LETTER FROM THE EDITOR


Abbott’s ‘Get Up’ moment in Sochi a lesson for all


We all fall. It’s how we get up that matters. T at’s the message that U.S. Figure Skat-


ing is driving home with its “Get Up” cam- paign, which 1984 Olympic champion Scott Hamilton helped launch on the “Today” show on Oct. 21 in New York City. “T e more times you get up, the stronger


you are to face the next thing, which will hap- pen — because that’s life,” said Hamilton, who has experienced more than his share of life-de- fi ning moments (see page 28). T ere are countless examples of skaters


who have fallen, both on the ice and in their lives, who have gone on to conquer their de- mons and become inspirational to others. You can read about many of these people in this issue and by going to WeGetUp.com/GetUp Stories. In my 11 years as SKATING editor, one of


the “Get Up” stories that stands out for me is from Jeremy Abbott’s gutsy performance at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. Jeremy entered the Games as the U.S.


champion and was considered a serious medal contender. T is was his second Olympics and he had put in 20-plus years of hard work to realize his dream of fi nishing on the podium. T is is how he wanted to end his outstanding career, which included four U.S. titles and a reputation around the world as one of the sport’s great performers. Early in his Olympic short program, Jere-


my attempted a quad toe. As he began his entry into the jump, disaster struck. He fell, hitting the ice hard, crashing into the boards and in- juring his hip. For 13 agonizing seconds, Ab- bott lay on the ice, hurt and stunned, unsure if he could continue. What happened next is the ultimate “Get


Up” moment. Instead of succumbing to the ill-fated situation, Abbott responded decisive- ly. He gathered himself, jumped to his feet and skated the rest of the program. He let his train- ing take over and completed every planned ele- ment within the time frame allowed. “You obviously don’t want to fall in mo-


ments when it matters the most, in front of the entire world,” Jeremy said recently. “It really took an inner strength and the audience get- ting behind me to help build me up. I think that’s important. Sometimes when we feel we are down and out, we think we have to do it all on our own and not burden other people or ask for help. In that moment, it was defi nitely


4 DECEMBER 2016


a whole arena full of people building me back up to get me on my feet. Because of that, I was able to fi nish and I was able to go out the next day and skate the absolute best that I could. “T at for me was far more important than


my placement; just to be able to get up from that crushing blow and be able to fi nish with a smile on my face and to be able to go out the next day and perform the best long program that I could have possibly performed at the Olympic Games was huge. For me, everything that came after the fall was so much more im- portant than the fall itself.” Jeremy carried that same resolve into his


free skate the next day. Although he was still in excruciating pain — with a huge bruise on his hip — and unsure how things might go, he would not be denied. “It didn’t matter if I fell on every single el-


ement, didn’t matter how much pain I was in, I made a commitment to myself to fi nish the competition and be proud of my result regard- less,” he said. “I was putting myself out there, 110 percent, and I wasn’t going to hide behind anything, and I wasn’t going to quit regardless of the outcome.” Jeremy’s “Get Up” moment has served as


a great lesson and inspiration for many of his skating fans and friends in the years since those Games. He often is told of how his response to the devastating fall has helped others get through their own diffi cult times. “T ey say, ‘T ank you for getting up and


doing what you did,’” he said. “T ey tell me very personal stories about times where they have felt like they were at their lowest and had no other option, but that moment gave them the courage to get back up and keep going. T at’s more important to me than any medal or any placement, because hearing those stories and hearing that what I did gave people cour- age to do something for themselves, that’s huge and just blows me away.” Whenever Jeremy talks to kids, he said, he


tells them that they will fall on the ice and in life, but you always have to get back up and keep working. “I tell them that if it’s important to them,


they’ll fi nd a way to make it happen,” Jeremy said. “You can’t just wish it, you can’t just hope for it, you have to put in the work and time and no matter what happens, you have to make mistakes and you have to get back up from them.”


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