Discovering my
Passion
Figure skating has been one of my biggest passions since I
was 5 years old. My mom and grandmother took me to see Ice Capades and I was
hooked. I watched the 1992 and 1994 Olympics in awe. I loved to watch Kristi
Yamaguchi and Nancy Kerrigan. They were just flawless, in my opinion. Then at
the 1994 Olympics, my love for skating really began to take off. There was a
new skater I hadn’t heard of named Oksana Baiul. She had the coolest style and
I loved watching everything she did. I began to watch even more competitions,
to include all of the professional ones. A few years later Tom Collins’ Tour of
World Figure Skating Champions started coming to Houston. My mom and I started
going in what would be a several years’ tradition: dinner at Olive Garden and
going to see the show, later called Champions on Ice. My family even started to
enjoy some of the skating.
In those days, I still believed I could start skating and
make it to the Olympics. Those dreams got a little thrown back on my first time
on the ice. I went skating with my Girl Scout troop at the Houston Galleria. It
was December, either 1994 or 1995, and there was a large Christmas tree in the
center of the ice, as there always was that time of year. It looked beautiful
walking through the mall. Not so much on the ice though…The tree had a glass
barrier around it with wooden edges, painted green. The Galleria had just
repainted the edges. As first time skaters, my fellow Girl Scouts and I fell a
lot. Several of us slid into the barrier and ended up with green paint on our
clothes. Not quite how I envisioned it would turn out…
Early Skating
Experiences
In 1996, I got the opportunity to take ice skating lessons.
I started out at the Aerodrome near Willowbrook Mall in Houston. I took the
Pre-Alpha (ISI Track) Adult class, even though I was 14. There were not a lot
of teenager beginners, so I started there. I learned a lot of basics in the
Pre-Alpha class, like snowplow stops, one-foot glides, and forward and backward
swizzles. Then we got to do a recital at the end of the class, and to this day
I still remember it. The song was “If I Had a Million Dollars” by Barenaked
Ladies. I also passed my test and was recommended to go to the Alpha class.
My family had discovered there was another Aerodrome in
Sugarland, which was an easier drive and closer to the house. I started going
there and picked up where I left off, doing chores around the house to get
money for my classes. After I passed Alpha, I got the greatest gift for
Christmas! It was a pair of my own skates, and a skating dress! This was just
awesome!
I went on to pass Beta,
Gamma, and Delta levels, and began Freestyle 1 my Freshman year of high school.
I was excited to finally learn a waltz jump, but I had to learn those pesky
back edges first! However, with my marching band schedule (and because I got in
trouble L) I was unable to continue my skating lessons.
I kept plenty busy throughout
high school and college, and still watched skating though I was not doing it.
My first job after college landed me at Red River Army Depot in Texarkana,
Texas. I met my husband there and was transferred to my next assignment in
Huntsville, Alabama. I decided I was going to see if there were any ice skating
rinks in the area, since I had been away from them for so long. Lo and behold,
a rink in Huntsville!
Skating, Part II
I arrived in Huntsville
before my then-fiance moved to the area. One Saturday afternoon, I decided to
check out a public session at the Huntsville rink. I quickly discovered there
were too many birthday parties going on then, so I opted for Sunday sessions,
or a time during the week, if I could. I was seeing what I could still do. My
backward crossovers were still solid, and I could do a two-foot spin. My
3-turns and mohawks still needed work, as well as the edges. I saw there was
another rink in Decatur, so I went to check it out. I enjoyed going over there,
as it was a bit less crowded than the Huntsville rink.
I found out there was a
beginner Adult Skating class at the Huntsville rink on Tuesday nights. My job
had me traveling quite a bit at the time, so I made it to the class whenever I
was in town. I think they started me at Adult 2 or 3, since I had some of the
basics down. I learned some things in these classes that I had never done
before, and they have really helped my skating, even though I hated doing them
at the time. Our class took place during an Adult freestyle session, so there
were higher level skaters there as well. They were really awesome and I wanted
to do what they were doing. Some of those skaters became good friends of mine. After
our class had completed all the adult basic skills classes, the Huntsville
Iceplex was still doing an introductory adult freestyle class. I did this for
several months and then we were told we needed to get coaches and start taking
private lessons.
I was a bit overwhelmed by
this. I had always wanted to take private lessons but thought it would be too
expensive. A friend of mine mentioned a coach at the Decatur rink that he
thought would be a good fit for me. I started communicating with her back and
forth, and thus began my coaching relationship with my coach Heidi. We have
been working great together now for almost 9 years! My skating really began to
grow and flourish at this time, and I started attending competitions. I also
did a few Christmas shows. After awhile, I was starting to lose interest, and I
was frustrated and stuck in my skating. This led to me taking a 1 year hiatus.
But I could not go without skating forever. I will always love it, and it will always
be a part of my life. After my break, I came back swinging in 2011, achieving
things I never thought possible.
Starting the blog
Right now, I’m on another
break. This one wasn’t brought on by drama at the rink (which we are all cool
now btw), but by my poor choices. Once I have some spare money for a pair of
skates, I will be back! I started having all these ideas about skating movies I
watched, and decided I can write about skating and share my opinions in the
interim. Once I return to the ice, I will be able to contribute more to the
blog, and will tweet the competition as they are going on.
I have to admit this has not
been easy. Skating is so much more than just a hobby to me. It’s a huge part of
my life and who I am. Not everyone understands that. Sometimes I feel that
without skating, I’m just plain and there is nothing to make me interesting. I
have been blessed to find fulfillment in other areas of my life in this time,
but can’t wait to express myself though my skating again.
You can follow me on Twitter
@icy_trails.
Peace, Love, and Figure
Skating from your friend Autumn
