A little late, but some thoughts on what made State Games great

Two months after the Sunshine State Games, our first out-of-town statewide figure skating competition, and I find myself with some random thoughts and observations...

On winning: Justin won two first places, one for his pre-bronze solo dance and one for the couples dances he skated with his ice dance partner, Sarah. The two competed against a Miami dance team in the pre-juvenile couples compulsory dance category. Justin and Sarah skated beautifully at the Saveology.com IcePlex in Coral Springs and took home a gold medal for both their Fiesta Tango and Rhythm Blues dances. Videos often speak louder than words so without further ado, the first video below is their performance of the Fiesta Tango. The second one is their Rhythm Blues dance.

Naturally, skating their personal best on the ice that day and winning felt good.

So it should be no surprise that when I asked Justin and Sarah recently what was the best part about competing at the State Games, they both answered honestly, "Winning."

But later when I wrapped up my questions with, "What was the most fun about State Games," winning took second place.

It's not that winning isn't great. But there's a lot more to competing than just winning. It's also about the social connections and friendships forged by getting together to share a common experience. They both agreed they had the most fun hanging at the Marriott hotel after their last competition with several other skating friends, talking and laughing.

We're at the picnic tables outside of the Tampa Bay Skating Academy in Oldsmar now and Justin and Sarah get up to show me some of the things they laughed about that Saturday night. I couldn't even attempt to capture in words what they showed me because it involved a communication code unique to that evening. And I wasn't there. While they and three other skaters were having fun hanging out at the hotel, Joe and I, and another skating mom were sitting in the large, comfy chairs in the lobby, chatting and watching high school seniors celebrate their prom night. Talk about a blast from the past. But just seeing Justin and Sarah try to convey the fun they had made me laugh.

L to R, Justin, Sarah, Trent, Sara Preston,
JoJo, William and Christian, in back.

Justin also said having the support of all of his skating friends there made the event even sweeter. 

"There was so much support there. Everybody was cheering for everyone," he said. "It was a good environment."

Which leads me to my next string of random thoughts and observations...

On sharing common experiences: Some 400 skaters from around the state, their families and coaches got together in May to celebrate a lot of hard work and dedication on the ice. The event is an opportunity for skaters to showcase their talents and a chance for past champions, such as John Zimmerman, Sylvia Fontana and Mark Ladwig, all Olympian skaters, to serve as inspirations to the many younger versions of themselves. 

For Justin, that inspirational moment came on the last day of the three-day event.

Holding a T-shirt in his hand, Justin walked up to Zimmerman and Fontana's vendor table peppered with practice shirts and pants.

"Would you sign this?" he asked.

"Sure," Zimmerman said. "Are you a skater?"

"Yes."

"How did you do?" 

"I got first," Justin said, smiling.

"Congratulations!" Zimmerman said.

He then reached out to shake Justin's hand. I don't know who soaked in the moment more, me or Justin or Joe, who had kept a watchful eye on the best time to approach the table. It's probably safe to say meeting a figure skating role model such as Zimmerman was an eventful moment for all three of us. Fontana was on the phone so we didn't officially meet her but she signed Justin's T-shirt with a smile while holding the phone between her shoulder and ear and then helping Zimmerman search in vain for practice pants and shirts in Justin's size.

Over the weekend, I saw many skaters get the Olympian couple to sign anything they had: T-shirts, programs, even their hands and arms. That's because this is also what competitions are all about, inspirational moments like these when young skaters -- and their parents -- meet in person role models in the sport. 

The State Games were definitely a wonderful experience and a milestone for Justin, for Justin and Sarah as an ice dancing team, and for us as a family. One more milestone in a long journey of many more events, of many more competitions, of many more role models to sign Justin's T-shirt.

Justin, Joe and I enjoying dinner in the hotel lobby