A Proud Father


A Proud Father

 Originally published Jan/Feb 2016 PS Magazine

When my son Ryan first started skating, other skating coaches would just shake their head and ask me how I could let him. I always responded in the same way… Skating gave me everything I have in life and I want him to experience those same joys minus the heartaches…I just wanted him to love to skate the same way as his uncle, mother and I did. As coaches and parents we can’t protect them from the heartache. However it is the trials and overcoming those that ultimately make us who we are. The following is a post that Ryan wrote and posted on Facebook just after sectionals. I couldn’t be more proud of this young man.



Figure Skating... When people ask me why I skate, I never can truly put my feelings into words. I mean, where would I even begin? I've spent the last 18+ years of my life skating and I've experienced just about every emotion you can think of out on that ice. Blood, sweat, and tears too. Even now, as I attempt to elucidate my feelings, I find myself at a loss for words. How can you put your whole life into just a few short sentences? How do you explain the vast spectrum of emotions you feel when you pour your heart and soul into your programs and you still fall short of your goals? It feels as though my heart is torn to shreds year after year. And yet, I continue to come back for more. I must be completely crazy, right? I mean who would willingly put themselves in that situation over and over again? I would. Because I love figure skating. When things don't go the way you want them to, it's really easy to think about all the reasons why you should just give up... Skating is an extremely demanding sport, both physically and emotionally, and at this point my brain is screaming at me, telling me to take the easy way out and call it quits. I'm not a quitter though... I will not succumb to those thoughts. Because in reality, I don't just skate for myself. I love skating with all of my heart, but I want everyone else to love it as well. Every time that I take the ice, whether it's at a competition or a local ice show, I want the audience to feel as though they're out on the ice with me, to feel what I'm feeling. I want to bring joy into other people's lives through my skating. And I want to give the audience an escape. I want my skating to be the kind of skating that allows them to forget all of their troubles and just simply enjoy the story that I'm telling out on the ice. I want to elicit tears, smiles, laughter... Each program I create, I create with those thoughts in mind. I want my programs to not only touch my soul, but everyone else's as well. I want to be inspiration to not only the younger skaters, but everyone. And that is why I skate. I may not have been able to put it as eloquently as I would have liked, but the message is there. Skating is a sport that is meant to be shared and enjoyed by everyone. And I want to thank everyone who has helped me come to that realization. Jamie Lynn Kitching-Santee, James Santee, David Santee, Jordan Mann, Josh Fischel, Fury Gold, Doug Mattis, Audrey Weisiger, Jordan Moeller, Alex Johnson, Sebastien Payannet, Robbie Przepioski, Kate Charbonneau, Colton Johnson, Shannon Brakke, Julia Hussian, Kyle Shropshire, Adam Blake, Ryan Bradley, and so many more. You all inspire me and I cannot even begin to thank you enough for that. I honestly doubt anyone will have read this whole thing, but if you have, thank you. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to hear what I have to say. It means the world to me. I don't know what the future holds for me, but I can tell you all one thing. My competitive career is far from over.

"Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat." - Theodore Roosevelt

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