With the Olympics starting exactly 3 weeks from today there is so much going on in a world I have no idea about. While Jeremy prepares back in Detroit and the other men are back home training for their Olympic dreams, I can't help but wonder what is going through their minds. I have read numerous articles on these men and their training regimen and the preparation that they go through, but I seriously wonder what they are feeling?
I have watched my brother skate from the time he was 4 years old. I have seen him skate dance, a short lived pairs
I have watched my brother skate from the time he was 4 years old. I have seen him skate dance, a short lived pairs
season on through his current position as the 2 time US National Champion. I have seen first hand the training that he goes through, the preparation on and off the ice, not before a competition mind you, but all the training that goes into getting ready for those competitions.
I remember when Jeremy was first learning to skate, and he had just learned his first single jumps, and had the most perfect spins of anyone on the ice. But what I remember the most was his shoot the duck, yes you read this right, he had the best and lowest shoot the duck out of everyone. When he would hold that pose and travel across the Aspen Ice Rink, people would stop and stare and then go up and ask him to show them how to the that or how does he get back up for someone so little. He was 6. I sign of things to come?
Most of the time Jeremy was the youngest male skater in the Aspen Ice Rink. They would go to shows and this little kid would come out and skate his little heart out and be either the leader in a conga line, on the tail on a choreographed, sincro circle, or a version of crack the whip. I remember one of his first programs was to the Little Mermaids, "Under the Sea". He made the cutest Sebastian crab. My mom still has those hand made lobster claws.
Thankfully Jeremy has graduated from the Little Mermaid days and the hand-me-down costumes from boys older than him. As he has progressed of the past 20 years it's been really a sight to see. He has really come a long way from that small little boy in the Aspen Ice Rink, doing face painting and home made costumes and dancing along behind people twice his size.
I like to think he has graduated to the front of the pack. He is now the one leading the crack the whips and teaching people that the artistry of figure skating still exists. It's not just about the jumps and spins and footwork, it's an art, a true art form, one that Jeremy has mastered beautifully. Maybe all the shows, and shoot the ducks and lobster claws molded him into what he is today. Maybe it was the "gentle" teasing he had to endure from his sister and his peers. I might add that he has now silenced all of us, though I gave up teasing him a long time ago when I realized how talented he really was.
As we head into Vancouver, exactly 3 weeks from today, I still can't help but wonder what these men are going through. Are they wishing for the days of shoot the ducks and obscurity again, or are they the men they appear to be on the ice, ready to handle anything that is thrown their way? From a sisters prospective, I believe Jeremy will be cracking his own whip all the way to the top!
I remember when Jeremy was first learning to skate, and he had just learned his first single jumps, and had the most perfect spins of anyone on the ice. But what I remember the most was his shoot the duck, yes you read this right, he had the best and lowest shoot the duck out of everyone. When he would hold that pose and travel across the Aspen Ice Rink, people would stop and stare and then go up and ask him to show them how to the that or how does he get back up for someone so little. He was 6. I sign of things to come?
Most of the time Jeremy was the youngest male skater in the Aspen Ice Rink. They would go to shows and this little kid would come out and skate his little heart out and be either the leader in a conga line, on the tail on a choreographed, sincro circle, or a version of crack the whip. I remember one of his first programs was to the Little Mermaids, "Under the Sea". He made the cutest Sebastian crab. My mom still has those hand made lobster claws.
Thankfully Jeremy has graduated from the Little Mermaid days and the hand-me-down costumes from boys older than him. As he has progressed of the past 20 years it's been really a sight to see. He has really come a long way from that small little boy in the Aspen Ice Rink, doing face painting and home made costumes and dancing along behind people twice his size.
I like to think he has graduated to the front of the pack. He is now the one leading the crack the whips and teaching people that the artistry of figure skating still exists. It's not just about the jumps and spins and footwork, it's an art, a true art form, one that Jeremy has mastered beautifully. Maybe all the shows, and shoot the ducks and lobster claws molded him into what he is today. Maybe it was the "gentle" teasing he had to endure from his sister and his peers. I might add that he has now silenced all of us, though I gave up teasing him a long time ago when I realized how talented he really was.
As we head into Vancouver, exactly 3 weeks from today, I still can't help but wonder what these men are going through. Are they wishing for the days of shoot the ducks and obscurity again, or are they the men they appear to be on the ice, ready to handle anything that is thrown their way? From a sisters prospective, I believe Jeremy will be cracking his own whip all the way to the top!
Gwen, this posting is priceless! I'll tell you what's made Jeremy the person he is today: his wonderful mind and personality, including his persistence, sensitivity, and intelligence, and the nurturing environment in which he grew--his family, including his big sis. It is an honor to know you guys!! And it's a blast to see the world discovering what you have known for so long.
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