Look for me on National TV

One of the first things I can remember wanting to be when I grew up was a famous figure skater! We lived across the street from a busy skating rink and I spent many an hour there. It wasn't until my Mom took me to a local ice show that my neighbors Debbie and Pam Miller were in, that I realized ice skating involved pretty little costumes, lights, fun music and makeup! I remember plain as day sitting in the stands watching Debbie float around the ice in this little blue velvet number of a costume...thinking "hey I wanna be one of those". My Dad's paychecks didn't put us on easy street back then either...but I did have an uncle, who didn't have any daughters of his own and worked for Sears! Each year we memorized the Sears Christmas Catalog and in about 5th grade he bought me the skating outfit I had shown him that I wanted in that catalog. I'll never forget it because he also bought me the fake white mink cape with matching fur muffler for my hands that I 'd give anything to get my hands on today! It was a black, wool/felt vest with white trim and matching little skirt. I thought I had made it big-time..... little did I know my Mom wasn't going to let me wear that thing over at the rink in the sub-zero temps. And, worse yet.... little did I know the worst was yet to happen....we were putting on a play for our 5th grade class and the teacher must have overheard me bragging to my friends about my new skating outfit. The play called for ice skaters to float about the stage amongst the trees. So guess what ? The teacher called my Mom to ask if the school could borrow my skating outfit for the play... I was thrilled thinking I was going to finally be able to wear and show off my cute little skating number....when in reality, it was Debbie Miller who got to prance the stage in my outfit and guess what I got to be? Yup, a butt-ugly tree dressed in green crepe-paper and brown tights... I'll never forget rocking back and forth like a tree in the wind while she got to skate around me wearing my costume! Maybe that's where all the trauma in my life really started .... :-) Anyway, I've always enjoyed watching skating competitions on TV. This week, the US National Figure Skating Championships have been at the Excel Energy Center in St. Paul and tommorrow, I am going to spend the day there watching the Ladies Finals and the Senior Pairs Finals ! ! For me, it's kinda like Ryan going to watch Tiger Woods play over here at Hazeltine Golf Course! Another fun part about the day is that Mark Ladwig, a young man who used to hang at my desk back when I worked in the counseling office at Moorhead High School, will be competing with his partner in the Pairs Finals. He used to always talk about his future goals in skating as a high school student, and now here it is 10 years later and I'll be in the stands watching him in actual national competition. Check back for the outcome and for pictures from my adventures at the Excel!