“EAT, SKATE, AND BE PASSIONATE”
Hello everyone! What a pure delight to be the Skater in Residence this month. Well, where do we start! These last 19 months have been anything but fun for everyone, through this pandemic. As we have seen rinks closed, virtual classes for business, sports, schools, and roller skates as the new purchase to keep up with our talents. The new NEW way of living and it has been very strange and disheartening at times. We are finding ourselves questioning much of our lives and what is next. What does the future hold?
I wanted to talk about PASSION, and how we so quickly seem to forget what it is and find ourselves procrastinating with the uncertainty of the future. I am not going to sugar coat it, but it has been scary, for everyone. Passion to be the best we can be, but find ourselves losing the passion, motivation, and throwing our arms up in the air saying “Why bother? We aren’t going to ever get out of lockdown or be able to live our lives normally again!!”
As we slowly open back up in life, and back to our normal ways of living, it is time to set aside all the sadness, frustration, lack of motivation, and even anger. It is time to dream again, go after and set goals. It is okay if you haven’t skated! You know why? Because everyone has been off the ice as well!! We get caught up thinking it is only us, and the victim game starts. I recall being off the ice for 30 weeks during my career with injury. Did I lose my passion? Did I give up? NO!!!!!
I kept my goals alive, my passion and commitment alive. I did anything and everything that I could do during healing. Listened to new music for programs, stretched to the ability my injury would allow, and I studied other skater’s videos and watched and learned. I never gave in to being sidelined. I pushed through.
The Pandemic has had many if not all sidelined. Feeling like there is no hope. It can be as easy as changing one word in your vocabulary. We hope to skate again, we hope to train, we hope we have not lost our jumps, we hope we can compete again. Try changing the word HOPE to WHEN! “When I skate again, when I train, when I land my jumps, and when I win my competitions.” This is turning the negative to a champions way of thinking. What you put out there in the universe will happen. If its negative, negative will happen. If it is positive, great things will happen. Having the goals, dreams and passions will bring such amazing positivity into your skating and life.
Never give up! No matter what life throws us, the challenges the disappointments. This should all be embraced and used as a learning tool to be better. I have always said if you make it the Olympics, you deserve to be there. Your good enough, BUT the real champions are the ones that mentally bring it through positive thinking and passion. So…on the day we open back up, check your attitudes at the door and open your arms to positive thoughts and dreams. Be a champion, be the best you can be. If you believe, it will happen. Nothing will stand in your way… not even a pandemic.
Til next time, Stay Safe and Be a Champ!!
