Above: Camden Pulkinen competes at Grand Prix de France. Photo credit: Getty Images
By Elvin Walker
Camden Pulkinen is no stranger to balancing the rigors of competing at the highest level in figure skating with life outside of the rink. The 24-year-old has spent the last two seasons as a full-time student in New York City at the prestigious Columbia University.
Earlier this year, Pulkinen finished on the podium for the first time at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Columbus, Ohio, earning the bronze medal and a trip to the World Championships. After finishing in 20th place in Montreal at those championships, Pulkinen headed back to New York to put the final touches on his studies en route to earning a bachelor’s degree in financial economics.
“Graduating college was a really fun experience but it was also sad because it is the end of a chapter,” he said. “There’s only one time when you really get to be a college student, and I am very happy that I had the opportunity.”
As he turned the page on his undergraduate studies, Pulkinen began to focus on the next phase of his life as part of the professional workforce. Though skating remains a top priority for the Arizona native, Pulkinen is also committed to his new role in corporate strategy at the financial giant, Capital One.
“After careful thought, I really wanted to find a way to prepare myself as best I can for the day when I retire from the sport,” he said. “I’m not quite ready to hang up my skates just yet — there is still more that I want to do. Just like I was juggling school and skating, I am now doing the same with a professional career.”
Pulkinen became part of the workforce on Aug. 12, the same day as U.S. Figure Skating’s annual Champs Camp began in Massachusetts, and just a day removed from his fourth-place finish at the Cranberry Cup International.
“It was a tough week flying between Boston and Washington, D.C.,” Pulkinen said. “I am understanding the role and my responsibilities even more now, and I am learning even more about myself as a result. I feel grateful to have this opportunity.”
One of the reasons why Pulkinen accepted the role at Capital One was the flexibility that it offered, allowing the pursuit for an Olympic team berth. The company asks for two to three days in the office per week, with Mondays and Fridays as work from home days. This arrangement has allowed Pulkinen to craft a schedule that supports success not only in the professional world but in the rink as well.
“It’s a pretty flexible environment,” he said. “As long as I am communicating with my team and let them know what I am doing, when I am available, and make my meetings, they are flexible. I am completely transparent with everything that I have outside of the office, and I appreciate that Capital One sees beyond the employee because we are more than the identity of who we are at work.”
Despite the flexible work schedule that Capital One offers, Pulkinen has still had to make some adjustments to his training. For starters, he is unable to travel to Lakewood, California, to work with Rafael Arutunian as he had in previous seasons due to logistical reasons. Pulkinen has, however, been able to continue working with his New York-based coach, Alex Johnson. Shae-Lynn Bourne has also taken a larger role in Pulkinen’s training beyond the choreographic duties she has filled the last couple of seasons.
“I am grateful to have Alex as a support at this time in my career. He did an internship in investment banking, and he understands the duality between working and skating,” Pulkinen explained. “I think with a coach who might not have gone through this or doesn’t have the insight into the day-to-day demands of balancing work and skating might have unrealistic expectations with regards to that balance. He has a lot of wisdom up his sleeve and I’m thankful that he’s on my team.
“Shae works with me whether it is in New York or from wherever she is in the world on Zoom. I am using technology to bolster my skating with her — I will send her a video of my free program and have her give feedback. It’s an easy way to get a lot of the value that Shae adds to my skating.”
Pulkinen admits that some have questioned his decision to step out into the daily grind of full-time employment instead of focusing wholly on skating, but he says that he has heard all of that before. His desire to balance his two worlds may be grueling at times, but in the end, Pulkinen knows without uncertainty that he is doing what is right for him at this point in his life.
“When I decided to go to Columbia, there were some who said that I was making a mistake — that you only get to skate once,” he said. “I ended up earning my first senior medals when I went to college. I’ve learned that these two passions are not mutually exclusive. I don’t have to sacrifice everything for skating, and you can have success in school or in the professional career outside of the rink while skating. Everything that I am doing right now is for me, and as long as I have sight of what my purpose for being on the ice is, I feel confident that I will deliver.”
Despite the amount of swirl in his life at the moment, Pulkinen has not put the brakes on pushing his technical capabilities. Though he is mum about what he has in store for the season, the World team member hopes to shake things up this season.
“We’re going to try to put a little more content into my programs and if it works out that it is not ready for the Grand Prix, we’ll push back the plan to hopefully add it by the U.S. Championships,” he said. “I feel much more prepared mentally this season, and I am ready to execute under the circumstances. I’m ready and I’m excited.”
Pulkinen finished in 11th place at Grand Prix de France in Angers last month, falling short of his goal of improving upon his fifth-place finish from a year ago.
“This experience at Grand Prix de France did not go the way that I wanted, however I learned quite a bit about myself and am looking forward to training for Finland,” he said after the event.
Pulkinen will be looking to improve his standing this weekend at the Finlandia Trophy, the penultimate event of this season’s Grand Prix Series. For a full schedule, results and more, visit the Grand Prix Series Competition Central.
