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My sanctuary… an ice rink!
Me with the coaches at the Road to Gold Destination Vail Adult Figure Skating Camp in Vail, Colorado in late July 2023. Second from the left is Road to Gold’s star Gracie Gold, who is a two-time US National Champion and Olympic Bronze Medalist. Also pictured – and accomplished skaters in their own right – are, from left to right, Geoffry Varner, James Hernandez, and Eddie Shipstad. In the near future I will write a post (or two, or three!) about the camp and what I learned. It was an amazing experience!
Posing with my evaluation sheets from the judges after passing my Adult Bronze Moves in the Field test, June 2022. I tested beyond this level on the standard test track when I was much younger and am now doing the adult-track tests as a fun challenge. Following the test, one of the judges approached me and said that I skated a beautiful test. That was almost more meaningful to me than passing the test itself. Figure skating judges rarely go out of their way to approach skaters with remarks of any kind, much less positive ones.
Me with three-time US National Ladies Figure Skating Champion and Olympic bronze medalist (team event) Ashley Wagner when I attended her Skate & Sculpt adults-only figure skating fitness class. See my two-part review of the class in the figure skating section of my blog.
My tracings on the ice from a forward upright scratch spin. I enjoy interpreting the tracings from the various elements I practice. They reveal so much insight… was the spin entry strong and the spin centered; was a turn executed at the apex or did it occur too early or too late; did the jump take-off occur from the correct edge. This spin was a good one. The entry was strong as you can see the half-heart inscription characteristic of a proper entrance. The spin was centered (for the most part) with the circles piling up one on top of the other with little traveling across the ice.
A cool photo I didn’t intend to take. I discovered this frame in a video I took shortly after returning to the ice post-MCL tear recovery.
Group photo from the Janet Champion Spin Clinic I attended in November 2022. Please see my May 14, 2023 blog post titled “The Janet Champion Spin Clinic: In a Word, Energizing!” for my review of the clinic. 
COMPETITION RESULTS since I began skating again in 2017 (the pandemic derailed competing a bit; I hope to return to competition soon):

Fifth place, Adult Bronze Ladies Free Skate, 2019 Adult Midwestern Sectionals (the photo above in the header of me in the blue dress was taken at this competition)

First place, Adult Pre-Bronze Ladies Free Skate, 2018 Cup of Colorado

And a hint of things to come on the travel blog. Attending the ballet at the Opéra Garnier my junior year of college, which I spent studying in Paris, France. And what a wonderful year it was. Thanks Mom and Dad!

Welcome to my blog on figure skating and travel! Admittedly, it has two distinct personalities. One aim is to trace my journey back into figure skating as a woman in her mid-to-late 40s, from when I began skating again as an “older” adult in 2017 to the present day. To provide a little context on my present-day skating pursuits, I also reflect on when I first began skating in the 1990s. I refer to these posts as the “dream” series. Each post will have “dream” in the title.

And don’t forget to visit my blog’s travel section! Presently, most of the entries are about Croatia, a country where I have family and travel to on an almost annual basis. However, in my lifetime I have traveled all over the world so in time will post about some of those travels as well.

Atop the medieval wall in Dubrovnik, Croatia. The wall is the focal point of Dubrovnik’s old town, a UNESCO world heritage site. Standing atop the wall is perhaps one of the most magical places to be in the world.

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My figure skating philosophy at this point in my life is that even the most simplest of moves can be stunningly beautiful when executed with grace, originality, and attention to detail.

Below is a video in which I demonstrate my figure skating philosophy as an “older” adult. In the video, I perform a basic one-foot spin two ways: first in a traditional position with the arms checked and second with a variation in the position of the arms, showing how attention to little details such as arm position can make something simple look unique, creative, and beautiful. A note: I am not skating to the music playing in the background; it is whatever the rink was playing at the time.

And a blast from the past: below is a digitized video containing a couple snippets of me competing in the 1990s, after I had been working with a coach for just under three years.

Performing a spiral in competition, 1990s.
Figure skating in the era of COVID-19: first day back on the ice after a two-month closure at my rink, June 2020.

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