Spring and fall

spring exhibition

I felt stressed.

Within the first ten seconds of my program I knew something was wrong with my right skate. The laces were loose.... and they eventually came undone. I shouted at Afton, "my skate is untied!" but she didn't hear me and so I just went through the motions. Imagine a lemur ice skating.

I asked to reskate my program, and I was allowed to, but instead of being more calm that I had the chance to redeem myself, I was frantic. It felt terrible to have to go through the experience twice, and I really couldn't stop shaking. So the second time I skated with a very stiff air. Imagine a man on stilts ice skating.

The climax unfolded as I ended my program and got into my ending pose. Tout de suite, I was on my bottom. My feet came out from underneath me, and all I could do was lay on the ice in surrender. Oh, how the crowd laughed. I was glad too, because then I could laugh. Which I did. When we were SAFELY at home, I watched the video of the fall over and over again, laughing with my mother.

I was glad for those who were there; it would be a bit of a lie to skate well. I fall down nearly each day, and so I gave them a true picture I suppose. (And on a sappier note, I felt very loved that people I adore came.)
That is how it went down.