A Labor Of Love: Sectionals

The subject line read as it came across my husband's blackberry:

"It's always tough to watch...

...our children perform, compete, put themselves out there - particularly when they're just coming into their own. I'm certain your son performed well, regardless the ultimate outcome. To have practiced so hard for so long just to be able to compete at his level is remarkable.

Congrats to you and your family."

A friend emailed that to Joe last Tuesday after he took off from work that day to watch Justin pass a test that officially makes him a developing competitive figure skating athlete. The work friend has never met Justin but he has sons of his own and he knows. He knows that parenting is a labor of a lot of things, but most important, it's a labor of being there for our kids, of performing our best as parents even under all the pressure, and of challenging ourselves to stay focused on being the best parents we can be. 

For Justin, figure skating is no different. It's a labor of all those things, too: being there on the ice practicing, performing his personal best under pressure and reaching for the goals he sets for himself.

Last week, Joe and I saw Justin take all the hard work and all the pressure, put it into pinpoint focus and do what he set out to do last October: pass his Juvenile moves in the field test!

Justin, shortly after hearing
 the good news. 

He had to pass the test on Tuesday, Aug. 30th, or else he and his ice dance partner, Sarah, couldn't compete in the 2012 Qualifying Competition Season. The USFSA (US Figure Skating Association) requires dance teams that are Justin and Sarah's age, (15 and 13 respectively) to pass their Juvenile moves and their Juvenile Free Dance test by Sept. 1st in order to compete at the Eastern Sectionals Figure Skating Championships in Jamestown, New York, in November. 


But before he could even get to this point, he had to pass four other tests: three moves test and one dance test. In addition, he and Sarah had to pass their Juvenile Free Dance test, which they did last month.

It's been a long journey to get to this level but all those pre-qualifying tests are behind them now, and Justin and Sarah will advance to sectionals and begin another leg of their journey. 


It would be crazy not to say that all the expenses coming up to compete at this level are overwhelming, with hotels and flights, etc. We are brainstorming for fundraising ideas and will be back in touch in a couple of days looking for ideas on how best to raise funds. For any of you readers who have been down this road already where you have a son or daughter in an expensive sport and you have to be creative to figure out how to meet all the funding requirements of lessons, club fees, ice time, training, travel expenses, and more, we welcome your thoughts and suggestions!

Justin on test day at Ellenton Ice and Sports Complex
with his freestyle coach, Diana Deka,
who is holding her son, Vance.