Hoping to fulfill a dream
Susan D. Russell, International Figure Skating
June 2005

Bradley Santer spent 18 months training in the United States, but after returning to Australia for nationals last July, he decided Sydney was where he wanted to be. "I was weighing up the positives and the negatives - I was really enjoying training overseas but I was homesick and I realized I was training better at home." He is now also training with Galina Pachin.

Santer placed 13th at 2005 Four Continents, a result he was not happy with. "I felt I was more prepared and was training better than ever before so it was very disappointing for me to skate the way I did," he said.

Following Four Continents, Santer sat down with his coach and an international judge to go over the elements of his programs and decide what needed to be changed or improved. "I know that I will be working hard on the transitions," he said. "I have taken out the triple Axel as it was not consistent enough to have it in my programs at this point."

"I skate because I love it," said Santer. "It is something I always want to do. The Olympics have always been my goal but not my driving force. To represent Australia is the pinnacle of my dream and...I am willing to sacrifice everything to realize that dream."

Santer is in his final year of political science at Acquire University in Sydney and will attend law school in 2006.