Figure Skating Dream

Posted by Marci on Dec 1, 2010 in | 1 comment

I grew up in New England with a swamp behind my house. Every winter I’d shovel off a ten by ten area of snow on its bumpy surface, lace up my cheap, department store skates and glide back and forth over the area. Though I could barely take three steps without hitting the opposite side, in my mind I did spirals, spins, and jumps. I pretended I was one of the athletes in the Olympics dressed in an elegant outfit performing for the world.

As an adult, I thought it was too late to become a competitive figure skater, but I couldn’t give up on my dream. I bought a good pair of skates, rallied a few girlfriends, and went to the rink for lessons.

The first day I stepped onto the ice and felt its slippery surface I thought, I’m crazy; I’m going to break something. I didn’t want to release the boards or take the first fall.

It took many hours of practice and bruises to the knees to learn to stop, to cross one foot over the other, and to skate backwards. At the end of eight weeks, I did my first tiny jump and I was hooked.

I found out that adults not only competed, but that United States Figure Skating Adult Nationals was coming to my town within the year. I needed to take two tests in front of a panel of judges, learn spins, jumps, and footwork in order to compete against women who’d been skating for years, and I needed a private coach. 

When I called Edouard Pliner I could barely understand his thick, Russian accent. All I heard was, “On ice interview tomorrow morning at seven.” Edouard didn’t smile when I met him. Instead, he commanded that I skate while he worked with another student. I looked at the fifteen other skaters on the rink, each doing double or triple jumps. I had yet to accomplish more than a half rotation. Tiny girls in little dresses flew past and more than once I went to the boards in terror of being hit. Edouard yelled frustrated instructions as his student fell after an attempted triple jump.

“What am I doing here?” I said aloud as I rushed to the boards to move away from an elite skater doing her program.

“You’re too afraid of everyone else. Skate. Front crossovers. Go,” Edouard barked at me as he joined me on the ice.

I placed my hands front and back for balance and crossed my right foot over my left in a marching rhythm.

“No,” he yelled. “Little American soldier. I give you a spoon, you read the instructions on how to use it and never step out of the box. Skating is passion. It’s fun. You look dead. No more crossovers. I’ll show you exercises.” He proceeded to say this with every move he had me perform. After an hour, I was sweating, shaking, and thinking that this man would never take me as a student, but in that hour I had learned more than I had in seven months.

”How many years have you skated?” he asked.

“Seven months,” I said.

“Really? Not bad. What are your goals?”

I looked at the ice in embarrassment. “Adult Nationals in less than a year.”

That’s possible. I’ll tell you a little about myself. I am a World Champion and Olympic coach. We’ll work together two times per week.”

One year later I competed at Nationals. I took first place in qualifying and finished in the top ten. Edouard not only became my coach, but also a mentor. I now live on the opposite coast from Edouard, but his skating and life lessons live within me.

You’re never too old to go after your dreams.