Valeria Rodriguez has been training for a moment like this since she was three years old.

The Tompkins senior has worked since she was a child to get to an international event in figure skating. It took lots of effort, lots of time honing her craft, learning to believe in herself and finding her niche in the sport, but that hard work paid off for Rodriguez, as she was named to this years Gold Cup figure skating team that will compete in Bordeaux France on the international stage.

“it’s something that I’ve always worked for but I didn’t know if I would ever be able to be a part of,” Rodriguez said. “You dream of being on an international stage and this is that chance. I’m working every single day to be ready and it’s a whole process. We had a performance where we were critiqued by judges and we’re learning what we need to do better and we just want to be the best we can be by the time we get to France.”

It’s the culmination of years that it took for Rodriguez to get to this level. Rodriguez worked up her skill level from the time she was three and was competing by the time she was eight years old. Over time, she fell in love with all of the aspects of skating, from the competition to the flair to the ways to express yourself on the ice, it was something that Rodriguez couldn’t get enough of.

As time went on, Rodriguez was drawn to the show side of figure skating and eventually found that is what she loved most, finding her home with the Houston Ice Theatre Skaters, a group that combines figure skating, dance and theatre to create entertainment for the audience.

The Houston Ice Theatre Skaters proved themselves as one of the best in the entire nation and for their efforts qualified for the Gold Cup, which starts on April 24 and goes through the 28^th. The group will represent Team USA after being selected after winning two national championships. Rodriguez will be one of 21 skaters on the team and is part of the first team from Houston to reach this level since 2013.

“A lot of people think that the only route in skating is the Olympic route,” Rodriguez said. “They think that if you don’t go that route there’s nowhere else to go, but there’s so many different ways to succeed in skating. I’m so excited to be doing this on such a big stage, it’s everything I’ve wanted and worked for and it makes me happy for picking this route and working so hard.”

Rodriguez has never competed at this high of a level, but she has been working towards it for a long time. She has become an excel senior level skater and capped all elements which earned her a gold medal from team USA. She finished seventh nationally in last year’s Excel National Event, where she also took home the Founders Trophy, a trophy given out to the athletes who gave the best presentation of their music, for her performance to “Empire” by Shakira. She has played the lead in the nutcracker for the Houston Ice Theatre Skaters and she plans to continue skating while she attends the University of Houston starting in the fall.

But for Rodriguez, getting to this stage and competing on the international level while wearing the Team USA jersey is the highest point she has reached in her career, and she can’t wait to get out on the ice.

“I was so shocked when we were chosen and I learned I’d be a part of it,” Rodriguez said. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, It’s amazing to be able to compete internationally and have it be with these girls I have known for years and coaches that have helped me grow so much. I don’t have any words, I was just floored. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I just can’t wait to get out there. To be competing with them and be a part of team USA is amazing.”