I stood on the sidelines at the Yost Ice Arena at the University of Michigan donning a bright red sequin-patterned costume. My Theatre on Ice team had just skated a clean second program, and we hoped that we could move up from 7th place in the leaderboard. However, my smile of hope soon disappeared as the jumbotron revealed the score report; we were still in 7th place. In fact, at the end of the competition, my team placed 8th.

So much confusion rushed through my mind. I thought to myself, “how could a team who won has been the American champions in Theatre on Ice for three consecutive years place second-to-last?” My team was angry and anguished. I was personally upset at how six hours of practice every Sunday evening resulted in an 8th place finish at the Theatre on Ice Worlds. …show more content…
As a young naïve 10-year-old, not only did I let other people’s statements easily affect me, I wanted to feel accepted and “normal.” My peers at school usually made fun of figure skating as an exclusively feminine sport. Because I did not want to be perceived as feminine, and I did not have the courage to speak up for myself, I made fun of figure skating along with my peers. Throughout middle school, I never told anyone I figure skated, and I would make someone swear to secrecy to not tell anyone if he or she found out. Gradually, I let others’ words impact my love for