Figure Skating

I am not very into winter sports, I don’t like being cold in addition to not being athletic, but I enjoy watching figure skating. Much to my families disgust and dismay. hehehehe.

 

I know very little about it, I couldn’t tell a lutz  from toe jump from a salchow (I always thought they were saying sow-cow). But I enjoy watching the grace (or lack of grace when they fall.)

 

Tuesday night though, I saw something that brought tears to my eyes.

 

I don’t know if you have been following the Olympics, especially figure skating, but you may have heard about Joannie Rochette of Canada. She was expecting a normal Olympics (is there really such a thing?)  and her parents had arrived to watch the weekend before her first skate.  Her mom unexpectedly had a massive heart attack on Saturday and died Sunday morning (news article here). And still she skated on Tuesday night.

 

She skated heart-breakingly, beautifully and as the last notes faded she had a brief expression of “this is for you mom.” Then it seemed as though a wave of grief swept over her as her face crumbled up.

 

As a mom, I would want my child to take the opportunity and skate because that had been the goal for so many years.

 

As a daughter, I would want to be curled up in the fetal position and crying. 

 

The sad part to me (beyond the loss of her mother) is that the Olympics will always be a painful memory for her. Whether she wins or not, every time she thinks of the Olympics, she will also have the association of her mom’s death. Even getting the gold metal would be bittersweet.  If she doesn’t place, she might wonder if she would have done better without the added burden. 

 

It is just sad.

You can watch her skating the short program here.