I don’t usually post personal pictures or long stories about my childhood.  I share stories as it relates to my skating journey, especially if the outcome could help give my skaters perspective or shift their mindset.  But I decided to share a few stories & pictures with you in this post because of a birthday gift I received from my parents.  The gift was a collection of photos from my childhood.  As I opened the photo books, so many memories came flooding back to me.

I’ll be sharing three personal stories with you.  Part two & part three are posted, so please read those after this first part. Each relate in some way to my figure skating journey & I hope you can relate to my stories.  You can read the first one below.

Story One

A little girl swings her feet in the back seat of her mom’s car while she swings her feet & chomps on Cheez-Its.  Her fingers salty, she licks each one satisfied with her pre-skating snack.  Her mom darts through after-school traffic, periodically checking the time, as if that will help her arrive to her destination faster.  School buses glide by as the little girl peers through her backseat windows.  Eyes moving from driver-side to passenger-side windows like a tennis match.  So, much to see in this big, unknown world.  She is fascinated by the older kids walking home without a chaperone, hunchback-like backpacks strapped to their backs.  “There’s my brother’s school,” she shouts & nods to her mother.

Her mother gives a little nod back, knowing she’s within feet away from her destination.  As her turns into the parking lot, mini-van tires screeching, the little girl excitedly pulls herself away from her car seat.  Pulling at the seatbelt strap, reaching for her skates, kicking her feet feverishly, the little girl can’t wait to skate.