She may spend two hours a day — every day — on ice, but Crystal Nguyen is very clear about what she hopes to experience when she makes her first visit to New York next month.

"I want to see snow," Nguyen said. "I've never actually played in snow."

Nguyen, 13, will likely accomplish that goal — Lake Placid in December is as good a place as any to find snow — thanks to her first-place finish in the Silicon Valley Open, one of nine regional competitions that determine the field for the U.S. Junior National Figure Skating Championships.

The spirited skater from Cathedral Catholic Academy placed first in the Intermediate Ladies division and second overall — not bad for a young skater who, at the moment at least, does not have a coach on the island.

Nguyen spends two to three weeks each year on the Mainland refining her skills with U.S. Figure Skating coaches like Frank Carroll. The rest of the year, she's left to practice on her own at the Ice Palace at Stadium Mall.

"If there's a problem, I just think back to what my coaches on the Mainland told me and I figure it out," Nguyen said.

Nguyen first took to the ice at age 6, with a cousin, and it was love at first glide.

"She had so much fun that she wanted to go back all the time," said Nguyen's mother, Ha Tran.

First came group lessons, then individual instruction. After a year, it was apparent to anyone who cared to notice that Nguyen had special ability.

She entered competitions and accumulated awards and recognitions to the point where the next logical step was high-level expert instruction. She took her first trip to California to work with U.S. Figure Skating coaches when she was just 9.

The instruction, plus her own resolve to master the sport, has been apparent in her steady progress over the years.

In her first appearance at the Central Pacific Regionals, Nguyen placed last. The next year, she moved up to No. 9. Last year, she placed fifth, just missing the cut to go to the U.S. Junior Nationals.

This year, Nguyen was confident that she could take the next step — even if that next "step" required extended time above the ice.

Nguyen is one of an elite group of intermediate skaters capable of executing a double-axel, a highly athletic jump in which the skater does 2 1/2 revolutions in the air.

"I feel confident when I compete because I know that I have that as a weapon," Nguyen said. "A lot of times, I know I'm going to win because no one else can do it."

One of Nguyen's favorite skating moments came during this year's regionals, when she executed a picture perfect double axel, drawing a roar from the crowd.

"I've probably improved on my jumps more than anything," she said. "I wasn't consistent before, but now I am. Now, I want to improve on my spinning. I need to get faster."

Nguyen's singular focus amazes even her parents, who have long resigned themselves to life on the chilly sidelines.

"She's told us that she loves it so much, she'd rather die than stop," Tran said. "She has a really strong personality, and my husband and me have surrendered. We support her if this is what she wants to do."

Tran and husband Dung Nguyen do have their guidelines, of course. Studies come first, then skating. If Nguyen's grades dip, she's off the ice.

But that has never been a problem. Nguyen is an exceptional student, even if she sometimes feels isolated on campus.

"At school, I don't have that many friends," she said. "I'm not a popular one. But in skating, if people know that you're a good skater, they like to talk to you."

Nguyen will have plenty of opportunity to gab when she reunites with friends and friendly rivals at the Junior Nationals next month.

An informed competitor, Nguyen keeps track of intermediate skating scores from events around the country. She estimates that her average score may be good enough for third place, possibly higher if conditions are right.

And now would be a good time to face the rapidly developing Nguyen.

She's been working overtime to add another weapon to her arsenal: a triple axel.

"I'm not there yet," she said. "I still have to get it all the way around."

If and when she does, the competition may want to take a snow day.