On Aug. 4, Gianna Porcek, 9, of Boonton Twp., won the gold medal in figure skating at the 2011 California State Games of America competition.
Almost 1,000 of the athletes competed in figure skating events. Gianna skated against competitors from Delaware, California, Arkansas, Pennsylvania and Washington in the Preliminary Silver Girls Freestyle Test Track event and was able to persevere and place first and win the gold medal.
Gianna's love of skating started at the early age of 4 and she practices throughout the week at Mennen Arena in Morristown to continue to sharpen and expand her skating skills. She has participated in over 30 competitive events over the course of five years and has earned 23 gold medals to date.
She attributes a large part of her success to her coach Janet Hauspurg, and her mother Georgana De Lillo-Porcek who finds the time to fit all of the skating lessons in and support her throughout her skating and other endeavors.
Gianna will be a fourth-grade student this fall at the Peck School in Morristown and is able to fit in piano, gymnastics, ballet and theatre performances into her busy skating schedule.
The State Games of America, a property of the National Congress of State Games and a grass roots program of the United States Olympic Committee, is a national sport event for athletes of all ages and skill levels. Twenty-three sports were represented this year. Annually, more than 400,000 athletes compete in 48 State Games nationwide and must win a medal in their State Game event to earn the right to compete in the National State Game Event.
The State Game concept was developed in 1978 in New York with the Empire State Games and is hosted each year in various states. This year the event was hosted by California, where San Diego welcomed over 10,000 athletes and 30,000 spectators.
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