A Recap of My First Adult Nationals

I'm a little late with a Nationals recap, but there's so much to say, it's been hard to settle on what to write. So before we get *too* far removed from the event, here are a few highlights. It was my first adult nationals, and there was a theme of first running through the whole event for me.

• I was the first competitor of the first event of the entire competition. My turn to skate came up so fast, I didn't have too much time to get nervous about it. I was really pleased to be taking the ice at Nationals when I skated out to start and I think it reflected in the way I skated. I also had a great group of supporters in the stand, in the form of fellow skaters. They cheered their heads off for me and it made me feel like I belonged out there and helped me skate my best.



Heading into my opening jump pass

• I did skate well. I messed up my combo spin again, but I didn't fall. And because the spin didn't last its full time, I was a little early before my footwork and my little time filler was messy. BUT, I hit my final sit spin like I never have in competition before and I was thrilled! The joy I felt when I finished my program was electrifying! 
• After you skate, you get showered with gifts! When in your life does that ever happen?
• I got to be the first skater of the whole competition to climb on top of the podium! It can be scary to climb up a podium on skates.
• I was first to skate for my solo dance event, too. There were 12 skaters in the dance event, and we were divided into two warm up groups. For the second dance, the second of the warm-up groups goes first, so I had a while to wait between my two dances. I took off my skates after I finished my first dance. My legs were shaking and I felt really nervous. Later, putting on my skates for the medal ceremony for the dance event, my lace snapped. It freaks me out a little to realize how close I came to breaking a lace between my two dances!
• I never remember much from the actual skating in my dance events. I didn't trip when I stopped at the end like at sectionals, thanks to choreographed endings from my coach.

Ten-fox Ending Pose

• One of my favorite parts of the dance event was the camaraderie between skaters. Competitors stood together besides the boards and watched other skaters' patterns. We chatted as we watched and waited. Going into the event, I had no idea what sort of placement to expect, but I earned first place! At the awards for that event, one of the competitors told me that the result would have been the same if they had taken a vote among the competitors. It was a really sweet comment and meant a lot to me. 
• I got to be a sweeper for the silver ladies 4 and 5 light entertainment events and those women were hilarious! So fun to get to stand with them as they prepared to take the ice.
• I got to meet some new people and friends from the internet in real life. This included Eva from Eva Bakes, Diane from WaltzJump, Kate who is a friend of my non-skating sister. I even got to know some people who live close to me better. One member of my club came as a spectator. We watched some of the dance events together and during a dinner break, I discovered he and my dad had lived parallel lives. I also met Dick Button, Doug Wilson, Paul Wylie, and even danced with Mark Ladwig at the competitor's party. 
• Watching the championship gold and championship jr/sr events were highlights of the week. The skating was truly wonderful to watch. It is my dream some day to compete in championship gold. My spins are going to need a lot of work!
• Another favorite moment of the event was celebrating with a skating friend when she medaled in her LE event. She'd felt great about her FS and then placed very close to the bottom and she was really struggling with that. When she showed me her medal for her artistic program, she was absolutely overcome with joy and I got emotional sharing that moment with her.
• Returning home to my rink was also a wonderful experience. I don't think I've ever won anything this big in my life, and many skaters at my rink and coaches from my club have whole-heartedly congratulated me. It feels really nice for the kids to recognize an adult in what is such a kid dominated sport. 

Anyway, there's no rest for me... I've decided I want to test my Silver FS right away. I'm working on making the changes I need for the test, so I've jumped right back in! And of course, I want to start landing that axel. And there's gold moves, and there's my bronze dances to pass.... There's always something! But after all, that's one of the reasons I love this sport. Meanwhile, I'll try to close the book on this Nationals, ramp down a little and get focused at work again, but believe me, I've already got my sights set on Salt Lake City 2015!