A message to today's youth

OK.. Before i start this post. It's been brought to my attention that I have friends from other countries who read my blog. Who'da thunk it. Anyway... I just wanna say ciao, hola, bonjour and hello in any other language if your reading this. With that said.. I'm going to write a blog that basically applies to all of the young American skaters. This is pretty easy to write b/c i basically got all of this advice at one point or another. And usually I just did what I wanted to anyway(like all the teenagers who read this are going to do also)

Now before i begin this there has to be a quick history lesson as to why I can say this stuff. When i was around the freshman division I was SLOW. And to make up for being slow i would be extremely lazy also. I really only skated b/c I had lots of friends that skated. (Now don't get me wrong, if your gonna skate b/c you enjoy it and you have lots of friends that skate, awesome. There is nothing wrong with that. I think lots of people who really enjoy this sport get out of it b/c it's a little too competitive sometimes). Since then i have been on all sorts of levels. I've been a guy "that's could be really fast". I've been a guy that's wasting his time skating. I've been called someone that was really fast but didn't know how to race. Been called the guy that wasn't that fast that just knew how to race. I've won meets that i wasn't the fastest guy, and lost meets that i was the fastest guy. I've gone to regionals and not made it out in division, and I've won a gold medal at worlds. I've asked almost every top level coach in the sport for help(thanks for letting me bug you) and tried to remember everyone that ever helped me(ex. that's right Mr. B i still remember in 99 when you had me skating warm ups with my hand on my hip, even if you don't). Basically I've been everything in this sport except a superstar. And everything I'm about to say i heard from someone before. I'm not perfect and I'm never going to be. So I still do dumb stuff(A lot). But I just wanted to share some stuff that I learned through the years skating.

-When you go to practice, try as hard as you can. If your going to spend time at the rink, track, park or whatever you might as well not go out there and play around. Despite what people say, you can go places in skating, it just takes a lot of effort.

-Speaking of practice, it's OK to lose at practice. If you go as hard as you can, and someone sits on you till 2 to go and beats you. That's how i got better indoor. I just led until i couldn't anymore. Eventually I got to where i could lead the whole race.

-Stop telling everyone how tough you are, and how your gonna beat up this person. Usually people just SAY they're gonna do this and that anyway. When you tell people how tough you are you don't really sound tough.. You just kinda sound like an jerk.

-Skate outdoor. If i could change anything about my career i would have started skating outdoor earlier. I still enjoy skating indoor more than outdoor, but skating outdoor will open so many more doors. Plus it will make you faster indoor. So even if you just plan to use it for training, learn how to skate outdoor when your young.

-If your fast... It's OK to talk to someone that's not as fast. At the end of the day we're all part of the skating family. Just b/c your faster than someone doesn't mean your too good to be their friend. In fact if you see someone struggling, why not take a few minutes and help them. Even if they look silly when they skate, you can help instead of laughing.

-Fellas.. I realize there's 10guys to every girl at a meet. But stop chasing them around. Go train hard and become the best, and let the girls chase you.

-Guys stop hating the fastest guy and girls stop flocking to the fastest girl. It's so weird, all the guys hate the guy that always wins. And all the girls will do whatever it takes to be best friends with the fastest girl.

-Remember where you are and what your saying. Don't act like an idiot in public. Realize that you don't just represent your self. You represent your parents, your coach, your team, and you represent speed skaters. So take some pride in the way you act and carry yourself.

-STOP DRINKING AT MEETS!!!(i know i know I probably broke this rule more than anyone) When your older and you can do it legally, by all means go for it if that's what you want. But when your 16 and running around the hotel drunk, nothing good can happen. You usually look stupid, and will most likely do something you regret. You might get in trouble or someone might get hurt. OO yeah, if you just turned 21.. don't buy kids drinks... If something goes bad, your gonna be the one in trouble. So kids just wait a few years, you can still have fun without drinking, and you won't feel as bad the next day.

-Cherrish the friends you have from skating. You will meet people in skating that you will know long after you quit. In this sport your only as good as your last race. So no matter how much you win people forget really quick. But if you make real friends, they'll still be there.(and you can remind them of how good you were)

-No matter what your goals. No matter how long you've been doing it. No matter how much you've won, or how much you've lost. How much Money you make, or how much you spend. HAVE FUN!!!! Almost everyone that i talk to that used to skate, always starts the conversation with "I wish i never would have stopped skating." So enjoy it while your able to(especially if your parents pay for it). Regardless of what happens with skates on, if you have fun, it's worth it.