Grassroots to Champions – Part 1
This year I got to participate in another Grassroots to Champions seminar. Luckily for me, former National Champion Jason Brown was a guest coach for the weekend. I was fangirling the entire 2 days and couldn’t stop squealing like a middle school girl. Yes, it was ridiculous, but I couldn’t help myself.
On Day 1, Jason and his mother Marla gave a talk about his experience growing up with the sport. What I found admirable is that Marla always put family and education first. When Jason got pressure from his coach to move to California to train, his mother put her foot down and said no. Obviously, things eventually worked out for them, but they did not have to sacrifice their morals and beliefs. Skating was always a 3rd priority for the Brown family.
After the talk, Jason gave an autograph session, and I was able to get a picture with him. Once the program concluded, we returned to the rink for some open freestyle sessions and private lessons. I worked on my single jumps and double salchow attempts. We also had group sessions with Jason on edges and fun moves.
Later that evening, some of us went to dinner and Jason floated around each table to talk to the parents and skaters. He really made us all feel special and like we were best friends.
It was a wonderful day, and I’ll continue with my recap next week.
