From Students to Sochi: Polina Edmunds has put the "it" back into Mitty

SAN JOSE, Calif. — A week before 15-year-old figure skater Polina Edmunds took to the ice at the U.S. Nationals in Boston last month, her outer world at Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) was sparse.

"Outside of her inner circle, I'd say there were about a dozen people at school who even knew she skated," Mitty director of communication and girls soccer coach J.T. Hanley said.

As a 5-foot-4 sophomore and weighing not even 100 pounds, Edmunds didn't exactly stand out in a crowd. Not like, say, 6-9 Aaron Gordon, one of the nation's most recognizable college freshman basketball players, who walked the Mitty halls for four seasons before heading to Arizona.

"To be honest, just at a first glance, there's nothing that stands out," Hanley said. "Outside of her friends, few if any had any clue who she was."

But after a near flawless performance in Boston that earned her second place and a spot on the 2014 Olympic team, Edmunds has clued everyone in.

There's much that stands out. 

Two weeks after being named to the team, more than 1,500 — students, teachers, San Jose dignitaries and alums — filled Mitty's gymnasium to give Edmunds a send-off she would not soon forget. Among the famous former students were two iconic female Olympic athletes, Brandi Chastain and Kerri Walsh-Jennings, who gave entertaining and inspirational speeches.

"Everything you need is already inside of you," Walsh-Jennings, a three-time Olympic beach volleyball gold medalist, said.

Chastain, who gave Edmunds an Olympic pin from the 1996 Games when she led USA soccer team to a gold medal, said "Good luck, but be fearless."

Beyond the speeches, there were giant red, white and blue posters, chants of "USA," musical slideshows, inspirational songs and an absolutely raucous "I believe" cheer led by Student Body President Michael Lehr and 20 or so "Team Polina" students — all clad in bright red sweatshirts.

See the MaxPreps "From Students to Sochi" homepage, with links to more Olympics content

Beyond the words and cheers and song, the school and community pride was palpable. It felt more like a revival or religious experience than a pep rally and all of it was captured by television cameras from every Bay Area media outlet. And probably 1,000 cell phones on top of that. 

In one three-week span, this tiny, unknown 10th grader — with her vast but unknown skating kills — had put the "it" in Mitty. She was and is currently the "it" girl at a place few knew she even existed.

Hanley, who took dozens of interview requests for Gordon over the years, said it was nothing compared to the onslaught for Edmunds.

See the MaxPreps Beyond the X feature on Gordon, entitled "Aaron Gordon's last stand"

"With Aaron, it was a gradual buildup over four years," he said. "By his senior year, it was a lot of attention. But this. …. this has been absolutely crazy. She went from nothing media-wise to absolutely everything. Everyone wanted a piece of her.

"National high school basketball attention and coverage is one thing. But global Olympic coverage? In perhaps its most prestigious and marquee event? Again, crazy."

Dealing with fame

Edmunds' social ascent was magnified because most didn't see her as an Olympic threat for another four years. She was a star at the national junior level, but Boston was her first senior-level competition.

She is the first female American skater in 50 years to soar from junior champion to Olympian in one year. In fact, her senior international debut will be in Sochi.

The million-dollar question is how has she dealt and how will she deal with the meteoric rise in fame.

By all accounts, thus far, flawlessly. Just like her performance on the ice.

At her send-off, speaking with the media and sitting between Chastain and Walsh-Jennings, the composed Edmunds admitted that it was a bit overwhelming.

"I definitely wasn't expecting all this," she said. "Not at all."

When she addressed the student body, however, Edmunds was grateful, humbled and composed. She appeared to have just the right human tone.

"This is really crazy right now," she said. "I'm shaking. … I've been working at this so hard and so long and now I'm going to the Olympics. It means so much to me to have you guys supporting me and being behind me.

"When I was named to the team and I came back to Mitty, everyone was so enthusiastic and that made me so excited. Thank you for that."

See a photo gallery from Edmunds' send-off ceremony

Her dad John Edmunds, a CFO of a computer software company in Santa Clara, said the extra attention at school before leaving for Sochi hadn't affected her. He said he and his wife Nina, a former skate instructor from Russia, weren't equipped to home school Polina like most competitive figure skaters. Besides that, Polina enjoys social interaction. She doesn't appear intimidated by it.

"She really enjoys the school and her friends," he said. "The school blocks off time for her in the morning to practice, so she can do most of her school work in the afternoon."

Tall grass

John Edmunds didn't realize that Walsh-Jennings and Chastain were Mitty graduates, and it certainly wasn't why the family chose the private school, which has a strong history in female athletics.

When he found out at the sendoff that Walsh-Jennings and Chastain were former students at the school, he told Polina: "You're really in the tall grass now. Those two are monuments in their sports."

Chastain, known best for her game-winning penalty kick in the 1999 World Cup and subsequent celebration, said Polina's maturity stands out.

"I'm not sure as a sophomore in high school I could handle all this with the grace and maturity as she has," Chastain said. "She wasn't afraid at all to step up to that microphone. … At the Olympics, you have to remain fearless. It's a big world event and there's so many things to take care of. You want to be able to enjoy it.

"Maturity-wise, she is way beyond her years."

Hanley said Polina's parents must have a lot to do with that. He said they've been a joy to work with and despite the "white hot" attention and demands, they have maintained poise and grace which has helped keep things "from spinning out of control."

Polina's ability to focus and stay in the moment, Hanley said, is uncanny.

"I noticed that right away about her – even before all of this Olympic news," he said. "She's very engaged when people speak with her. Whether it's eating pizza, or laughing with friends or in the classroom, she's very engaged. She looks you in the eye. I imagine that helps her with choreography and in her routines. She can block out all of the distractions and just focus. Be in the moment."

It's helped she's been on skates since 20 months old and taken lessons at 2 ½. Her mom's skating influence was profound and her current coach David Glynn said Polina is strong combination of work horse and artist. He's not surprised she's an Olympian at such a young age.

Polina takes the ice Feb. 19 in the ladies single competition. Another 15-year-old, Russian Yulia Lipnitskaya, has taken the Sochi Olympics by storm thus far and Tara Lipinski, then 15, won gold over favored Michelle Kwan in 1998.

So 15 might be the magic number. 

"She is a relentless worker and a beautiful skater," Glynn said. "She is light and delicate while doing the hardest technical parts. It's difficult to skate with speed and power and look like a ballerina. But that's Polina."