the rain feels familar…i don’t like it…but the rain reminds me of springtime in the bay area….it feels warmer though…maybe it’s because i’m wrapped up in mu ultra-heavy jacket. this peabody jacket got me through my first mid-west winter…so, it’s serving me well in London.
so…i have thursday and friday off, again. i just finished my edit for the Life feed and it will run tomorrow morning. been feeling sad…maybe it’s been accentuated by the rain…but working on the script and the video edit put me in a better mood. i love working to the point that my emotions, my sad ones, seem to disappear…
it’s only an illusion.
I remember training in Lake Arrowhead. One bonus to training in the mountatins was the high altitude. So, if you could make it through your routine in the mountains, it would be easier for you to compete down LA.
We also drove there for lessons with Frank Caroll. He was a big deal coach who had several Olympic skaters under his care. My family introduced the Kwans to him and Michelle went with him to the Olympics a few times.
Lake Arrowhead is about two hours away from our home in Diamond Bar. I remember in eighth grade, we made that trip every day to fit in a few hours of practice. I did my homework in the car. Either my mom or dad would work an eight hour shift and then make the commute that ended up being a 4 hour trip all together.
I worked my ass off trying to nail a double axel. It was the make-or-break jump for my level, at that time. Lake Arrowhead was home to a few dozen So. Cal skaters who named Frank as their head coach. On top of that, Lake Arrowhead hosted international skaters….
So, with that enviroment, it felt like I was at the bottom of the totem poll.
I think it was something like $60 for a thirty minute lesson with this guy. Sometimes he cut out of my lessons early to pay attention to a more talented skater.
I remember waiting for Frank to help me pick out music for my next competitive season. Every day, after the two hour commute, I hoped with all my heart that he would have a magical piece of music that I could transform into a routine for the next competition. I didn’t say anything…he ran through my jumps…that was all….without a piece of music, we couldn’t go over choreography or endurance…I tried to be patient. I saw him whisk in with tapes for other skaters….one for Joanna…who quit the sport for about 2 years…but since she had this amazing flair on the ice, Frank was willing to drop everybody for her. Including people who have stuck with him for the last year or more…people like me.
The rink didn’t have any railings. You could hop on from the bench…it wasn’t designed for hockey or public skating. I remember waiting for Frank by the tape deck. I saw him place a tape on top of the machine. I looked at him and he shook his head…that’s not for you….My lesson started at 5….he didn’t get around to me until 5:15….and the lesson ended promptly at 5:30.
He called Joanna over…he told her to listen to something he had in mind for her short program.
The opening strains of Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet ballet thundered through the rink. It was amazing, cool, epic and I wish it could have been for me…It was the music from the first fight between the Capulets and Montegues…it was beautiful…it still haunts me.
We ended up quitting Frank….I was tired of waiting for him and of him hurrying up to get rid of little un-talented me.
So now…I’m 26 and I live in the middle of London…but at work, I feel like I’m back in Lake Arrowhead…waiting for the music to begin for me.
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