Nothing beats the feeling when you finish your routine at a competition you have been working towards for months. You take a deep breath, you smile and suddenly all the pressure disappears. Your body fills with relief as you curtsey to the judges and step off the ice.
The world of figure skating affects my life in many ways. It puts me through many emotions, has built me special relationships, disturbs my sleep pattern but most importantly it has helped me grow as an individual and that’s why I love it. I have been skating for roughly seven years which is almost half my life. It has taught me many skills and gave me many personality traits which I will keep with me forever and will use throughout my life.
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First of all, figure skating has made an improvement to my self-confidence. I find it very daunting putting myself out in front of hundreds of people during competitions. I can feel every single pair of eyes watching my every move. Not to mention the five judges and technical panel, this also includes a camera following me for the judges to examine my skating techniques. However, each time I compete I become more confident and more self-accepting of my mistakes. I embrace my failures to work even harder to improve my performance for next time.
Also, figure skating has made me a very determined person. I set my own targets that maximize my ability to challenge myself mentally and physically and work hard to achieve them. I feel extremely relieved and uplifted when I finally achieve my target and finally land that new jump or learn a new spin. This has a spiralling effect and overall improves my skating as a sudden burst of confidence overcomes me. This is vital for me as I often have a lack of self-belief in my own ability which often gets me quite emotional. I have found that this determination has carried on outside the ice rink to the classroom. My recent successful prelim results are a result of the determination and target setting skills I gained through my ongoing skating career.
Skating has also taught me discipline. As expected, there are rules and guidelines in skating we need to follow and again as expected, if we do not follow these there are consequences. Unfortunately, skaters learn this the hard way. If you do not point your toe, fully rotate a jump, do enough revolutions in a spin you are punished for it. It is really disheartening when you look at your score sheet after a competition and see all the deductions from silly, careless mistakes. Not getting the score you hoped for after trying so hard fills my veins with regret and disappointment. I wish that I could go back in time and do it all over again. But, after taking time to analyse and criticise my performance I fix those mistakes for next time. I have come to accept that as human beings we cannot execute everything absolutely perfectly all the time and that it is okay to make mistakes.
I have also gained some leadership skills during my time spent on the ice. On Saturdays I volunteer to help out teaching the younger kids at the ‘learn to skate’ classes. I help assist young kids from the age of approximately four years old and onwards. It fulfils me to know that through helping, I am giving something back to the people who taught me how to skate and that these kids that are just starting their skating journey look up to me as a role model.
This also opens up the opportunity for a possibility of becoming a coach in the future which will provide me with an income while I am at university for example. It also gives me a responsibility for others and makes me think and take action fast in difficult situations. I have become a very committed person due to dedicating a huge part of my life to this sport. I have to make logical and some difficult choices to balance my social life and my time training. My early morning starts are usually around five AM and interfere with my time spent with my friends and my sleep pattern. It means I have to give up time with friends to get home and go to bed early. The early mornings can be particularly physically and mentally demanding, especially the mornings I train before starting school.
I have built many special relationships during my time as a skater. It has expanded my circle of friends as when I attend competitions all over the United Kingdom I get the chance to meet new people. I also have a close bond with my coaches. Sometimes they are extremely tough on me but I know it is because they are aware of my full potential and want the best for me. Spending time with them has helped me to build relationships and respect people from a variety of age groups which I feel will also benefit me when I enter the workplace.
I believe that figure skating is a major factor on shaping the person I am today and the person I may become in the future. It has gifted me with various life skills and special memories that I know I will keep with me forever.
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