BOSTON — The last time Katie Mulvaney was at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, she was a "flower sweeper" in Salt Lake City, gathering bouquets and stuffed animals tossed onto the Delta Center ice for the nation's elite skaters.
What a difference two years makes.
At Nationals here this week, the 14-year-old from East Millcreek will take her place among the athletes, now that her days of picking up after other skaters are over.
"When we got the call, we were jumping up and down, screaming," says Katie's mother, Carolyn Mulvaney. "And then we were, like, 'Oh no. We only have 10 days.' "
Mulvaney, the second alternate at her sectional qualifying competition held in November, was invited to compete when two of the competitors who placed above her pulled out with last-minute injuries.
And though she won't be skating against the likes of iconic Michelle Kwan just yet — Mulvaney will compete in the Junior Ladies division — the complex, diminutive teen says she hopes to capitalize on the chance to perform, and to begin the all-important process of establishing herself with judges.
It takes only seconds into a conversation with Mulvaney to realize she is serious about her goals, her potential and hard work. She reflects modestly on her "pretty good year," which included three competition wins in Arizona, Texas and Nevada on her way to her first appearance at Nationals.
She talks openly about training for the 2006 Olympic Games and the work she'll have to do to make it there. She admits she has sacrificed relationships with friends, vacations with family and typical ninth-grade fun to pursue her dreams, and that she's all right with that.
"My 9-year-old sister gets more phone calls than I do," Mulvaney said with a wry smile. "And it's like that every night. She's more hip than me.
"I know I've sacrificed friends and all that for skating," she continues, more seriously now. "But I don't mind. I can come here and be free. If I've had a bad day, I can come skate and forget about it. It's like my second home."
That "second home" comes with a price tag — her parents estimate they invest between $25,000 and $28,000 annually on ice time, coaches, travel and other expenses. But for Carolyn, a schoolteacher, and dad Mike, owner of the Sign Factory, their burden is made lighter when they see their daughter's love for the sport.
"At this point, we couldn't make her quit if we wanted to," Mike said. "But we don't want to. It's what she loves."
Even so, Mulvaney has back-ups in case her plan to succeed Tara what's-her-name doesn't pan out — she wouldn't mind being a coach, or a sports psychologist.
And in the competition this week, Mulvaney is at once optimistic and realistic.
"I have nothing to lose," she said. "I'm just going to make this trip fun, treating it like any other competition. Just ice, and judges.
"I'm excited," she said, flashing a grin. "My credential won't say 'flower sweeper' anymore. It'll say 'competitor.' I like that."
E-MAIL: jnii@desnews.com