Its not just a sport. Its a way of life.

When I step out on the ice, all my thoughts are erased, I don't care about what happened ten minutes ago nor do I worry about the ten minutes to come. There is nothing like newly sharpened blades on a fresh sheet of ice. It's like cutting through butter, smooth and flawless, creating the prefect edge. It's all about the timing, the pressure created, and the lean the body makes when you just let it all flow. It reaches its perfection on an early morning when the air is crisp and clears the mind and when the fog hasn't quite lifted, so it seems like your skating on clouds. There really isn't anything else like it, It's home.

"I AM A SKATER: I have no Olympic medals or national titles .but I am richly rewarded with a lifetime of close friends- friends I have known since childhood, a rare blessing in an age when most people don't even know their next door neighbor. Skating has been my life; a good life; a way of life. It is my career. It has brought me happiness and contentment beyond measure. I am proud to be a skater, thankful for the opportunities, glad for the lessons in verance, indebted for having been taught discipline and responsibility, grateful to have learned how to deal with many of life's hard lessons and to have reaped the benefits of all its best rewards."

"SKATING: It's the feeling you get at the end of a hard practice when you pushed yourself to the limit, the way the ice feels when you get back on it after a few months off. It's a part of YOUR IDENTITY, something you LOVE and something you HATE. A bond that NO ONE ELSE really understands, but that's okay, because every time you get out on the ice it isn't just you; it's all the friends and coaches over the years, all the practices, all the sweat, all the pain, all the tears, all the memories, all the laughter, all the "off" competitions, all the lifetime bests, and all the road trips. As individual as it may seem, skating is really a team sport, and even still, it's more than just a sport. IT'S A WAY OF LIFE."

A Best Friend

What is a Best Friend?

The Dictionary definition is:

Best Friend: The one Friend who is Closest to you.

I dont think that is the full meaning of a best friend.

I think the true meaning of a best friend is that one person who came and never left your side. The one who walked in when the whole world walked out. The one you can count on through thick and thin.

I have changed a lot this year. And i have lost and gained a lot of friends.

I have met a lot of amazing people. I have also lost amazing people this year.

I have made mistakes with all of my frienships. Some more then others. Im finally okay with admitting that i have made mistakes. After all, iam only human.

The girl that i thought was my best friend at the begining of the year. Well she didn't turn out to be the girl i thought she was. She turned on me when i needed her the most. She hurt me incredibly.

But when i finally decided to let her go. I was renewed. I felt free. She was holding me back.

Then i relized all the amazing people who were surrouding me.

One person in particular.

This was one of the hardest times in my life. I felt like i had nobody to turn to. But then i started talking more and more to this girl.

She was definetly one of my best friends before this all happened. But when this happened. I felt closer to her .

She listened to me. She comforted me. She walked in when i felt that the world had walked out. But most of all she loved me. When i felt my world was slipping through my fingertips.

Our friendship grew stronger and stronger.

Now this girl. Is my Best Friend.

Iam so incredibly thankful for her. I couldnt ask for a better best friend.