Katie Lee, 15, granddaughter of Bill and Woody Gehrhardt of Mineola, recently earned the title of Midwestern Figure Skating Champion at the US Figure Skating Association's Midwestern Sectional Competition.

Katie is the current Minnesota State Champion and, by winning this competition, advances to the State Farm US National Championships.

Katie skated against a field of the top 13 skaters in the Midwest. Skating to the music of Debussy, Katie skated a strong technical program and placed second. She then went on to place first among a majority of the judges in her freeskate program to earn the championship title.

Her next competition will be the National Championships, where she will skate against Michelle Kwan, Nicole Bobek, and a field of 20 of the nation's best skaters.