The glass panels surrounding the ice rink are clear today. Through them, I see a group of young figure skaters getting ready for practice. They giggle amongst themselves as they start skating around the rink. Their coach sternly tells them to stop talking and start skating. The skaters tone down the conversation a little and are soon hard at work, skating, spinning, and jumping. I see my nine-year-old self bumbling around, trying to remember my program for my first competition.
I took my first skating lesson in second grade and never stopped. Skating is one of the constants in my life; I’ve gone through other extracurricular activities, like soccer, ballet, gymnastics. I’ve changed schools, changed houses, changed countries, but through it all, I’ve always been a figure skater. Skating for so long has, of course, taught me many things. There are the usual life lessons of perseverance and time management. But it has also taught me that falling a few times is a necessary part of life if you want to succeed. That 5:30 am actually isn’t that early of a time to wake up and head to the rink. That winning doesn’t necessarily involve a gold medal. I’ve learned that most people outside the rink think it is weird, if not bordering unnatural, when your leg can easily go above your head.
Skating is my life (minus school). I’ve put hours and hours into it, giving up other things I might have otherwise done, but I still love the sport. Even when I stop skating regularly at the old age of, perhaps, 24, I will never forget the excitement of competition, the feeling of flying into the air, and the laughter and fun times I’ve had with the best friends I made at the rink.
I took my first skating lesson in second grade and never stopped. Skating is one of the constants in my life; I’ve gone through other extracurricular activities, like soccer, ballet, gymnastics. I’ve changed schools, changed houses, changed countries, but through it all, I’ve always been a figure skater. Skating for so long has, of course, taught me many things. There are the usual life lessons of perseverance and time management. But it has also taught me that falling a few times is a necessary part of life if you want to succeed. That 5:30 am actually isn’t that early of a time to wake up and head to the rink. That winning doesn’t necessarily involve a gold medal. I’ve learned that most people outside the rink think it is weird, if not bordering unnatural, when your leg can easily go above your head.
Skating is my life (minus school). I’ve put hours and hours into it, giving up other things I might have otherwise done, but I still love the sport. Even when I stop skating regularly at the old age of, perhaps, 24, I will never forget the excitement of competition, the feeling of flying into the air, and the laughter and fun times I’ve had with the best friends I made at the rink.
No comments:
Post a Comment