skating.
They were seen – masked -- standing behind Zhou after his team skate on Sunday.
“It feels like you're rolling the dice, like 'is it going to be negative? Is it going to be positive?' Not knowing, that must be incredibly stressful but also at the same time what can you do,” Glenn said.
For now, Glenn is doing all she can to stay on top of her game, determined to leave her mark on the sport she loves.
“I'm excited to get back into the grind and return for next season,” Glenn said.
