When I was a child, I worried I’d have to quit skating because the double axel was impossible, or so it seemed. I tried. I cried tears of frustration. I went again, and again. At age 10, I finally nailed it. “Oh, so I am going to make it!”
But I’ve not done this alone. I could have never understood or learned to believe in myself if it weren’t for my coaches reminding me every day, too. Even if it was by yelling at me for not fighting hard enough and messing up the second half of the program, and having me skate it again – all just to prove to me how I can be so much stronger than I believe. [...]
Figure skating has taught me that progress isn’t always linear. Some days you skate perfect programs, and some days you wipe out. It has taught me to trust the process, to push myself, and to find joy in the work I put into it, no matter the outcome. Those lessons follow me off the ice too, reminding me that growth takes time and that passion is something you choose, again and again.