SACRAMENTO, Calif. - St. Francis freshman Grace Hartman passed the Senior Moves in the Field test, the highest accomplishment in testing by U.S. Figure Skating and earning the U.S. Figure Skating gold medalist title. She will receive a gold certificate, a gold lapel pin and a congratulatory letter recognizing her accomplishment.

The test structure is the backbone of U.S. Figure Skating. Passing skill tests presided over by official judges advances the skater to the next level. Skaters test in moves in the field, free skating, pairs and ice dancing. As a skater advances, the tests become more difficult. The highest achievement in each discipline is passing the senior, also called "gold" test. When a skater passes a gold test, he or she earns the designation "U.S. Figure Skating gold medalist." 

Becoming a U.S. Figure Skating gold medalist is the culmination of many years of hard work and dedication to the sport. In a typical year, approximately 40,000 U.S. Figure Skating test levels are completed by athletes; of those, about 1,300, or 3 percent, are at the gold or senior level.

When an athlete passes the senior test, he or she receives a congratulatory letter from the president of U.S. Figure Skating, a gold certificate and a gold lapel pin to commemorate the accomplishment and is eligible to purchase the gold test medal and the U.S. Figure Skating gold medalist jacket. It is also an accomplishment that goes on the skater's permanent U.S. Figure Skating record and can be used on a resume or college application.