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Chicken Jockey figure skate routine goes viral
FOX 9's Maury Glover has the story on how a 10-year-old girl from Plymouth is going viral after she stole the show at a national figure skating competition.
PLYMOUTH, Minn. (FOX 9) - A young skater is being praised on the internet for her creativity and control.
'Fun to be myself on the ice'
Local perspective:
For Katarina Suemnig, figure skating is usually about being as graceful as a swan.
But a different kind of bird catapulted her to the top of the pecking order in her favorite sport.
'It fits the zeitgeist and it fits her'
The backstory:
Late last month, Katarina performed a routine at the US Figureskating National Showcase competition in the Detroit area wearing an inflatable chicken jockey costume on the ice.
The unusual outfit is a nod to a line from the Minecraft Movie.
But her poultry in motion not only wowed the crowd, it also won a gold and a bronze medal in the process.
"It feels weird to be in an inflatable chicken on ice, but it was actually really fun," said Suemnig.
When Katarina posted her performance on Instagram, the video went viral getting shared more than half a million times in less than a week.
People have also flocked to see the chicken jockey on TikTok as well, where it has nearly 14 million views and thousands of comments from across the globe.
"I think the chicken skating is really what's inside there. It's been really fun for the world now to see who I think she really is. A chicken on the ice," said Katarina's mom, Sarah Suemnig.
Restored faith in the internet
What they're saying:
Perhaps it’s fitting Katarina's routine was set to the song "Holding Out For A Hero" because to many who've seen her unbridled joy, that's exactly what she is.
"I'm really glad that I made a lot of people happy. I'm just excited that I can do that to people," said Suemnig.