Standing less than three feet tall, Maddie Allen glides to the center of the ice skating rink, her curly blond tresses spilling down from a sparkling tiara adorned with miniature yellow roses.

“Beauty and the Beast” — Allen’s accompanying music — starts, and this five-year-old pixie from Altoona begins to spin with the precision of a jewelry-box ballerina, carefully executing jumps and twists she has memorized through countless hours of training at the Des Moines Figure Skating Club.

At the tender age of five, Allen was the youngest competitor at the Iowa Games figure skating competition on Saturday.

She has only been skating for a year, and placed fifth in the low beginner freeskate event, held at the Ames/ISU Ice Arena.

“It’s fun to watch on TV,” Allen said of her favorite sport, mentioning she especially enjoys watching Sarah Hughes, the 2002 Olympic champion.

At this age, skaters like Allen have not yet begun to feel the intense pressure of competition.

They’re still in it for the fun, said Allen’s coach, Jenny Liu of Des Moines.

“If they’re older, they get more nervous,” Liu said. “When they’re little, they’re more carefree.”

Like Allen, Donna Beltrame of Iowa Falls competed Saturday afternoon for the pure thrill of skating, the simple joy of flying breathlessly across an open rink.

At the age of 49, Beltrame was the oldest skater of the Iowa Games competition. She has been skating competitively for the past three years.

“I had skated as a youth recreationally,” Beltrame said. “I’m having fun learning new moves. It’s also great exercise.”

After finishing her program tuned to “A Mother’s Prayer” with an enormous grin etched across her face, Beltrame said her skate was, “OK. I still need to practice.” And practice she does.

Beltrame drives more than an hour each day from Iowa Falls to Ames and back again to train at the Ames Figure Skating Club.

Beltrame said she is extremely happy the Iowa Games has added figure skating to its summer lineup of events.

This is the first year the event has taken place in the summer, due to an increased interest in the sport, said Kitley Rainwater, figure skating commissioner for the Iowa Games.

Rainwater said it’s a place for skaters of all ages to have fun.

It’s also a place for fresh, undiscovered talent to emerge.

At the age of six, Lilly Keneko of Ames was the second- youngest figure skater of the competition.

As poised and solemn as a miniature Michelle Kwan, Keneko skated nearly flawlessly, her black ponytail flying behind her, and placed second in the low basic beginner event.

It was her first competition.

As the silver medal was placed around her neck, Keneko clutched a pink rose and accepted her prize as nobly as any Olympic veteran.

It’s still too early to tell what the future holds for these talented little girls who soared fearlessly across the ice Saturday on one-fourth of one inch blades.

During the Iowa Games competition, they were just worried about having fun.