Gracie Gold, Ballerina on Ice

Let’s talk about Olympic figure-skating hopeful Gracie Gold, shall we?

OK, no, she’s not a dancer. But 18-year-old Gracie’s one of those rare skaters who’s more than just an athlete. In addition to nailing all her technical elements, she moves with balletic elegance, fluidity, and purity of line—elements that, while they don’t necessarily affect her final score, make her routines even more compelling (especially to us dance nerds).

Most ice skaters take ballet classes, and Gracie’s no exception: She revealed on “TODAY” yesterday that she still dons ballet slippers twice a week.

Here’s Gracie’s free skate routine from Saturday’s final round of the US Figure Skating Championships, where she earned her first national title. Gracie performs beautifully to a medley from The Sleeping Beauty, doing her best Aurora while also, you know, throwing off about a hundred triple jumps.

We’re rooting for you, Miss Gold! May your awesome name prove prophetic in Sochi.