London Ho

I had always admired the special talent that individuals honed while watching the Winter Olympics every four years. More respectively, the sport that had always had me on the edge of my seat breathless at the pure coalescence between artistry and physical technique was figure skating.

I always think back to the year 2018 during the Winter Olympics when I saw Yuzuru Hanyu, one of the most renowned male figure skaters in the industry, perform his short and free program. Those mere 10 minutes that had my eyes locked on every spin, turn, and sequence seemed to have galvanize a passion for skating.

Ever since then, it had always been a deep-rooted desire of mine to learn the art of skating; that was, until summer 2021 when I had decided to take on the arduous challenge to learn one of the most dangerous sports there is.

Almost every morning, I would drive an hour to the nearest rink to dedicate at least three to four hours of skating. Putting on those rentals, tying them so tight it would leave imprints on my skin for hours, and entering the numbing, frozen icebox of a rink were all a daily routine for me.

It was a heinous mission to learn to skate spending hours falling over and bruising myself, even to the extent of breaking my knee. I would constantly peer over, and see all the young kids already seemingly to have mastered the skill, perfecting their axel jumps and precise turns in front of me. To me, they weren’t a discouragement. What others would deem a skill that couldn’t be picked up because of simply age, I deemed an inspiration to work harder.

Practicing over 20 hours a week, I ended up purchasing my own skates. After what seemed like endless days, I was stunned at my newfound ability to elegantly glide on the ice backwards, turn, and even do tricks that I once awed at on the TV screen.

Figure skating, I feel, has become such a core moment in my life – even if it was a sheer two months – because of how it taught me to relish in the things you want to try and do. It was a pivotal moment because I was able to watch myself evolve, go through the journey, and endure through hardships to reach my ambitions.

I always look back and feel so accomplished and shocked that I actually obtained a skill that I had forever admired others for having. Since I am now in college, I am no longer able to dedicate that much time to figure skating anymore, but nevertheless it’s always a fun “party” trick to surprise new people I meet with.