Flutzing to Vancouver

HAHAHAHA I wish. It’s more like minus thirty. Well not really, but if you spend your entire life in a skating rink, you sure feel that way at the end of every day. So, welcome to my life at the moment. Wondered why I haven’t been posting? That’s because I’m TRAINING FOR NATIONALS!!!! Which means… if I place high enough… OLYMPICS 2010!!!!!

So, yeah. This also means the press circuit has started. Wow. Sam told me to shut up and count my blessings because she’s a princess and gets this 24/7. So yeah, I guess I’ll shut up. But first I’m going to post this article from USA TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And for the record, I’m not taking a semester off school, I went part-time and I’m only taking organic chemistry and the lab. I’m in school from 8:30-9:30am MWF and 8-11am on Tuesdays. That’s it. It’s kind-of nice but also like, skating overload.

Flannery top contestant in the skate to Vancouver
“Nothing can hold me back”
Omaha, NE—November 12,2009: At first glance, Olympic hopeful Cate Flannery appears to be a normal sophomore in college. She lives in the dorms with a few of her friends, belongs to a sorority, and fills her free time with activities that will help her get into medical school. But even in the classroom, Flannery, a native of Kennebunk, ME, stands out. Rounding out her 28 AP credits, Flannery spent her first semester completing her basic classes and doing some intensive skating practice so she would come into Creighton University with junior standing. As a member of the honors program, Flannery had the chance to become immersed in her major the minute she stepped on-campus. And for a studious pre-medical student who is also hoping to compete in the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, her advanced academic standing in all areas has really paid off. “Coming in as a junior and being able to take upper-level classes right away is what will enable me to graduate in four years while still being committed to skating, and pursue a biochemistry/physics double major.” Yes, double major—in the two subjects most college students hate. “Physics makes you think,” Flannery explains, “and biochem really applies to medicine.”
Placing third in Worlds last year and second in Nationals has Flannery set to be a top contender for one of the two spots the US has been offered in women’s figure skating. “I intend to take one of those spots.”
Flannery is nothing but devoted. She should have been out of the running already, as a childhood illness took her away from skating for two years. “I didn’t let that stop me from achieving my dream. It just made me want it more.” Flannery cites her coach, Jennifer O’Halleran, as the inspiration to work hard and stick to skating. “Even when I was at my worst, if I was able to skate, she made me and she wouldn’t take any excuses. I learned not to let myself take any excuses either.” Flannery even chose her college because of O’Halleran, picking a school near where O’Halleran had relocated. Flannery has taken a semester’s leave from school so she can focus on skating. Flannery was homeschooled during her illness, and continued to homeschool afterwards because it gave her more flexibility with skating and academics. “I was able to graduate early, and still practice more than most of the girls at my rink who went to regular school. And I needed to catch up.” In addition to her academic and skating skills, Flannery is also an accomplished sailor. She spent six months of what would have been her senior year of high school traveling the world on a ship with her Venturing crew. “I gained so much from that experience. I got to see things I never thought I’d see, and I learned that I can handle pretty much any situation that comes my way. I also spent most of the trip unable to skate, but I was able to practice ballet to keep my flexibility.”