Anyway, I had the all important decision of trying to figure out my color scheme for my boots. My old pair I had this super out-of-this-world scheme and then I ditched it for an all black pair with yellow logos (i got nervous). This time I wanted to do something a little different but I struggled with what to do. White looks nice, but scuffing it up looks bad and I am that type of skater so I scratched that idea.
What I ended up doing means a lot to me and where I have been and I am glad I made that decision because not a day will go by that I will ever forget that. I've written a number of times about the journey.. about being just a little kid that wanted to skate and how terrible I was for like three solid years and then something clicked. Then I was all business. It was all skating all the time and I wanted to be the best I could everyday at every thing. What you do as a child can easily mold you as an adult and thats a concept that holds true for me.
So, I spent my childhood inlining like most of you already know. And I wouldn't be an ice skater, let alone short track, or be in the position I am today without that and whether or not I ever compete on my wheels again I will never forget that. More importantly I spent my days at the roller rink I visited in my last post. Skateaway in Shillington, PA. I left a lot at that rink. Time, sweat, blood, tears, struggles, success, wins, losses, everything. Without that rink I'm not me, plain and simple. Then at that rink I spent that time as a part of the SOS Speed Team. I wore that skin suit proudly and I loved my team and my environment and it means the world to me still. I can recall tons of races from start to finish still. I can walk in that rink and relive some tough days mentally, physically, and emotionally. I can remember some of the talks the team had and I still take a lot of that stuff to heart. I recently wrote an essay about me, about my history with inline and my struggles through it all and what I believe and what has molded me as an athlete and person. Almost every piece of that essay came from my time on that team and in that rink.
Anyway, every time I achieve something on the ice. I still wish I had that uniform on to wear it proudly because I stopped skating for just me a long time ago. Now I skate for me and I also skate for everyone that's helped me through the years and there has been a ton of us. Every time I workout or race I have so many memories with me. One of the things I've been asked is what would it mean to achieve success and to mean it will always mean we've done it together, all of us.
So with all of that being said, my boots that I just got in the mail today have a color scheme I am very proud to wear. This is probably the last pair of short track skates I will ever get as they will last me through the Olympic season in 2018 and if I'm able to make it and have that opportunity I am proud and glad to say I'll be wearing these colors. It means a lot to me that every practice I have now I can always look down and have a little something extra to help me get through it.
