What does figure skating feel like?
Many different things.
You could be flying.
Or swimming.
Spinning.
Twisting.
Or nearly dying.
It's scary.
Incredible.
Painful.
Silly.
Unbelievable.
People watch you and gawk.
The pressure is high.
But so is the reward.
It requires tolerance of pain.
Determination.
Mental strength.
A lack of sanity.
And a bizarre sense of humor.
You've got to be serious.
But know when to laugh.
You've got to be strong.
And powerful.
But light.
And soft.
You've got to jump high.
But spin low
You've got to be fearless.
But know how to be nervous.
Fall.
And still get up.
Get hurt.
But never cry.
Be nice.
But get *****.
Smile and laugh.
But be mature.
Be positive.
And accept criticism.
Take abuse.
But never give it.
All these things are true.
But the one thing people tend to forget about skating:
Amongst the physical pain and mental pressure.
Behind the bruises and broken ankles.
Under the glares and competition.
People always forget to have fun. Skating is supposed to be fun. But despite the unbelievably hard work it requires to have success, without fun, nothing matters.
People try every day.
But all of them will fail.
The truth about figure skating. It is a brutal sport filled with competition, pain, and pressure. It's hard to understand it unless you've truly trained at a high level. It's almost impossible to imagine.
But underneath all the work, people tend to forget the fun.
Skating is one of the most incredible, exciting, dangerous, and enjoyable sports to be a part of. It's just as fun as it looks if you skate for a long time. But getting there, sometimes, people forget why they started.
And that is where they'll fall.