Former Seeley Lake Montana Teen Skater Ranked No. 1 in the World

From the Lion's Club pond in Seeley Lake to the Missoula Figure Skating Club to a world stage.

This is a story of overcoming hardships from birth to achieve goals that many might think would seem unattainable. But that is not who Dacia Laconte is. It is also a story of love - love from family and love of sport, and an iron will that let her skate right into her newly-discovered wheelhouse.

Odell Isaac of the Colorado Springs CO Gazette wrote an amazing story about 16-year-old Dacia, who moved from Seeley Lake to Colorado Springs at the age of 11. By the time she was 3, she had started figure skating and competing by the age of 7 at the Missoula Figure Skating Club.

It was what happened at birth that makes her accomplishments even more phenomenal.

It took 13 years for Dacia's brain injury to be properly figured out. She has no noticeable disability, moving and speaking normally. She says most people don't know about her condition unless she tells them.

And they would not know while watching her on the ice.

Fast forward to where Dacia Laconte is today. She attends school and trains for what is known as inclusive skating, a program that offers recreational and competitive avenues for skaters with physical and intellectual disabilities.

But she does not qualify for the Special Olympics or Paralympics. If she wanted to compete, it had to be against able-bodied athletes.

So how well has Danica embraced this new sport? Well, undoubtedly this story's headline gave that away. Spoiler alert aside, we congratulate Danica Laconte, the 2022 and 2023 Junior Ladies Inclusive World Champion, currently the world’s No. 1 ranked Junior Inclusive Lady! She looks forward to defending her title at the 2024 world championships to be held in the United Kingdom in April.

If you love inspiring sports stories with roots in Montana, this is one to explore further.