S is for Skating

When I was two, all I wanted for Christmas was a pair of skates. When I got downstairs on Christmas morning, I saw the little package waiting for me. I opened up the box and... there they were: my first pair of beautiful, white, shiny figure skates! When my mom took me out to the out door rink, the minute I set foot on the ice, I was in a magical place. I could feel the ice beneath my new blades, the wind blowing on my face, and the people around me weren't there. It was just me and the ice. I loved it so much and I begged my mom every day to take me. I was so happy when they told me I was going to take lessons! Little did I know I was going to make a lifelong commitment...

When I started lessons, I was so excited! My parents put me on the ice and... it felt different. The ice beneath my blades felt scratchy, the wind felt cold and unfriendly, the people around me were menacing. I cried and cried for a long time. The coaches and Program Assistants (PA's) didn't know what was wrong with me. They had known me a long time and knew I loved skating. My mom came and tried to soothe me. It was like this for weeks. Little did they know it was only because of my worst enemy, the Zamboni, that was supposedly going to eat all of us up! My heroes were the PA's. I saw them in the halls, all big and tough with their cool bags and double jumps. They helped me when I fell and when I cried. They had a feeling I was going to be a success. Now, ten years later, I am skating on the same ice as them. They remember when I was little and can't believe how much I've improved. I still love it as much as I did when I was two, and my parents can't believe that I'm not sick of it.

One of the things that make me love skating are my friends. Whether we are happy, sad, mad, or our parents are yelling at us, we are always there for each other, lending a shoulder to lean on. We are like sisters from another mister. Everyday, when I wake up at 5:30 in the morning, I just think of seeing them and chatting with them in the change room (no talking on the ice!). We do so many things together. As I'm writing this, I am waiting for my friend to call me back so I can go over. We go to movies, have last-minute sleep-overs, help each other with homework, and encourage each other at competitions. As you can probably tell, we are all very much alike.

The first thing I did when I met one of my mom's friends, Krista, was jump into her arms. I remember saying "Krista!" and then she was hugging me. Krista Coventry was my first skating coach who was hard on the ice, but like my big sister anywhere else. Everyone we saw thought she was my big sister and we'd just nod our heads and then crack up about it in the car. I tell her everything; who I like, who I can't stand, what I love about skating, what I don't like about skating (not that there's much of that!) and if I want ice cream or not. Sadly, Krista is going back to University so she can find another job, so now I have changed coaches. One tradition that I love is having Krista over at Christmastime and making a gingerbread house with her. We have so much fun even if the house slides down as we're putting the last gummy on. We just push it back up and lick the icing off our fingers as a celebration for another great gingerbread house! 

Skating is all about accomplishments. My biggest accomplishment is going to sectionals three times in a row! I loved the thrill and how much I had to work to get up there! It was an amazing opportunity to go there. I will never forget the minute I looked at the sheet of paper that had the word "PASS" on it when I tried my qualifying test the first year. I called my coach up and told her, because she was at a meeting so I had my other coach with me. Everyone was so proud of me, but not as much as Krista, who worked hard with me before she had to stop coaching.

My favourite thing about skating are the competitions. The thrill, the hard work, the medals, are all great opportunities. Okay, maybe that was a lie. My actual favourite thing about skating is the ice show we put on every year. I love performing, the cheering crowd, the disco ball making pretty lights all over the ice, and especially the spotlights. I am a true performer, so I guess that's why I love ice show so much. Just this year, I celebrated my fifth solo in the ice show. Only the people who have either gone to sectionals, or to finals in an invitational competition get a solo. In my case, when I was eight, I was advanced fro my age, so I was asked if I would like to do a solo. Of course I agreed the minute I found out. I was so ecstatic about having a solo at eight and I am still overjoyed about it at thirteen.

I love everything about skating and I am very proud of my accomplishments. I hope to continue skating for years to come or at least become a coach one day.

Life Lesson: Hold on to your dreams and have faith in yourself.

I commented on: Hayley's blog.