BREMERTON — It’s easy for youth figure skater and Gordon Elementary student Sydney Halady, 10, to determine how many events in which she’s competed on the ice.

She just has to count up the medals she’s won.

In her short career thus far as a skater, Halady has accumulated at least one medal from each event in cities from Seattle to Vancouver, Wash. to Sherwood, Ore. to Tacoma.

For the record, that’s seven golds, two silvers and a bronze.

However, like all great young athletes, Sydney had a moment in which she wanted nothing to do with her sport. Hers happened to be during her initial attempts on the ice.

“I didn’t like it,” she said of skating. “I was so unsteady and it was really hard.”

But a new pair of skates and some group lessons at the Bremerton Ice Arena changed all that for the figure skater. She’s competed for just under two years.

She’s already moved from the “basic” level of skating into the more competitive “freestyle” level in the Ice Skating Institute (ICI). The higher her ability, the longer her routine, which is currently around one minute and four seconds. While on the ice, she weaves into her performance the many moves of her skating repertoire, such as inside and outside edges, spirals, lunges and crossovers.

The field of competition is small at her age, with the biggest group in which she’s skated against being five youths thus far. Nonetheless, the benefit of having a rather intimate pool of competitors has been getting to make new friends, she said.

“When we get all done, we all get along,” Halady commented. “They’re all great skaters.”

Halady’s favorite aspect of skating would make her school teachers proud — the learning.

“It’s just fun,” she said. “I like learning more and more and I get better. My goal is to get into U.S. figure skating and go to nationals.”

Her interest in skating first blossomed watching the Olympics, especially U.S. figure skater Michelle Kwan.

It was Sydney’s inquisitive attitude toward the sport that made her a good skater at first, said her mother, Sharon Halady.

“She wanted to know about this and that,” Sharon said. “She was asking all these questions, until (Bremerton coach) Brenda (Peterson) finally came to me and said, ‘Have you thought about private lessons?’”

The Haladys now send Sydney to Bremerton for practice four times a week, though in July, when ice maintenance is performed, they’ll have to travel to the east side of the Sound for her to lace up the skates. They’re extremely thankful, however, that the Bremerton facility has survived its financial problems. Without it, they doubt she’d be able to continue the sport on a consistent basis.

They’ve also been pleased with Sydney’s progress under her coach, fellow Poulsbo resident Peterson.

“She’s been my coach ever since I started group lessons,” Sydney said. “She’s a great coach and we get along great. She pushes you but that’s good — the more you push, the better you get.”

Skating may seem like a non-contact, non-physical sport, but Sydney will be the first to tell you that doesn’t mean there’s not a certain degree of pain involved. A cut chin, many a bruised knee and a cracked tail bone have all been results in her young career.

Nonetheless, it has all been worth it, she commented.

“I love skating. It makes me happy,” she said. “And my family really supports me.”

While competing, each moment Sydney is on the ice is heart wrenching for her mother.

“I can’t breathe,” Sharon said. “For about one minute and 10 seconds, you just hold your breath and pray.”

Unlike her mother, Sydney revels in the pressure on the ice.

“When I get nervous,” she said, “It helps me to do better.”