Skate London 2010

So, first of all, Skate London 2010 was probably the best battle for me so far, in terms of how I skated. Ordinarily I feel like there is a huge rift between what I can do in practice and then what I can do in competition, and this was the first time that I feel like I performed at a level that reflects who I am as a skater in any way. And sure, I screwed up a little here and there, but I don't even care, because I screw up all the time in normal slalom sessions, and that's because it's FREESTYLE, ladies and gentleman, and it's not like I go into the cones with a practiced routine.

Well, without going into too many details of the battle rounds, I think I can safely say that I surprised a few skaters (including myself! I will eventually link to the photos on Facebook, haha) with how much I have improved. And these are improvements that have been happening all along, but it's been frustrating because up until now, I have not been able to show them properly.

Also, I will be going to both Chuncheon and Jeonju in South Korea  in a few weeks. I have mixed feelings about this. If I weren't going, it would be a lot easier in terms of school, money, and feeling like I am settling in to my new life in Belgium. However, I think going is the right choice. If I didn't go, I would be shouldered with regrets about turning away sponsorship (which, once it's refused, is unlikely to ever come back), the opportunity to travel, and I would feel like I was turning my back on the thing I love and feel most passionate about...freestyle slalom skating. I was really concerned that Tim would prefer if I didn't go, and if he did, I would have stayed home without any issue (Tim > skating), but he encouraged me to take advantage of the opportunity, so I am. Which is just reason #4,561 that my boyfriend is awesome.

I am going to miss him while I am away (it's only 10 days), but I am so grateful that he understands how much I want to be there, and how it somehow makes sense for me to go to Asia even though I am unemployed. Actually, being unemployed is a GOOD reason to go.

See? There are no good reasons for me not to go to Korea!