FALL 2021 | 17 STUDENT SPOTLIGHT JAZZMYN FOSTER Jazzmyn Foster is a Kutztown University senior set to graduate in Fall 2022 with a degree in Sport Management. She is a student and an athlete, but she’s not on any of the sports teams at Kutztown. Jazzmyn is an accomplished inline skater that went to Worlds this past November in Ibague, Columbia. The Inline Skating World Championships 2021 gathered the best skaters in the world to compete in Columbia. Despite having to find a balance between school and skating, Jazzmyn works hard to reach her dreams. Jazzmyn started skating when she was a child with the influence of both her parents and her brother, who are also involved in Inline Skating. They left the decision to participate in the sport up to her, but she ultimately decided that she was interested. She fell in love with the sport and continued with it until college. She took a step back her freshman year, but right before the pandemic, she connected with a new coach that helped renew her love for the sport. When Jazzmyn first came to Kutztown University, she enrolled as a biology major. She didn’t realize that she was meant to study Sport Management until her First Year Seminar professor, Dr. Lottes, talked about the major in her class. Jazzmyn realized that this major would allow her to connect to her sport long after she has finished competing. She wants to use her degree to coach future skaters. Between school and skating, Jazzmyn has a lot to juggle, but there are a few things that ground her. Before a competition, Jazzmyn always seeks out music. When she’s on a team, they all listen to music together, dance, and stretch before the race. When she’s trying to relax after a big test or stressful day of classes, Jazzmyn turns to playing her guitar. As another way to distress, Jazzmyn edits video footage from her races into videos. It allows her to focus on something that isn’t skating directly, but that is still related to the sport she loves. While at Worlds, Jazzmyn competed almost every day. She competed in the 200-meter time trail, 500 meters + D (distance), the 3K relay, 100 meter drag race and the 1 lap. In each race, she placed somewhere in the middle, but her highest rank was 14th in both the 500 meters +D and the 100-meter drag race. Though her team didn’t make the final relay, they all worked hard to place in a competition with the world’s best skaters. Even though this was Jazzmyn’s 4th World Competition, it still felt like a new experience. There was more pressure for Jazzmyn because she “was the top sprinter for the Senior ladies” on her team. But even though she was under a lot of pressure, she still had fun. One of her favorite moments was when she had two races on the same day. Jazzmyn was worried because of all the waiting between races she had to do, because the anticipation can be worse than the actual race, but she mentioned that she “stayed calm, recovered as quick as I could after each race and ran my hardest in each race.” Jazzmyn is back at school now, which is an adjustment all its own. She must return to focusing on school and finishing all the work that she’s missed. After she graduates, Jazzmyn wants to move to Utah to focus on participating in the 2026 Winter Olympics.
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