Lauren Flanagan

My First Step

This memory, unlike others, is a good memory.  The day was Monday and I was four.  I feel like I can remember it like it was this morning.  It was the day I am going to step on the ice for the first time.  As my dad laced up my boots and I admired the crisp paint  on my skates, I thought to myself, "I want to be just like her."  It was my sister.  My sister had started two years earlier than I had and had already reached Basic 4.  I was going to have my first skating lesson ever.  As my dad walked me to the door, I looked at all the other kids.  Most of them looked terrified; however, I was proud as could be and could not wait to step onto the crisp white ice.

As I went and stepped on, I felt so great.  It was a wonderful feeling to be on the ice instead of watching.  However, as I went to take a step, I fell.  Who knew that the ice would be slippery and I would have trouble standing.  As a nice older lady helped me up, I remember thinking, "At least I got that out of the way."

As the lesson progressed, I didn't fall once.  I learned to march, glide, stop, wiggle, and do a little two foot hop all on my first day.  When the teacher announced that the class was over, I couldn't wait to get off the ice and tell my dad what a wonderful time I had.  Without that first day and the excitement I had, I don't believe that I would still have the love and passion for skating that I do today.

The first lesson was the key to my success as a national competitor.  Today I am a nationally ranked skater.  I compete all over the US.  Without that first step and that first fall I would be scared to death every time I got on the ice.  Without trying the sport I would never know what it is like to have commitment and to be rewarded for something you work hard at.  It takes a lot of determination and a lot of sacrifice.  I get up every morning around five to train and to compete in the sport I love.  That first fall encouraged me to get up and keep going because I may not be great at first, but with hard work and determination, I became great.



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