Tender Mercies

I drove home from the rink, my heart filled with mixed emotions. "You were her favorite coach," her mom had said to me after the lesson. Do you really have to leave? It had been a decade since I began coaching ice skating in high school in San Jose. Coaching was what I did through college to pay for ice time, and I took it with me to Alaska.  As a younger skater, I never wanted to coach. I never thought I was good enough to teach others the art of figure skating, nor thought anyone would hire me. When I turned 16, coaching group lessons at the rink was the only option for me if I wanted to keep up my lessons with my coach and keep competing because I needed a way to pay for my ice time and lessons. And so the journey began.  I learned that while I was not as strong with the technical side of teaching older, more advanced skaters, I found a love for teaching the basics to younger children. I also loved teaching adults.  Coaching brought to me a s...

It has been six months since I have stepped inside an ice rink. This was the longest break away from the rink since 1998, the year I began my ice skating journey. Crazy. When July 1st was around the corner this year, I knew I needed to renew my US Figure Skating memberships and coaching certifications, etc., so that I would stay compliant. Not knowing what club I wanted to renew with or join, I did my research and decided to join the Silver Blades Figure Skating Club in Shawnee, KS. I had a great experience as I emailed the lady over the membership for the club, and she invited me to check out the rink and talk to me about their club. I knew I would take her up on that offer eventually, but I didn't know when. Today, a little over two and a half weeks after the initial email, I drove the 30 miles to the Kansas City Ice Center. It took me about 33 minutes. For my entire skating career, I have not been any further from the rink than a 15 minute drive, and for the past seven y...

Eight days. Eight girls. Eight medals. A lifetime of memories. I had a wonderful opportunity to be one of two coaches for the Alaska Figure Skating Team during the 2014 Arctic Winter Games, held March 15-22 in our lovely city of Fairbanks.  I never expected to have an international coaching experience, and although this wasn't the Olympics or anything, it sure was fun competing against Russia, Alberta North, Northwest Territories, and Yukon. The other contingents at the Games were Sapmi, Greenland, Quebec, and Nunavut. It would take a book to write all of my experiences and such, so I will post pictures and let them do the talking.  I would have loved to get more pictures, but as one of only two coaches responsible for our skaters, I didn't have all the time to do so. On top of these I have posted here, if you go over to SmugMug , there are lots of professional pictures from AWG that really show the fun we had. I can't post them directly here due to copyright laws, bu...

I haven't ever taken a week-long trip alone, but I recently took an 8-day trip to the Seattle/Tacoma area to attend the Northwest Pacific Regional Championships with one of my skaters.  I really wanted to be able to travel with my husband, but I really had to go alone and be a big girl. It ended up being a huge blessing, because aside from coaching my skater, I had a lot of free time where I could focus on taking time for myself. The competition was a success, and I learned a lot. I also enjoyed staying with my friend who I met in Fairbanks and exploring the cities around me. Enjoy the pictures! Day 1: The Seattle Washington Temple So grateful to have friends who go to the temple with me! Maybe I am not so good at taking self pictures! Day 2: Renton, WA I took advantage of the sunny & warm weather and got out every day for a long walk. How beautiful it was! More awesome glass art! Day 3: Tacoma, WA I loved the blown glass near the Museum of G...