EULESS, TX (Nexstar) — Figure skater Tim Dolensky is known for nailing big jumps, and knows how to hit the high notes off the ice. And he says his musical background coould help him make the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.

Dolensky, 25, started skating lessons after a first grade field trip to an ice rink, and started music lessons around the same time.

“I definitely think piano for me was more of an outlet for stress,” said Dolensky.

As time went on, Dolensky discovered he was good at both and decided to blend his talents. In 2011, as a junior skater he performed to the song, Windfall, he composed himself.

Dolensky skated to his own music again as a senior skater in 2014.

“I feel like a musical education really helps you bring out nuances and just trains your ear to really listen to every little detail,” Dolensky said.

His coach, Peter Cain, says Dolensky’s musical talent shines through in his skating.

“He’s very lyrical on the ice, and he’s a great athlete,” Cain said. “He’s a big jumper.”

Dolensky, who is from Kennesaw, Georgia, just moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth area earlier this year to train at a new rink. He says he was on the brink of quitting the sport prior to the move, and needed a positive change.

Dolensky is gunning for the number three spot on the men’s Olympic team, and knows he has his work cut out.

“One of the things that I tell myself is you have to do your stuff,” Dolensky said. “You know that’s kind of what it boils down to — you have to do your stuff in the moment.”

Dolensky just wrapped up a national qualifying competition in Boston, and then it’s onto training for nationals in January. That’s where he will find out if he’ll be skating for gold in South Korea.

See Timothy Dolensky’s skate to his own music at the 2011 ISU JGP Volvo Cup.