Sweat dripped down his forehead, trailing down his neck. 

His legs burned, and he was breathing heavily, but he kept pushing through the final seconds of his routine for the U.S. Junior Team Cup. 

One more jump. Stick the landing, and you’re in.

The lights blurred, the crowd roared and his mind was pacing. He launched himself mid-air, spinning arms tight. He landed, but his foot slipped too soon; he landed wrong. His body slammed into the ice — howls from every side of the crowd were louder than ever. He just lost his chance at an international assignment. 

Junior Nhat-Viet Nguyen has been skating for 12 years. He competes at the national level, representing Team USA and skates for the Dallas Figure Skating Club (DFSC). Nhat-Viet is a junior-level skater, which took 11 years to achieve. 

“Before every tournament, I take deep breaths and [envision] my [entire] program before I do it,” Nhat-Viet said. “I’m [always] grateful to be able to compete, andI always give it my all.”

In 2018, Nhat-Viet competed at his first national figure skating competition. He placed top three among hundreds of competitors. He said his love for the sport only grew from there.

“The first time I stepped on the ice, I fell instantly,” Nhat-Viet said. “Instead of crying, I laughed and got back up again. I was nervous but also excited to try something new.”

Nhat-Viet’s parents respected his decision to skate after noticing how closely he watched his brothers skate during their competitions. His mother, Gwen Tran, said she recognized this interest and enrolled him in skating classes.

“I noticed that he always watched his brothers skate,” Tran said. “I could tell he wanted to start, too. I warned him that it could be dangerous, but he insisted until he got his way.”

The age varies for DFSC junior-level skaters — Nhat-Viet is one of the youngest on the team. He had to outperform his teammates to receive spots in competitions, like the Midwestern sections in Michigan and the U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championship.

“I struggled a lot with spins since I’m not the most flexible person on the team,” Nhat-Viet said. “It took me twice as long to learn these moves, but I was motivated to compete.” 

During his sophomore year, Nhat-Viet experienced a stress fracture on his patella. The last tournament he was able to attend prior to his injury was the invitational U.S. Junior Team Cup, which decides international assignments. 

“I had already experienced [several] torn [muscles previously,] but this injury was one of the worst,” Nhat-Viet said. “I [kept] thinking ‘what if I can’t skate anymore?’ My fracture affected me physically and mentally.” 

Due to the severity of the injury, he lost a lot of training time leading him to miss several competitions including the 2024 U.S. National Qualifying Series competition.

“Missing that much time set me back a bunch,” Nhat-Viet said. “I had to rebuild from [the] ground up — strength, stamina, even confidence. That fall pushed me to take care of myself better, and remind[ed] me why I started skating in the first place. I knew the risks. 

Nhat-Viet spent four months doing physical therapy and stretching for his knee. Now, he takes a safer approach to his training; however, he continues to face ongoing obstacles. 

“I’m more careful now — I don’t push past my limit like before,” Nhat-Viet said. “I can’t jump the way I used to. Learning new jumps is really hard for me. I take breaks [more often] to help reset my mind.”

Nhat-Viet trains six days a week — 7 a.m. to 8 a.m., and 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m., then off-ice conditioning from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Nhat-Viet said his mother is his biggest motivator, and her hard work and effort is what keeps him going. 

“Even when he’s tired or frustrated, he shows up — and that motivates me to do the same,” Tran said. “He always has a smile on his face when times are rough. I’m very proud of him.”

Outside of skating, he has taken multiple AP classes and is a part of multiple honor societies and HOSA. Additionally, Nhat-Viet works as a skate instructor for younger children at DFSC.

“It’s not easy balancing skating and school,” Nhat-Viet said.“There are days I feel totally burned out, but I try to stay on top of things. I try to do most of my work in class and study at home.”

Nhat-Viet’s friend Riley Boyd said he sees his efforts firsthand. He said Nhat-Viet is the definition of being a student-athlete. 

“He’s really smart and studious, but more than that, he’s a kind and humble person,” Boyd said. “He always makes sure his friends [feel] seen and included. He holds himself accountable even if he’s busy.”

Because of his athletic background, Nhat-Viet plans to go through the pre-med path and become a sports medicine physician. DFSC has been able to connect him with college programs.

“Getting to do what I love is a whole different feeling out there, [especially] doing it for competition[s] and getting rewarded for it,” Nhat-Viet said. “It makes all the hard work I put in worth it and allows me to [continue] doing what I love for others.”