And while I can’t wait to watch all the Europeans competitions kicking off this week, I started attending my local Figure Skating adult class. I do my simple basics and feel all Carolina :D
TALENT ... it’s not the GIFT, it’s the GRIT that counts
It’s September, the “real” start of the year. Your four-year-old joins Canskate at the local skating club and joins the lesson with other helmet-headed, snow-suit clad youngsters.
You sit in the stands and wonder if the coach notices your child. It is a common enquiry. On the other side of the boards however, it doesn’t take long for the coach to get to know all the canskaters. Each one is unique.
Most kids love to skate after they master the ‘art of the glide.’ It feels like flying. But for every ‘flier’ there are also kids who are reluctant and fearful. They need encouragement. Others just want to race off to the arena snack bar.
Passion exists within all kids but for some, skating is not where it is found. Kids are transparent. If yours loves to skate they possess spark and a “love of the game”.
Drive follows talent; when we have an affinity for something we embrace it. Practice is less a chore than the joy of discovery - the thrill of skill acquisition.
As a kid, I was obsessed! I lived to skate. On my days off I daydreamed about performing for Canada in front of thousands of people. I would spend hours in the basement choreographing routines to The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins.
When competitions were scheduled on TV, I raced home to watch.
As a pre-teen, my coach moved to a new club across town. Finally I got to skate every day. And share the ice with world-class skaters!
Eventually the thrill of skating morphed into fierce determination as I climbed the competitive ladder. On tough days it was that “joy of the glide” to which I tried to connect. The only requirements? Beautiful music and the ice.
As a coach I have seen many gifted skaters leave the sport to embrace other opportunities. It becomes clear that talent is the tip of the iceberg. It takes a confluence of several factors to produce world-class athletes.
Only an infinitesimal few are born with the extraordinary talents of Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan or Michelle Kwan. How these ‘stars’ finessed their gift is legendary. Despite being the best, they practiced assiduously and enjoyed long careers.
While it may take a unique individual to devote themselves wholeheartedly to their sport, I have worked with passionate kids who skate only a few times a week. Yet their work ethic rivals that of a world competitor.
I’ve discovered that skating comes in all forms. A love of the sport is what inspires us at every level.
What a gift it has been to pass on my passion and expertise. And that is figure skating’s greatest gift to me.
Recommended Reading:
Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates world-class performer from everyone else by Geoffrey Colvin
