After receiving an "Invitation to Retry" the Ten Fox when I tested in San Jose so long ago, I've been working toward taking USFS up on that offer.
As the expression goes, "Be careful what you ask for!" when you do things like submit an application to re-test thinking to yourself, "The Club will not be able to find three dance judges in August in the Sacramento area who want to spend a Saturday afternoon watching, among others, a mature, adult ice dancer try once more to pass a Bronze level dance. Come on - certainly these folks have others things to do during the dog days of summer, like watching their zucchini grow or watching paint dry."
Apparently that is not the case because at about 2:30 today I will take the ice, with some shred of pride that I am even testing this dance again, knowing that at least I will be dancing with a drop-dead stunning young man who is a *fab* ice dancer and great human being/friend. Sidebar: Thank you, Coach Chris, for getting me to this point. You've been THE best about all of the travails associated with getting to test day.
What do I want from this test? Not in this order, here's the long answer (there is no short one, I'm afraid):
- I want 2 of 3 (although 3 would be totally-over-the-top cool) judges to mark the "Pass" box so I can put this dance behind me.
- I'd like Coach Chris (and Coach Jayne) to be proud of the job I do.
- I don't care about overs, but I do care about getting feedback (read 'criticism') to improve my dance skills.
- I never want to hear "Slow Boat to China" again (and I picked that song "Why?").
- I want to skate a clean dance, put out the best performance I can, and leave the ice with my head held high.
- I want to accept that if I get another "Retry," it doesn't mean that I'm not a great wife, good dog Mom, loyal friend, and/or decent quilter. In short, not passing this test is not a metaphor for my life; it is a point-in-time event over which I have little control given the highly subjective nature of judging (maybe the judges will hate having to listen to "Slow Boat to China" and mark me down because of that - who knows? could happen!)
That's it in a nutshell. So, onward through a day that, like any other day, is 24 hours, during which less than two minutes will be spent taking this test. Nameste.
Hi Karen: I too am a quilter and a figure skater. Both are my passions and I now make a living through quilting. My daughter is nine and we take lessons from the same coach. I worked with a coach for about 12 years, before I had Sam and when I was already an adult. Always wanted to skate as a kid but wasn't able to. It's cool that we share the same passions. I wish you all the best on your Bronze. I haven't competed yet, but I'm thinking about it. Samantha has her first competition in Oct, pre-alpha probably, and I can't wait to see her. Thanks for sharing, Jake Finch
ReplyDeleteHi, Jake! Thank you for taking time to post on my blog. It is very nice to find someone who enjoys the same things. I envy you being able to make a living through quilting. As you can tell from my tops, I am still learning this wonderful craft. I didn't pass my Ten Fox yesterday, but that's the nature of ice skating - some days you do great, some days you don't. You should try competing; you will know in short order whether you like this part of the sport. Do you have a website for your quilting business? If so, please send me the address? Thanks so much for writing to me! Have a wonderful day.
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right. I got what I got - nothing to do with the judges, everything to do with how I did the dance. On the other hand, I did have on a lovely dress and, I have always said, "It's not how you skate that counts, it's how you look when you skate that does!" I don't think I deserved to pass, even at the Masters level. Thanks for being there for my test. It meant so much to me.
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