Into the Wild

(Lauren in movement) 

Last night the stars and the moon were out and I was sitting on a cold metal bleacher watching my cousin get thrown around the ice like a rag doll. Or simply I was just watching the close of the 2017 Sun Valley Ice Show.

The Ice show has been a part of my memories since I can remember. Started at the resort by Sonja Henie the show runs through the summer season bringing the premier Ice skating talent to Sun Valley Idaho. Figure ice skating in the US tends to get forgotten till the Winter Olympics. I never knew the level of dedication it took to be a skater except for watching The Cutting Edge (TOE PICK!) and making the random Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerigan reference.

In the big randomness that is my family  no one really stands up and says HEY look at me I’m super talented and you need to pay attention to me. It wasn’t till recently that I realized how rare it is to have a Figure skater as your cousin. My cousin Lauren from the time the first pair of skates were strapped on to her feet she was going to be a skater.

Leaving home at sixteen to pursue this dream, we haven’t seen her at a Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, but thankfully she’s able to fit us in for Hawaii. She tells of her adventures all over Europe, a cruise ship, the middle east as she travels with various professional ice shows and has the best stories of life of traveling performer.   

Watching Lauren skate is like watching the art of grace in movement. Skating is hard for the fact that it is ballet, tap dancing, and ice hockey all rolled into one while smiling, and having a partner throw you around by your ankles.

The world is often cruel to those who chose to share their talents publicly. Yet Lauren skates and gets reviewed always pushing herself harder knowing the more practice, the more focus, the better the show, knowing that dedication and passion brings forth movement.

While you will never see me on skates in a show I was grateful for a brief movement while the moon was high I had someone share their talents with me and teaching me the art of dedication and passion.

That and I got to see Johnny Weir be himself but that’s a different post for another day.