Hi Everyone,
Sorry to not have posted sooner, but I've been under the weather and not online for the past bit!
Emi's coaches are the ones who helped pick out her music and they also choreographed her program. Actually, her original coach has handed her over to her new coach this year....she is very well known here in Saskatchewan and many of you, if you have followed national skating over the past 15 years....may recognize her...Nicole Watt. She placed 2nd at the Canadian Nationals when she was 16 years old and since then has represented Canada nationally and internationally.
Nicole suffers from Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis which caused her to stop competitive figure skating in 2003. (She became the youngest spokesperson for the Arthritis Society.) In 2008, Nicole returned to competitive skating and coaching as her arthritis is in remission.
Nicole grew up in Melfort, Sask where Emi skates but moved to Saskatoon to obtain the training that she needed while in high school. She still attended MUCC, the high school in Melfort...but only would go to classes once or twice a month. That certainly didn't hurt her....she graduated with extremely high marks and now has 2 university degrees.
Our club was fortunate to hire Nicole this past year to come and work with the Senior and Intermediate skaters....of which Emi is one. Nicole knows what Emi is going through on the ice.....1/2 the age and 1/2 the height of the skaters she is skating with at our rink. Emi has solid practice ethics...no playing on the ice, no idle chit chat....she skates when she is out there, but both of her coaches ensure that she has fun as well. Emi skates 4 afternoons a week for 2-1/2 hours a day and then on Tuesday mornings she, along with our twins, is up at 4 AM to be at the rink by 6. Kaitlyn, MacKenzie and Emi practice with both coaches from 6 AM to 8 AM before school Mind you....Kaitlyn & MacKenzie go to school....Emi comes home, sleeps, does school work with me (only on Tuesdays) and then we head back into town for the afternoon practice.
Some of the older skaters roll their eyeballs when they are in a lesson with Emi, however, the rolling stops when Emi out spins them or out skates them. The senior and other intermediate skaters (14 - 18 year olds) are also seeing that Emi is working on her doubles...at age 8 and that she is there to work and become a competitive skater...not recreational.
Emi's dress was made for her by a lady in Pennsylvania. It's custom made so can be made for anyone! *LOL* Mind you I know that more fabric would have to be used for me than for Emi's dress! When she's not wearing a custom made dress, Kaitlyn and I have taken the time to decorate their dresses with Swarovski crystals which makes a plain Jane dress glisten on the ice at 1/2 the cost!
Emi has lots of dresses actually....she practices in them and does not save them for a competition! Mind you when we are at the old rink in Melfort she wears polar tech pants, 2 pairs of tights, a t-shirt, long sleeve shirt, polar tech jacket, headband, one pair of gloves, one pair of mitts and most importantly HOT SHOTS for her hands and for her feet! She's toasty warm out there (as are our twins) while the other skaters are shivering. She dresses for warmth there...but at The Palace...she dresses like a skater!
When our granddaughter, Sara, is here she LOVES playing dressups....with Emi's dresses! *LOL* Sara wants to play hockey BUT she wants to be able to wear pretty dresses! We keep telling her that it's not possible but she tells me that she's going to find a way!
We'll be in Ottawa from June 25th until August 3rd...and also down to the States as well. However for 3 weeks in July she will be training at the Minto Skating Center in Ottawa. Her coaches have lined up two coaches for her to work with on spins and jumps which will also include more harness lessons. She's so light that she's easy breezy to pick up!
So, while our regular season ends the end of March, our girls will all be attending spring school the month of April and Emi will also be attending the Mariposa Seminar (coaches from Barrie, Ontario come to Sask to work with specific skaters). During May and June we'll be taking Emi to Saskatoon to see her one coach at least once a week and then July...Ottawa....and then in August it's a three week camp in Tisdale which is much closer to home!
Here's a link to an article (from 2003) about Nicole....it's an interesting read.
I don't know where Emi will go in skating, but I do know that she has inspired her twin sisters to skate and they absolutely love it as well. The best part is that it's an activity that they can do together. As a mom....that's important for me to ensure that our girls have fun together! Kaitlyn and MacKenzie are working hard to catch up with Emi, but the more they work...the more Emi works to keep ahead of them! They are so awe of their little sister...so proud of her! And, Emi is just as proud of them on and off the ice!
Thank you to all of you for your good wishes. I hope you all enjoyed the video!
Have a good one,
Susan
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