But barely. It’ll be 4 in a few hours. This month has been so busy with Skate America and trying to pack and stuff that I really can’t believe it’s almost here. I’m starting to flip out. I’m so used to everyone at home… what if I hate college? Then again, Coach OH! is moving out to Omaha in Janurary after nationals so that will be cool. (She set me up with a local coach to practice with me until then. Neither of us are really happy about it, because it’s a HUGE deal to compete in Nationals obviously and it’d be better if I knew I worked well with the coach, but they’re friends and Coach OH! says she’s really good so it should work out. She said she’d come out but she has to pack with her family for the move. But she’ll be at Nationals with me.)
In three days I get on a plane to Paris. (!!!!!!!!!) Then I hang out with a host until Miss B., the teacher, can pick me up. We have this really early meeting set up on Christmas morning. Not sure if I’m too excited about the time, lol. Then we’re going to hang out and get some paperwork together and everything before I meet everyone. Sheesh! That’s a lot of waiting and hanging around… but hopefully it’s worth it. My mom’s talked to Miss B. a lot just to make sure things aren’t sketchy (worrywart!). I’m so psyched. I hope we get to tour the city, really that’s all I care about… oh, and making sure I find a rink ASAP!
Five more days!
December 20, 2008 at 10:15 pm (College, Skating)
Tags: Coach OH!, Mom, nationals, new coach, Paris, Skate America
It’s too early
December 9, 2008 at 4:56 pm (Skating)
Tags: Coach OH!, Grand Prix, Skate America, South Korea
It’s 6:25 am here. SIX TWENTY FIVE! And guess who’s awake because her schedule’s so messed up? Me. Guess who also is so freaking confused because it’s Wednesday here and not Tuesday! Oh, me! Skating is strange. South Korea is strange. Grand Prix is going to be freaking awesome. I’m going to kick ass. Did you notice that I’m the only US ladies skater who’s not an alternate? Yup. I’m so pumped. I don’t even care if I place because… it’s going to be awesome. End of story.
I had an idea of what to write about somewhere in my sleeping/strange acclimation stage, but I don’t remember. Coach OH! is in the next room and I wonder if she is awake as well. I’d go ask because I love talking to her, but then she’d make me practice. Maybe I’ll try to doze off again for a few more minutes…
I’m just a stranger, even to myself.
November 11, 2008 at 1:28 am (Skating)
Tags: "Die Alone", bronze, Coach OH!, Ingrid Michaelson, Mom, music, road trip, Sectionals, Skate America, venturing
Sectionals today. I got third. I was so exhausted even before I performed, for no good reason. I made sure I got 12 hours of sleep, not counting the drive yesterday. Driving tires me out, basically because I sleep the whole time, but I did it yesterday plus slept at night, so I should’ve been okay, right? I guess that came off in my routine. I didn’t tell my mom that I was feeling so tired because I think she would’ve flipped. Coach OH! noticed and said maybe she was overworking me at practice. She made a good point. I’m keeping the same schedule I did before I went Venturing, but I also haven’t been skating for a good 6 months so I should be sore and exhausted. The best thing really is to stick with it, though. At least I still qualified, so I’m not totally out of it, but seriously, after sweeping Skate America, I thought for sure I’d take sectionals as well. Maybe I was too overconfident. Maybe I won’t die alone…
I will live my life as a lobsterman’s wife on an island in the blue bay
November 4, 2008 at 4:53 pm (My Lovely Life, Skating)
Tags: "Far Away", Coach OH!, College, Dr. Kolberts, gold, Grand Prix, Ingrid Michaelson, lobsterman, Maine, Mom, music, nosebleed, Olympics, Skate America
I’ve obviously forgotten to update… and no lost Ethernet cord stories to excuse that. I’ve just been really busy. But before we get to that complaining, I have a little bragging right.
