Valerie Whiting's winning spirit earns her "the gold"

   When she first stepped back onto the ice after a 20-year break from figure-skating, Valerie Whiting's passion for the sport was instantly rekindled. Valerie, a realtor and broker associate with Realty Executives in Lake Mary, has a determination and winning spirit that's as perfectly suited for skating as it is for her profession.

    As a teenager, Valerie was an avid ice-skater who trained and skated competitively for a number of years. A career highlight was touring with the Ice Capades at age 19.

   "Working with the Ice Capades was exciting - I traveled up and down the east coast for performances," Valerie says.

   Eventually Valerie packed away her skates as she started a family and focused on cultivating her successful real-estate career. But four years ago, she sharpened her blades and began training again at the RDV Sportsplex ice rink in Orlando. Valerie says she had to summon all her courage just to enter her first figure-skating competition after 26 years, but she did it.

   "The jumps were the most challenging part for me," says Valerie, who performed a number of "doubles" during the Florida Open competition in April.

   Not only did Valerie find the courage she needed to compete in her first adult competition, but her free-skate program earned her a gold medal!

   "I was so proud just to compete," says Valerie. "The medal was a bonus for me."

   Valerie stays very busy. In addition to her dedication to her children, skating, and career, Valerie's previous pursuits include launching a bathing suit and activewear clothing line (she still sews all her own skating outfits!) and a stint at bodybuilding.

   These days Valerie spends what little spare time she has working with middle-schoolers at Northland Community Church's popular youth group program called LUG (Living Under Grace). The church also offers a similar program for high school students.

   "The bottom line is that I just want to be a good example for my kids," she says.

   Valerie's two children are no doubt inspired by their mother's drive and determination. Parker, her 9-year-old son, enjoys soccer and skateboarding, while 11-year-old Allie has a passion for dancing and academics - she is enrolled in her school's pre-International Baccalaureate program and was recently awarded for her high grade-point average.

   Her children, professional contacts, and skating colleagues would agree that Valerie is truly an inspiration to everyone she meets...after all, she has the gold medal to prove it.