Skating Fridays

Being the Exception

All my life, I’ve been an exception. As an Asian-American female, I’ve often been either the only non-Caucasian person for an event or the only female. Sometimes both. When I visit my in-laws in the midwest, I often stick out like a sore thumb. It’s not easy being different, but I’m learning to embrace it.

This summer, Brian Orser (yes, THE Brian Orser) is coming to my rink to conduct a skating seminar. Except there are two catches: 1) It’s closed to adults, and 2) He is only accepting skaters with a consistent axel.

The coach at my rink who is organizing the seminar is in touch with Brian’s organizer. She knows about my skating and sees me as a decent athlete. She laid out my case and told the organizer that I have a solid axel (except in competition… right?). Several weeks later, she said that she got me an exception.

I will be the only adult skater at this seminar, as far as I am aware. Right now the seminar is only open to our club and will eventually be open to other clubs. There are VERY limited spaces available. If you happen to know of any skaters, kid or adult, please let them know. We’d love for others to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn from an Olympic and World coach.

And for once, I am happy to be an exception!

Cook this on