YOUTH ESSAY CONTEST
hard as he did. But then I saw that he was get- ting up and it blew my mind: He didn’t give up, he got back up and finished his program, with all of his remaining required elements, with fly- ing colors. Jeremy Abbott inspired me the most because he never gave up and kept going. In fact, he used that fall in the short program as his own personal motivation for his long program. He skated with speed and artistry. He did not let his mistake define his performance, and he did not let what other people said about his mistake get to him. For these reasons, I really admire Jer- emy Abbott. Last year at regionals, I had a horrible skate;
I was really anxious. Did I practice enough? Did I try hard enough? My music started and I felt my nerves take over. My double jumps were hor- rible, I couldn’t land any of them. Even though I fell a lot, I never gave up. I kept going and managed to complete the rest of my program elements with grace and style. All I wanted to do was skate over to the boards and cry, but I did not. I finished 21st out of 22 skaters in my lev- el. In that moment I was mad at myself for not listening to my coach; she warned me that mov- ing up to juvenile level would be really hard. I thought I knew what I was up against, but I had no idea actually. For example, on practice ice, I was scared because the other skaters were so much faster than I was. Te other skaters had no fear and here I was scared out of my mind. I learned very quickly that I should have listened to my coach and practiced the way she told me to. My coach was so amazing though; she let me make these mistakes so I could learn from them. My mistakes helped me see my weaknesses and strengths. Now I know how hard I have to practice
and prepare for competitions. I don’t take my coach’s advice for granted like I used to. Now I know that I have to prepare in order to skate my personal best for the judges and the audience. It’s not so much about being perfect on the ice; it’s about being the best me that I can be on the ice.
ALONG WITH THE BAD,
THE GOOD WILL BE
REMEMBERED (PRE-JUVENILE)
Te Olympics are an interesting and enter-
taining event to watch. Both the Summer and Winter Games are watched by many people all over the world. Te Games are televised in many countries and people from all across the globe
38 MAY 2015
and entertaining to watch. He puts so much en- ergy and emotion into his programs, and even if he falls his energy doesn’t falter or die down at all, he keeps going with the same enthusiasm and always looks purely happy to be skating. Watching Jason skate inspires me to work to skate with that same intensity and to capture the crowd like he does. Another amazing moment to watch was
tune in to watch their favorite athletes, sports and teams. Since the first modern Olympics held in Athens, Greece, in 1896, the Games have been something of great entertainment and enjoyment for all. In the Winter Olympics, figure skating is one of the most popular of the sports. One hun- dred and forty-nine athletes from more than 30 countries competed in figure skating at the 2014 Winter Olympics held in Sochi, Russia. Te United States’ team consisted of 15 skaters. Te team has always been adored by fans. In 1961, the United States’ figure skating team was on its way to the World Championships in Prague, Czecho- slovakia. Te team consisted of 18 skaters: six singles skaters, six pairs skaters and six ice danc- ers. Te team, along with coaches, judges, friends and family boarded Sabena Flight 548 and took off for Brussels, Belgium. Te plane, carrying 61 passengers and 11 crew members, was forced to cancel its landing and circle around because the runway wasn’t clear. After the plane pulled away from its landing, the pilots ended up losing con- trol and the plane kept flying nearly straight up to 1,500 feet, until it faltered and took a spiraling nosedive and crashed nearly two miles from the airport. Te plane burst into flames upon hitting the ground, and it is assumed that all passengers and crew were killed on impact. A farmer who was working near the crash was also killed by a piece of flying debris, totaling 73 deaths from the crash. Te loss of the 1961 U.S. World Team stunned the figure skating world, along with the rest of the country. To this day, the team lost in this horrific crash are remembered by the figure skating community.
While the crash of Sabena Flight 548 will
always be remembered by figure skaters every- where, I will always remember many parts of the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia. One great part of the 2014 Olympics was watching Jason Brown skate. He puts so much emotion into his skating and gets the crowd going. He is known for his Riverdance program and the part where he picks up the pace and it becomes very light
Meryl Davis and Charlie White win the gold medal in ice dance. Every time I see Meryl and Charlie skate, they look so comfortable and happy. Seeing them bring home the United States’ first gold medal in ice dance was amaz- ing. Tey performed some stunning lifts that I know I would be intimidated to perform if I did ice dance. Te two are so confident to exe- cute these lifts flawlessly, it inspires me to always have that kind of confidence both on and off the ice. Meryl and Charlie came up just about five points short of winning the gold over Tessa Vir- tue and Scott Moir, from Canada, at the 2010 Winter Olympics held in Vancouver. However at the 2014 Games in Sochi, Meryl and Charlie won the gold with Virtue and Moir coming in about five points behind them. Davis and White show what can happen if you work hard toward your goals.
I was most inspired by Julia Lipnitskaia, who was 15 at the time of the Games held in Sochi, because she is the same age that I current- ly am. Julia is a beautiful skater who captured the audience. Her flexibility was incredible and awe-inspiring. She seemed very young and vulnerable at first, but once she started skating she proved to be better than almost all of the women competing in singles. Julia finished in fifth place, which was better than 25 of the other women competing, including the United States’ own Ashley Wagner and Polina Edmunds. Tat is quite an accomplishment for a 15-year-old. Polina Edmunds was also a 15-year-old compet- ing. Seeing two girls that are the same age as I am competing at the Olympics was incredibly inspiring for me. Figure skating is an extreme- ly hard sport and sometimes I get discouraged, but watching Julia and Polina competing at the Olympics proved to me that I can do anything I set my mind to. Te 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, were full of inspiring and moti- vating moments, both from United States skat- ers and skaters from other countries. Te crash of Sabena Flight 548 was some- thing that will never be forgotten within the figure skating world. Along with the bad, the good will be remembered as well. Just in the 2014 Winter Games, there were many moments that will stay with me forever as a skater, just like everyone else who watched the Games will have certain moments to keep in their hearts forev- er. Each Winter Olympic Games, and all that are to follow, will have both good and bad parts that will stay with people for their entire lives. Tese moments will serve as inspiration and en- couragement to try a little harder, to go the extra mile and see how far a little extra effort can go.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60