EAST AURORA, N.Y. — An East Aurora native has paired her passion for skating and dancing into a chance for Olympic gold.

"It’s been a really long journey to get to this place and just being able to hear our names being announced to the Olympic team, it’s been so humbling," said Kaitlin Hawayek, an Olympic ice dancer.

For her, it’s been a journey of more than 20 years, since she began skating at 3 years old.

"I think that a big part of the intrigue with figure skating was the artistry side to it," Kaitlin said. "I started skating around the same time I started dancing off the ice."

Kaitlin combined those two passions — and by the time she was 12 or 13, she was firmly focused on ice dancing and competing at a high level. 

"She’s such a determined person," said Jon Hawayek, Kaitlin's father. "Once she puts her mind to something, there’s no stopping her."

So with her skating career on the rise, and with the support of her parents, she began commuting from home in Western New York to train in Detroit, Michigan. Eventually, that led to her moving away full-time as a high schooler. 

"We were concerned," said Kirstin Hawayek, Kaitlin's mother. "Like, you miss those rites of passage as a teenager, right? Going to homecoming and the prom and those things. And her response was always, but look what I’m doing. I get to travel internationally. I get to go to all these different countries."

"But honestly, my passion for skating has always been the driving force," Kaitlin said. "It never seems like a sacrifice because I get to do what I love every day and it feels very rewarding in that sense."

And she’s reaped the rewards of her dedication. For the past 10 years, she’s been partnered with Jean-Luc Baker. Together, the pair has traveled the world honing their craft. As she calls it — a marriage — without being married. 

"He’s my best friend," Kaitlin said. "And I think that’s something really unique that you can say that out of your job, you have made a relationship that I know will never go away."

The duo’s efforts have resulted in major success, including a bronze medal at the United States Championships and qualifying for the Olympics in Beijing. The culmination of a dream decades in the making. 

"When we see them walking in with the rest of the athletes with our flag and everything, it will be very special and I’m sure very emotional," said Jon.

"I’m so used to seeing it on a screen," Kaitlin said. "I wonder what it will look like from my eyes. And that’s a really cool thing to contemplate, actually being inside the Olympic venue and walking throughout all the other athletes."

No matter what happens, it will be a golden opportunity of a lifetime.

Because of COVID-19 restrictions, Kaitlin's parents and family will not be able to watch her in person in Beijing, but they'll be rooting her on from back home. 

And there are a lot of restrictions that every U.S. athlete has to follow while they're in Beijing. The U.S. Olympic team says all of its more than 200 athletes are fully vaccinated.

That is helpful since China requires a three-week quarantine period for any unvaccinated person to enter the country. All athletes needed two negative COVID tests before flying to China.

There are also cultural considerations.

Athletes are encouraged not to engage in any kind of protest or demonstration, especially criticizing China's human rights record, for fear they could be prosecuted.

The U.S. Olympic Committee also encouraged athletes to bring "burner" cell phones with them because of concerns that their personal information could be compromised.