Jacks of the Trade - Our Middlers

Figure skating is the sport that requires…

the elegance of a royal court

the grace of a ballerina

the speed of a sprinter

the balance of a tightrope walker

the agility of a high diver

the endurance of a marathon runner

the coordination of a juggler

the strength of a high jumper

the rhythm of a dancer

and the performance of a mime . . .

(author unkown)

Tonight's discussion with our "middlers," our kids that are in the middle age group, provided more insight into the chameleon that they become to move from beginner skaters to more advanced competitors.

It seems that most skaters start in the same fashion . . . learn to skate classes that turn into lessons that move to off and on-ice club classes that eventually become competitions and finally become full-fledged dreams of success. And our middlers are no different in their experiences.

Nathan Singh, Misha Mitrofanov, Sasha Serebrenikov and Shea Lundgren are aspiring athletes. Nathan is not a skater, but his sister Sajya is and is participating in our camp to improve his strength for swimming and tennis. Misha, Sasha and Shea are competitive skaters who are transitioning into ever higher levels of competition. My conversation with them was delightful, mostly because I could see their dreams in their eyes and feel their passion toward the sport in their voices.

Shea Lundgren has been skating since she was 6 years old and is now 11. Shea has participated in camp before and was excited to return to work with Coach Valentin. She finds his exercises difficult, but believes that he brings out the best in her. She stated that you must "try with all of your heart," when training with Valentin. She believes this week's work has helped her to gain more endurance and feel better about her strength and stability. She wants to continue to work on her jumps and stick her landings. Ultimately, she looks forward to moving up from her current pre-juvenile level to compete in higher levels.

Misha Mitrofanov currently lives in Houston, but was a student of Coach Alexei for over five years. At 12 years old, Misha has been skating for the past 9 years, and currently skates at an intermediate level. Misha is also very intrigued by Coach Valentin's abilities to train skaters and stated that receiving coaching from Valentin is largely the reason that he is attending our camp. He reasons that, since Valentin has trained other Russian Olympians, he has the capability of training a young aspiring guy from Houston to compete, also.

Sasha Serebrenikov hails from New Jersey. Her coach is a friend of Coach Alexei's and she admires Alexei's coaching capabilities and desired to join our camp to learn more from him. Sasha skates at the pre-preliminary level, is 11 years old and began skating at 4.

Nathan Singh is a competitive swimmer and tennis player. A gregarious fellow, Nathan has enjoyed making friends and improving his strength this week. Nathan began participating in his chosen sports at age 6. He is 11 years old.

The interesting thing about being a "middler" at camp is that you must be the jack of the trade. Not only do you have the pressure of keeping up and gaining the acceptance of the older, more experienced athletes, you have the pressure of serving as a role model for the younger athletes. The chameleon they must become and, as far as I can see, they've done this well.

Earlier today, Shea was asked to assist my 7-year-old daughter in her distance running. Shea served as a fantastic mentor to Addison and for this, I am grateful. The first words out of Addison's mouth after returning to the beach house following practice were, "Shea helped me to run much faster this time!" What the younger kids gain from their role modeling, they, themselves, gain in confidence that they have grown to a level to be modeled.

All of the kids stated that they enjoy the challenge of continually working toward higher levels, but are honored to serve as role models for the younger kids.

All four kids have ambitious goals. Nathan came to this camp to get into the "best shape ever." He has learned that, in order to get anything you really want, you have to put forth a lot of effort. Misha believes that the personal sacrifices to chase his dream of becoming an Olympian are worth the effort. Some days are hard, but when the good days come, they prove that all the work was worth the time. Shea also dreams of being an Olympian and believes that the time she puts in adds to her self-confidence and helps her to better define who she is. Shea added that it is simply enough for her to go to the Olympics. Once you've made it to that level, you've made it in this sport.

Nathan wishes to swim competitively for years to come and become a pilot. Misha would like to join the army after his stint as an Olympian. Shea also plans to represent the U.S. in the Olympics and become an architect. Sasha wants to become an actress or a skating coach after her Olympic debut.

All agree that figure skating is unique because it is emotionally stirring and can be used to inspire others. I look forward to being inspired by these kids for a long time to come . . .