Mars Area Middle School seventh-grader Hannah Lipchin was named a U.S. Figure Skating “Get Up Champion.” 

The annual award recognizes figure skaters who demonstrate grit, passion and perseverance to overcome adversity and to “Get Up” in the skating rink and in life.

In January 2020, Lipchin, a member of Robert Morris University Island Sports Center’s Steel City Blades synchronized skating team, sustained what could have been a career-ending patella fracture. Despite her injury, which placed her in a full leg cast, Lipchin continued to attend practices and to travel with her team.

After extensive physical therapy and training, she rejoined Steel City Blades as a cross-skater and as a member of both the Open Juvenile and Intermediate teams in August 2020 only to break her wrist in a fall on the ice. While she returned to the ice after only a week, her wrist brace prevented her from practicing jumps or connecting with her teammates.

“She kept her spirits high and did everything she could to continue to participate in the sport she loved,” Curry Mura, Pittsburgh Figure Skating Club president, wrote in a Facebook post recognizing Lipchin’s accomplishment. “(She) had a challenging 2020; but, through it all, she continued to ‘Get Up!’, maintaining a positive attitude and never giving up.”

For details, visit www.facebook.com/PittsburghFigureSkatingClub.