That’s right, 99% chance I’m going to Grand Prix. I won Skate America! Coach OH! just kept saying “I knew you could do it! You knew you could do it!” Mom was happy but I think she’s a little tired of this skating thing. You see, my mom’s been balancing my skating plus my doctor’s appointments/ER visits/inpatient sessions/etc for at least the past 8 years or so. I started getting really serious about skating when I was 10 or 11. My favorite doctor (Dr. K of course!) and I met about a year later. So basically I am my mom’s life and I think she’s getting tired of that. I kind-of understand. It must be really frustrating. I mean, I get frustrated with my schedule 24/7. (Like right now, how I haven’t written… yup, I’ve been super-busy.) And I know the medical stuff can be ridiculously stressful, but seriously the worst thing I’ve had in a few years was that nosebleed in September. I’ve got sectionals coming up and my mom is just kinda doing the sad smile thing.
At the same time, I’m really frustrated with my mom. Becuase on top of this whole skating thing (she actually asked me “Do you really want to be an Olympic skater? Because I just want you to realize the pros and cons that have just started for you.” I was like, this has been my dream since Tara Lipinski), she’s been agitating me about college. I’ve gotten in; what else am I supposed to do? She’s worried I won’t be prepared and wants to start doing some extra stuff during whatever free time I have from skating and my job. I’m in the special honors program, so why does she even care? I’m sure I’ll be ready. I’m just really annoyed.
So because she keeps trying to decide what my life is going to be, I just decided I’m going to stay in Maine and marry a lobsterman. How cliche, but I’m gonna do it. It’s from an Ingrid Michaelson song (whom I LOVE becuase she’s so fun, and because we look alike). So I’m going to go (not) “Far Away” and say goodbye to skating.
Must be easier than chasing your dreams anyway!
I Don’t Really Wanna Be the Queen
October 25, 2008 at 9:20 pm (College, My Lovely Life, Random, Skating)
Tags: "Meet Virginia", Coach OH!, Forks, music, Olympics, Sectionals, Skate America, stress, Train, Twilight, Vancouver
We’re 3 hours, 31 minutes away from Forks, in case you were wondering!
Did I say I was going to enjoy Skate America? Well, I am enjoying SA actually, because I get to see all my skating girls who live in different parts of the country. But maybe I forgot how intense competition gets!
I love it, on top of how stressed I am. I really do love it. I think I strive on being stressed. That means I’m Type A, I think, and I’m prone to heart attacks and strokes and like everything that can go wrong in one’s later life. (Not like I’m not at risk for anything right now, haha, that was supposed to be sarcastic.) Anyway, I got the title from my favorite song, “Meet Virginia” by Train. The girl in that song is so badass and I feel like I just want to be her, even though she obviously sucks at life. The song is basically saying that all you need to be in life is badass, and if you totally fail, there are still about 50,000 things that are awesome about you. She always contradicts herself and the guy things that’s cool. And you don’t even have to want to be on top – you can be totally happy with your life just because you like it. And maybe she’s being forced into being “the queen” by her parents or social pressure and she has to realize that’s not for her. (Politics aren’t for everyone, haha.) So there are some good messages in there, lol.
In other news, I pretty much finished my profile for OWT, so it should be on their website soon. When it’s up there, I’ll post a link in my “Who Am I?” section. (By the way, on the Train cd that has “Meet Virginia” on it, there’s a song called “I Am” and I just randomly thought of it, lol.)
Also relating to “Meet Virginia”, it kind-of goes in with how my parents thought I’d be a pro Irish Dancer instead of a figure skater. I fell in love with skating and they couldn’t pull me away. It’s a gooooood thing! We did our short programs today and GUESS WHO’S IN FIRST PLACE?!?!?!?!?!?!
ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I about fell over. I was sitting, but I totally almost fell off the couch and Coach OH! had to catch me. It was INSANE. I guess I am skilled. That sounds conceited, I know, but I have been out of skating for 6 months, so it surprised me, if you couldn’t tell.
