Skating brings out the best in seasoned writers
BY LEXI ROHNER
SACRAMENTO, CALIF./BOSTON, VACA VALLEY FSC ADULT SILVER FREE SKATE
MARCI NAULT, 41 Marci Nault is not shy about her dreams.
Skating on a New England swamp near her childhood home, a young Nault donned her department-store skates and envisioned her Olympic moment. That dream carried into adulthood.
“I had no idea adults skated, never mind
SAN DIEGO, CALIF., ALL YEAR FSC ADULT GOLD FREE SKATE
ANDY SCHELL, 54 Andy Schell’s first professional writing job
was freelancing for Joan Rivers in the early 1980s.
“I used to hear my jokes on the ‘The Tonight
Show’ when she subbed for Johnny Carson,” Schell, a graduate of the University of Kansas, said. “That was cool.” A talented writer and all-around humorous
person, Schell has produced multiple written works, including a theatrical play titled Con- fessions of a Boy Stewardess, for which he won a Los Angeles Drama-Logue Award; his first novel, titled My Best Man (2000); and a novel- la titled The Outline of a Torso, nominated for a Lambda Literary Award. Schell has also performed with famed Los
Angeles improvisation group The Groundlings. His skating career spans 19 years, 16 in the
adult ranks. He has competed at several U.S. Adult Championships, in which he’s earned two silver medals in the championship gold men’s category. “Skating taught me the limits of my body,”
said Schell, an avid surfer who now skates rec- reationally. “Prior to skating, I’d never partici- pated in a sport that really injured me.” Schell has integrated skating and writing
with his latest publication titled Flying Camels and Tiger Mothers, a story about the moth- er-daughter relationship and the friendship of two skaters. “Skaters can be tough critics,” Schell said.
“The reviews have been very positive.” In 2012 Schell flew to the U.S. Champion- ships and made spontaneous promo videos for “Flying Camels and Tiger Mothers,” resulting in comedic moments with Jeremy Abbott, Meryl Davis, Charlie White, Jason Brown and other elite skaters. “I don’t know where I got the guts to do
that,” Schell said Having traveled the world as a flight crew
member serving the U.S. military, Schell has covered adult skating for icenetwork and SKAT- ING magazine. “I love the adult skating subculture most of
all, because we are a true community of skat- ers,” Schell said. “We’re all a little crazy, but in the same way.”
48 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014
competed,” Nault, who began lessons at 27, said. “I simply wanted to skate backward and maybe do a small jump.” Within a year she competed at the U.S.
Adult Championships. A lifelong writer, Nault describes skating as
freedom, friendship and the ability to fly. For nearly three years she took private lessons, but a 2003 car accident left her in too much pain to continue. In 2008, after another major change in her life, Nault realized she missed skating too much and returned despite the pain and every- day demands. Approaching life differently, she developed
a bucket list of 101 items and has accomplished more than 90 of them. One was to become a published novelist. Almost a decade in the making, her novel titled The Lake House made a successful debut in 2013. Skaters have been supportive, though her writing and skating pursuits are quite separate. “I’m a better writer when I skate,” Nault said.
“The endorphin rush refreshes my creativity.” Writing has never been a choice for Nault. “Characters wake me in the night, deter-
mined to tell me their stories,” she said. “Often during a new adventure or great conversation, my brain tries to figure out how to re-create it on the page.”
Her goal is to continue sharing sto-
ries with the world, blogging them at
www.101dreamscometrue.com, aiming for a novel on the New York Times best-seller list and having her book made into a movie. Coaches Jane Moody and Chris Kinsner
have taught Nault to skate from her heart, and she is proud of her seven medals in four years at the U.S. Adult Championships. “I’ve realized fear can be pushed through and all it takes is persistence, sometimes for years,” Nault said. “But I will work on something until it becomes second nature.”
L. DRANAE JONES, 40 LOS ANGELES, LOS ANGELES FSC ADULT BRONZE FREE SKATE
L. Dranae Jones loves the convergence of
beauty, elegance and power in figure skating. “Skating is my sport, my therapy and my
joy,” said Jones, a writer since her teens. “When the world is too intense, I seek refuge in my icy shelter.” She began writing in a journal that she re-
ceived from a friend in eighth grade. A friend in college read Jones’ notebook and submitted her work to a campus magazine, which sur- prised Jones with a notice of publication and a request to read her work. Jones, who had not previously thought of herself as a writer, has since been featured in magazines and newspapers and published her own book titled Provocative Poetry and Prose: Portraits of Black Love. She began skating in the summer of 2007
after a distressing divorce. “Skating reminded me that my fragile body
and broken spirit would recover after the loss of a child and failed marriage,” Jones said. “Be- fore skating I was in a challenging place; de- pression can kill you. Movement is necessary.” Jones now keeps her mind and body ac-
tive, operating an independent publishing company and teaching secondary social stud- ies. Combining her skating and writing pur- suits, she shares personal trials and triumphs online
http://sardonyxjadesays.blogspot.com and plans to publish the memoir of fellow skat- er Keith Newcombe. Desiring more ice time, Jones anticipates summer as much as her students. “I remember watching Debi Thomas and
thinking, ‘I want to skate,’” said Jones, longing for the day when she successfully performs a camel-sit-layback spin. “I’m in awe of skating with my childhood heroes Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner.” Nonskaters are more surprised about her
skating than her writing, though she always finds a way to unite them. A social activist, Jones believes her greatest achievement comes from using her sport as a platform for social protest. “I write on the ice, carving and creating
compelling stories of social injustice to broad- en awareness,” Jones said. “In 2011 I skated for my cousin, who was murdered by an L.A. Sher- iff’s deputy. I didn’t place, yet I never felt more accomplished.”
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