Standing on the edge of the rink, looking at pure, perfect ice. Taking that first step, hearing my blade slice the ice, smiling, laughing, and talking to my friends. That great feeling when you learn and master a new move; this is figure skating to me. I remember starting figure skating at Clark in fifth grade. It not only helped me learn cool spins and jumps but helped me to believe in myself, persevere, and encourage those around me. But at first, I did not know how I could accomplish and grow through figure skating. I remember filling out the form for my winter sport, seeing basketball, hockey, and figure skating. Thinking to myself, I knew I wasn't really great at basketball, and hockey was not my thing; I thought, why not try figure skating?

I had no background experience, and it was my first time trying figure skating. At that point, I only knew how to skate on ice without falling. My parents bought me my first pair of skates for Christmas. I was so excited about my new skates, and by the first year, I learned basic moves like crossovers, two-foot spins, and a bunny hop. Toward the end of the season, we even had a routine that we performed at one of the hockey scrimmages. It was amazing, and I could not wait for next year!

When that second year came around, I was in sixth grade, and unfortunately, COVID prevented us from being on the ice. But I kept practicing the moves I had learned the prior year every time I went to Howard Park skating rink. By seventh grade, I could not wait to learn more advanced skills like jumps and turns. My skates were a little too tiny small, and I had to get new ones, but this past year I learned how to do a three-foot turn, mohawk, and a cool jump where you have to turn all the way around in the air and land back on the ground with two feet. I have learned so many moves, and I can't wait to learn more in my last year at Clark.

Figure skating and hockey at Clark are unique because most middle schools, even some high schools, don't have hockey, and even fewer have figure skating. I highly recommend trying figure skating because you never know if you like something until you try it. I have built so many memories at Clark, especially around figure skating. I hope that my fellow students can too.