So why did I title this entry “I Don’t Really Wanna Be the Queen”, if I’m totally elated about my win? (Although that’s a technical win so I had it going for me because technique comes back to me before style, as witnessed in regionals, but STILL. And I can’t be too hopeful of course, we still have LPs tomorrow!) Because I’m stressed and I was flipping out about Vancouver. Could I handle all the stress of the Olympics? Even though I LOVE being stressed? Because I also have to get my things ready for college, and pack and stuff and I found out I’m going to get there a week late because of nationals (in CLEVELAND, I think I mentioned that earlier… v. bitter). I don’t know if I can commit. Well, I mean I have to because skating is my life and my deferred admission would be totally wasted, not to mention I would hate myself, but I’m still kind-of doubting myself. I mean, I’m missing a week right off the bat and I’m not even sick. That’s a first for me, LOL! (I was homeschooled so taking a week off for nationals or whatever before was NEVER a big deal.)
But I talked to Coach OH! about how stressed I was, and I felt much better. I guess I just had to talk about it.
Then she thinks about her scene, pulls her hair back as she screams
I JUST REALLY WANNA BE THE QUEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!
How far away from Forks are we?
October 22, 2008 at 5:11 pm (Random, Skating)
Tags: Everett, Forks, Skate America, Twilight
I just arrived in Everett, WA for Skate America! Practice starts tomorrow and then SA starts for me on Saturday! I have been training like crazy which is partly why I haven’t posted for awhile. The other reason is that I lost my ethernet cable for awhile so I couldn’t get on the internet with my laptop (and my parents weren’t willing to let me use theirs because my dad had something for work).
Anyway, I was just wondering how close we are to Forks, from Twilight. I’m not really a fan of the books but a lot of my friends are. I might mapquest it later. I’ll have more after SA is over!
Basically My Entire Week
October 14, 2008 at 11:42 am (College, My Lovely Life, Skating)
Tags: Christmas, Coach OH!, Dr. Kolberts, enthusiasm, Grand Prix, nationals, nosebleed, Olympics, OWT, OWT College Connections, Paris, regionals, Sectionals, Skate America, South Korea, Vancouver, venturing, Worlds
Let’s start off with lovely Dr. K. on Thursday. I went in today for a checkup after my lovely nosebleed disaster, and she was like, oh, let’s do some more tests. I said no, I feel fine, I don’t think you need to. She insisted on doing the standard blood tests and everything, so I was really mad because I was supposed to be practicing for Skate America and Coach OH! was going to kill me. We had to wait for the blood labs and then go back and by that time Dr. K. was supposed to be with another patient so we ended up waiting for an extra hour.
Dr. K. was like, I don’t think it’s a great idea to be skating right now. I said that was stupid, this is a key qualifying season for me because Nationals and Worlds are going to determine the Olympic team and you have got to be kidding me. So I’m skating but she’s not happy.
I am so pumped for Skate America though! It’s next Thursday and Coach OH! and I are going crazy over it. I kind-of flopped at regionals (for me, but not for not skating) and she really wants me to place in Skate America if I want to move up and get on the team for Vancouver. Um, yeah! Also, we would love for me to get 1st (and MAYBE 2nd) so I can go on to the Grand Prix in SOUTH KOREA!!! How cool would that be?! Plus it would be great for my records. I love how they were complaining about me not being enthusiastic. The minute things get competitive, the minute I start loving it. Maybe I was just worn out from the venturing trip and all the drama that went on with it. And I missed skating but was totally thrown back into it which was miserable. But I love it now!
On 11/11 I am looking forward to Sectionals and I NEED a 1st place in that competition.
On the OWT front. Saturday, I got a call from “Miss B.” who was like, “I heard you were skeptical at being accepted, congratulations, you are! We can’t wait to meet you in person!” So I guess I’m in! Guess who is really flying on a private plane to Paris over Christmas! Little old me! Well, not old, haha. I got my confirmation packet too. I’m really excited about this but I hope the girls are nice… otherwise it wouldn’t really be worth it, although I guess it’s not really costing me anything. I’m kind-of nervous! Imagine, me nervous!
