Hi Everyone!
I hope everybody had fantastic summers. I've been very, very
busy, which explains the length of time between journal
entries, so here we go. In this entry I'll cover my summer training
with Tatiana and Evgeny, life in Simsbury, my return home, and
what's next for me.
Simsbury was wonderful. It was a very intense situation
training with other top skaters like Shizuka and
Brian, but it gave me the extra push to be the best. My programs
are coming along really well. They're not quite perfection yet, but I
think they will be by November. I love both pieces of music, and I
think that shows in the way I skate to them. My short program is
very powerful, something I'm not known for, but it's just another
step to branch out. The footwork sequences are difficult without
looking like I'm falling all over the place. The long program is
lyrical and dramatic and suits me very well. The whole program
blends
and falls into place, and I think it's a good step for me. Training
with Tatiana and Evgeny was, once again, a wonderful experience.
Every day we pushed harder than the previous, and I got much
stronger. I really love working with them and hope to return to
Simsbury next summer.
Life in Simsbury was interesting to say the least. I became very
domesticated and
learned how to cook and find the sales in the grocery store as well
as hammer things, change shower heads, and how to keep an
apartment clean. I met a lot of people last summer, so it helped me
a lot to know other people in Simsbury. I got to go shopping a lot
with friends, go on trips to Boston, and hang out at the apartment
and watch movies. I had a great time. One person I really bonded
with was Anette Dytrt. She's the German National Champion. She
and I had lunch together every day at my apartment and helped
push each other through training on the hard days. It was great
meeting her, and I'm so excited that she'll be at both of my Grand
Prixs.
I miss her already. So, in a nutshell, that was my summer.
I'm home now, and I
have to admit that I miss being able to do everything on my own
and do what
I want, but Delaware means structure, and that's what I need to be
a champion. Next June will come before I know it, so I have to
make the most of things while I'm home. It is nice to be with my
family, friends, and dogs again!
For the fall I'm going to be a very busy boy. This weekend I'll
be performing in the Will Sears Memorial
Show in NYC as well as coaching some students at the Middle
Atlantics Competition. After that I'll be home for a few weeks, then
I'll be competing on October 1 at the USFSA Pro-Am in Saint
Paul. The weekend after that I'll be performing in the Jimmy Fund
Show in Boston on October 8, then in the same weekend I'm doing
two shows in Simsbury on October 9 & 10. After all of that I'll
be home for a few weeks, and then it's off to Duty Free in Japan,
France, and Russia. I'm exhausted just thinking about it.
Oy, so there you have it, now you know everything that's been
going on. I hope everyone has a safe
and happy September, and I'll get back to you guys in October.
Thank you for all your support.
Much love,
-J We
