The Winter Olympics are in full swing and one New Jersey teenager is among those glued to the TV – watching with big dreams of someday being there.
Joel Parsons is a figure skater. News 12 saw Parsons landing a triple Salchow on the frozen Wildwood beach.
"My hands were so cold. I could barely even tie my skates. But the ice was pretty thick and [I was] able to do triples on it…It was like endless ice. It seems like miles of ice and it was really fun,” says Parsons.
The 16-year-old Ewing resident first started skating when he was 8 years old.
"My ultimate goal is to one day be on the international selection pool. So, I could be sent to international competitions all around the world…Maybe one day I make it to the Olympics,” he says.
Parsons trains five or six days a week at Ice Works in Pennsylvania. Misha Medunytsia is Parson’s coach - and a world-class skater himself.
"He is always trying his best, not only to prove for himself, but also to prove for everyone around,” says Medunytsia.
Parsons says one of his favorite skaters right now is Isabeau Levito, an 18-year-old from Mount Holly who won the U.S. National Title in 2023.