Jessica Mills Kincade was a mere child when her grandmother took her to a skating rink near her home in Northern Chicago. 

“I just stood at the edge of the ice with my mouth open watching (the figure skaters),” the 35-year-old former World Junior Figure Skating Champion recalled. “I thought it was so glamorous. I remember seeing all the bright lights and pretty costumes.”

DONOVAN DEFERRARO | Voice-Tribune Jessica Mills Kincade posed with some of her figure skating students at Iceland Sports complex.		DONOVAN DEFERRARO | Voice-Tribune

Kincade, who now coaches figure skating in Louisville,  also remembers quickly becoming hooked on a sport that has attracted millions of viewers to NBC’s coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. 

The numbers don’t surprise Kincade, who says people tune in to watch for one simple reason: “It’s fun.” That’s also why some individuals opt to compete. Plus, she added, “It’s really good exercise and it’s challenging. If you persevere, it’s really rewarding because (figure skating) is very hard.” 

Competitors don’t get the luxury of pacing themselves when performing a routine. 

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“Once the music starts, you’re on,” Kincade said. And as if that weren’t enough, “On top of all the strength and endurance, you have to smile.”

Kincade grew up in a family of athletes. Her oldest brother, Nathaniel Mills, was a three-time Olympian in long track speed skating. Sister Phoebe Mills was a bronze medalist in the 1988 Olympics on the balance beam.  She was the first American gymnast to win a medal in a non-boycotted Olympics. Sister Hilary Mills Linehan and brother Lucas Mills were also world-class speed skaters. Her father, Christopher Mills, was a national amputee ski champion, and her mother, Susan Mills, was on four varsity teams in high school. Both of Kincade’s parents are competitive golfers today.  

“We did (speed skating) as a family,” recalled Kincade, who would go on to become the 1990 national short track speed skating champion in the junior women’s age group

At the age of 9, Kincade convinced her parents to allow her to move to Wisconsin on her own to train as a figure skater. 

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“It really wasn’t hard. I don’t have any memories of being sad about it. I just really loved what I was doing.” For the next 12 years, Kincade moved from state to state to train with various coaches. The hard work paid off. 

During her career, Kincade became a two-time regional figure skating champion, a national silver medalist in the sport, and a bronze medalist at Skate Canada, where she represented the United States Figure Skating Team. Her highest achievement was becoming the 1989 World Junior Champion.

“I stopped competing at 22 (because) I needed to walk away from the life of a figure skater,” said Kincade, who went on to earn a fashion design degree from Marymount University in Virginia. For nearly a decade, she worked as a merchandiser for Natori, a lingerie company, in New York City. Lured by the appeal of a lower cost of living, Kincade and her husband, Andrew “Dewey” Kincade, a Louisville native, moved to the River City last fall with their 7-month-old daughter, Penelope. 

“We’re both kind of starting over and starting fresh. Louisville is a good place to do that,” Kincade said. 

The move also prompted Kincade to step back into the world of skating, becoming a figure skating coach for the Louisville Skating Academy. 

“It’s a young club. My expectations weren’t that high because I knew figure skating wasn’t popular, but I’ve been impressed,” she said. “In another 10 years, I think (the academy) will have national recognition. Things are growing in the right direction.”

That passion for the sport is part of why Kincade is reaping high praise from her students’ parents. 

“Being very green to the sport of figure skating, I was unaware of the hidden gem that we found to coach, mentor and guide our children to fulfill their potential to become competitive figure skaters,” said Stacey Finster, whose children, Kate, 6, and Chase, 8, are under Kincade’s tutelage. “Jesse … is an amazing individual.” 

Being back on the ice as a coach has compelled Kincade to begin competing again, for now as a member of a synchronized skating team. The crew is headed to nationals in Minnesota in a few days, where they’ll skate to a medley of Lady GaGa tunes. 

“It’s rewarding to go back and compete where I don’t feel any pressure,” said Kincade. “It makes me want to skate again.” 

Learn to Skate

For more information about the Louisville Skating Academy, which is based at Iceland Sports complex, go to skatelouisville.org or call 415-0962. 

Contact writer Angie Fenton at TheDish@voice-tribune.com or 551-2698.