From skates to boots

By Shane Ersland
Staff writer

Having once shared a locker room with U.S. Olympic figure skater Michelle Kwan, Cadet Michelle Boulos now changes clothes alongside female Cadets from Co. A 1/46th Inf.

Video by Majdi Ammari

Boulos, a former member of the U.S. Figure Skating Team, used to use her athleticism to impress judges at competitions. Now she uses it to pass physical fitness tests for drill sergeants.She does, however, see one likeness between competing at the ice rink and taking on obstacles at the Leader’s Training Course where she now trains.

“The main similarity is that you’re pushing yourself to the max,” Boulos said.

Boulos started skating competitively when she was 8 years old and spent the last 12 years going to events around the world. The highlight of her figure skating career came when she finished ninth at the 2007 U.S. Senior Nationals.

The 20-year-old said her skating career contributed to her good coordination, which has helped her at LTC. Her battle buddy, Jessica Miller, from San Jose State University in California, agrees.

Cadet Michelle Boulos from Co. A 1/46th Inf. at the rapel tower. Photo by Mackenzie Reiss

“She definitely has an advantage over the other Cadets,” Miller said. “She knows how to use her body.”

Boulos gave up skating after competing in the 2008 U.S. Eastern Sectional Championships, deciding to focus on school. After a month of thinking it over, and discussing it with her dad, Boulos decided to sign up to come to Fort Knox for training, to help pay for college. She is a psychology major at Boston College and said her time at LTC will help her study habits.

“The military helps you structure your time, and a lot of times, as college students we procrastinate,” the Duxbury, Mass., native said.

Tuesday, on top of the rappel tower at LTC, Cadets yelled, sometimes incoherently, down to their battle buddies that they were on their way down. But Boulos exuded some of the serene qualities expected of an athlete used to competing in front of thousands of people, when she softly signaled her descent.

Boulos said she would recommend LTC to other figure skaters looking for a challenge, because they are used to being active, and are flexible. They also have already learned one technique that comes in handy during training.

“I know how to fall,” Boulos said.