Hello blog [readers],
I stopped blogging a little while ago when I wasn't really sure what else to write about; the competitive season was over and the chaos of everyday life was seemingly less and less interesting... at least, for storyline purposes.
However, I'll fill you in:
Last year (2008-2009 skating season) I choreographed a some programs for a bunch of different skaters. I was working with a variety of different levels, a bunch of different skating styles and a very wide range of music selections, every one of which offered a new set of opportunities from which to learn. As a relative rookie, I was very proud of the work I did and was exceedingly proud of the athletes I got to work with. I ended up "coaching/assisting" at the regional, sectional and national competitions with a small group of them. **Many thanks to Tammy Gambill and her students for having me along. I had a blast, though I'm not going to lie, and needless to say, being at a competition as a coach is not the same as being there as a skater. Tons of fun, nevertheless. In each of the competitions, the athletes were all great kids, great competitors and helped make the overall experiences very enjoyable!
I have continued choreographing programs and continue to have a lot of fun with it. I have also done a few shows here and there, which keeps reminding me of what it's like to be in different shape than that of an active, elite, competitive skater. Having worked with the some other kids on choreography, I have adopted some new approaches to my own methods of creative processing and have tried to apply them to some of my new show programs. Hopefully, it's worked out well. But, I'm me, so it's hard to judge from an unbiased perspective.
I've taken a few acting classes for fun. Out of interest, I also took course in Leadership Communications and Conflict Management (via the UCLA Extension program) which was awesome and I was pretty excited about a course in Constitutional Law however, it was canceled due to low enrollment. Don't worry, I'll be back for more!
I recently wrote an article on the process of retirement called, The Competitive Skater's Retirement Paradox. I've received a lot of great feedback from an array of different sources; that's always nice!!!
Well, I'm at the airport and need to go grab something to eat before my flight. I'm hungry!
Be well!
Braden
