I honestly don't know where to even begin.. I'm just feel kind of numb right now. When I landed last night, it finally hit me that my two and half year journey with the Junior team of San Francisco Ice Theatre had just officially ended.
I like being a part of a team sport, and I love the sport of figure skating even more. I didn't have any of those things in the beginning of my Sophomore year. Having the opportunity to join SFIT before Nationals of 2013 was probably the best thing that happened to me during my time in high school.
There isn't really way for me to describe what it feels like to be on a team like SFIT, and I don't think I'll be forgetting that feeling any time soon. Every practice, every fall, every victory, and every tear has become a part of who we are, and what we accomplish as a team. The encouragement and passion on the team helps us stay together even when the game (chess game?) gets rough and frustration seeps through.
Sitting in the arena in Hobart, Ohio, after our CE skate, I remember our coach running up telling us we got 4th. And one day after that, the start of a 3-year streak began when we ended up winning overall that year. I wasn't there in the beginning of the season when the hard work was put into the creation and practice of the routines, but after being on the team the last couple of months leading up to Nationals, I knew I'd want to stay on the team as long as I could. And I did. Through two more wins and an experience I would never take back at Nations Cup 2015 (My post on my experience: http://mainlyshan.blogspot.com/2015/05/i-missed-six-full-days-of-school-to-be.html). I am so lucky to have been a part of all of this before the first win, and witness the growth of the team with the high standard we now set for ourselves and for the sport of Theatre on Ice skating three seasons later.
SFIT also has a Novice team now that I've gotten to know better this year, and I'm so glad the family is growing and that there is nothing but support for the blue and the yellow of SFIT. I am so proud of their hard work and accomplishments the last two years. Running over in our skate guards to watch Novice perform their freeskate right after an unofficial practice with our costumes resulted in some surprised and concerned looks, but it felt so rewarding being able to scream and cheer for them and say, "Yep, they are our teammates and we are the SFIT family." Theatre on Ice has also allowed many teams to bond, and I've met a few new friends from different teams I'll miss seeing in the future. Nations Cup bonded the three USA teams that went this year, and it was great being able to see them one more time.. Being able to cheer everyone on and trade pins with different skaters around the nation has been exciting. It's beautiful seeing so many encouraging skaters from different teams support each other.
Even though we are the San Francisco Ice Theatre, there are skaters on the Junior team come from Fremont, San Francisco, Cupertino, and Belmont. We may be known as the mostly "Asian" team, but we all come from pretty diverse backgrounds. It's interesting to see how close we can get just by seeing each other during early Saturday morning practices once a week. I'm glad we were all able to create one more memory together last weekend before the seniors of this year leave. One of the people left out of the memory from Nationals this year was Erin ..
I will miss being on the same team as Erin and skating alongside her. I'm going to miss our amazing coaches, Louis and Paige. I'm going to miss our silly but dedicated parents. I'm going to miss our less scratchy mazurkas, our Sharetea runs after SF practice, and our edge classes. I'm going to miss our good run-throughs, our rough practices, and our costume malfunctions. I'm going to miss jumping with masks and headpieces. I'm going to miss the Asian food for dinner, and the grapes. I'm going to miss off-ice with crazy teammates and the video reviews. I'm going to miss flooding a hotel with our loud voices and taking selfies. I'm going to miss our blue shirts. I'm going to miss the visualizations in the locker room before we skate. And I'm going to miss being a part the 24-member skater squad.
Life is supposed to move on, because with everything, there always comes an end. I can't avoid it, I'm supposed to accept it, but it's difficult. I don't feel like I'm going to be in Illinois three days before Skate San Francisco. I still imagine myself coming back to the auditions two months from now and anticipating a new season with new programs with the same people. Even though change is inevitable, I'm not sure I'm ready to accept this change after what SFIT has done for me and how much it has helped shape my life. Not to mention I love the people on the team a little bit too much.
I didn't want to end the season with a fall, but there are things that we can't control or predict or alter. I was able to skate with my family one last time and there's nothing I can say other than, "thank you." Thanks for the new bonds, new connections, new friends. Thanks for being so welcoming and for including me into the family. After 3 consecutive gold medals, amd 4 special awards, and a bid to Nations Cup in the last three years... Damn. The people that had the vision, the people that brought a team together, and the people that executed what needed to be done. That's SFIT for ya.
We'll have to see what the future brings us, yeah?
Shan
