Draft:Thomas Hill (Artistic Skater)

Thomas Hill on the floor at the 2024 USARS Nationals.

Thomas Joseph Hill (born November 13, 1990) is an American competitive artistic (inline) roller skater. He is the 2024 United States National Champion and 2024 Southwestern Regional Champion.

Early Life

Thomas Hill was born in Corpus Christi, TX to a Mexican mother and German-American Father. Thomas is bilingual English and Spanish(MX). His passion for skating started by watching the 2002 Olympics on television. After watching the ice skating event, he was mesmerized by the jumps and performance aspects of ice skating from that moment forward. His family was poor and unable to afford the sport. Also, his family had a poor opinion of it because it wasn't a "boys' sport." Thomas laced up ice skates for the first time at the age of 11 in Monterrey, Mexico when his mother agreed to take him during their summer stay in Mexico. This further fed the undying love Thomas had for skating. However, the financial issues prevailed and Thomas was unable to practice the sport he wanted more than life itself.

A Grim Reality

At age 16, Thomas was able to lace up skates once more. This time, he found a coach on the internet and explained his situation. She offered to help him out if his parents agreed to take him. The program only had six days a month (6 hours) of ice a month. Although it was better than nothing, his dream was to be one of the best in the world. Unfortunately, at such a late age he realized that was unlikely. His relationship with ice skating became very conflicted. While on the ice, there was nothing he loved more than the glide. When he learned to jump, it because an insatiable addiction. There was no better feeling than coming down on one blade and gliding out. Meanwhile, his same age peers were doing doubles and triples. Thomas was learning singles and desperate for more rotation. This conflicted (love-hate) relationship wasn't for anything. He landed both axel and double salchow within his first year on the ice. Skating continued for two seasons (during the hockey seasons) for six hours a month. By the second season he knew he would never likely reach the pinnacle of skating. He then left home and attempted to do it on his own with no success. The prospect of a financial aid check led him to college instead. Devastated and not knowing what came next, he started school at Northwest Vista Community College and stopped skating altogether.

The College Years

College came completely by accident into Thomas's life. After speaking to a friend who had a similar situation, he was told that all he had to do was attend school and he could receive a financial aid check. At that time, Thomas had left home and was working fast-food and had little money to spare. An extra income sounded great! Thomas was a great student at one point, so he knew this was a sure thing. Sure enough, he applied, was accepted, and was into community college. He was pushed into a business degree by an advisor (he didn't really know what he wanted to study). He graduated with a BA in Business with Presidents Honors and a 4.0 GPA. He subsequently transferred to Texas A&M San Antonio which he describes as a dismal experience. Although, he graduated Summa Cum Laude with a 3.96 GPA. College and various jobs were enough to keep him busy, however, the heart still desired jumps, spins, and steps. After graduation, he still had no direction career wise and for practicality purposes stayed two more semesters in college and obtained a Texas Teacher Certification.

Back to the Ice

At the age of 25, Thomas was finally able to return to the ice. Unfortunately, the grim reality set in once more. Now that he was older and heavier progress came much slower. The relationship between him and skating continued to be one of conflict. In his mind, he was that little boy who wanted to be a top level skater yet he was a prisioner in this 25 year old body that had many restrictions. Despite a conflicted relationship, Thomas continued to skate from 2016-2020. In that time he competed once at the US Adult Figure Skating Championships finishing 6th in Championship Silver Men after a dismal freeskate. Prior to that event he was the 2018 Midwestern Sectional Champion. Citing financial problems and issues with alcoholism (which he kept well hidden), Thomas decided to take a break from skating. From 2020-2022 he rarely skated and became deeply involved in his recovery.

Roller Skating

In early 2022, Thomas knew he wanted to skate again but the thought of returning to the ice after how it ended did not seem like a good idea. Mental health had become a priority during recovery. It dawned on him that ice wasn't the only way to skate. He found a skate shop online and purchased a pair of quads and had what he calls a humbling experience. Despite that humbling experience, within a few months he was doing jumps up to single axel but the spins were troublesome. A close friend from the ice skating community suggested inline roller skates which were designed to be an off-ice practice tool. However, USARS and World Skate both recognize inline figure skating as its own event. Initially, Thomas was resistant because he felt it would remind him too much of the ice. After some convincing, he gave in and bought pair and everything changed. Furthermore, he went to the 2023 Nationals as an official and there he met 3-time World Champion Natalie Motley. After a conversation with Natalie, she said he could be at Nationals the following year. Initially Thomas thought she surely wasn't serious. However, he would one day discover a different outcome.

Inline Figure Skating

Once Thomas was convinced to switch to inline, everything clicked into place. Within a short two months he had his jumps up to axel and was spinning well. It was like ice skating on wheels. He describes it as the same but different enough to where it doesn't remind him of the ice and he says he likes it better. Suddenly, he realized he loved to skate again. That was a feeling he had not felt since he was a teen. While still on quads he had found a coach and she also had knowlege of inine and agreed to work with him on inline. She is former Team USA's Jackie Cross. He told her about his conversation with Natalie Motley and she said it was a reasonable goal if he got the necessary elements and they put together a routine in time to practice it. Thomas felt like it was challenge accepted.

Qualifying for Nationals

Qualifying meant skating at the Southwestern Regional Championships and placing first through fourth. At Southwesterns, Thomas knew he was far from ready. His practice conditions were absolutely not ideal and his routine still had some needed polishing. Despite some errors, it was enough to win and qualify for his first National Championship.

National Champion

After Regionals, Nationals were three months away and Thomas knew it was time to take training to another level. July came very quickly and before he knew it he was on the national floor. Before he took his opening pose, he told himself, "Do it like you did in practice last night." Skating to Prince of Egypt (which he was told by his ice coach she didn't like it and that he shouldn't skate to it) Thomas commanded the floor and delivered the only error free performance of the night. At the conclusion of his performance, he was declared the national champion. He received a subsequent congratulations from World Champion Natalie Motley who he then told, "Thanks to you, I'm a National Champion. Thank you for this entire experience."