Final Submission to The Telling Room Writing Contest for Middle Schoolers

Telling Room Story: Review, Edit, & Submit

Final submitted to Telling Room on 3/7/2012

Searching for Maine; Searching for ME!

When I skate, I feel free, like a bird let out of its cage on a warm summer day all of the problems and challenges of my life are blown away with every jump, all the awkwardness in an eleven year old girls life is gone with every spin, and I can never stop smiling. I love to skate and show everyone who I am, me and no one can change that.

My name is Sophie Calderwood. I am an eleven year old girl who was born and raised in Maine. I was born in Portland and then moved to Brunswick when I was four. Moving to Brunswick, made me closer to my grandmother, my aunt and uncle, and a rink. I started figure skating when I was two years old but being in Portland was really hard to find a rink and be with my coach in Brunswick. So the day after we moved, I started Saturday morning skating lessons with Coach Linda Despres. I loved it; I learned my basic skills on Saturday and then worked on my programs with Linda on Wednesday mornings.

Even when I was four years old, I knew that skating was my passion. Everybody knew that I loved it because I had this huge smile on my face that showed that I loved to skate. The years went by and I still skated. When I was seven, my cousins, my grandmother, my friend Franzie, my family and I went to the State Games in Colorado Springs. The State Games is like a mini Olympics, all of the state competitors compete to qualify, we were very lucky that all of us made it. After I compete, I love to see the expressions on the Judges faces, a serious look but a hidden smirk of a smile in the distance; I know that I did my best even if I fell on everything, I will try again.

                It was super cool to represent the State of Maine in the State Games, in fact we all got lobster hats and T-Shirts to show everybody that we are proud to be from Maine! We competed against the other qualifiers from each state. I was in the beginner level at this time, but it was still very nerve wracking to go out there and compete against twenty-five other people in my group! I was very proud of myself when the competition was over because I got a medal in each my group! I won fourth in my program, third in compulsories, fourth in spins, and FIRST in my showcase.

A showcase number is like a theatrical program, it is where you get to skate and act out the music. The music that I competed with in Colorado was “Buffalo Gals.” I used that number in the show that year as well. The Skating Club of Brunswick does a skating show each year. I have been in each one since I was six months old! I love to do the shows because I love to perform. When I perform in shows, I absolutely love it because when I look up in to the audience, I see smiling faces enjoying my skating and are not afraid I am going to beat their daughter in competition.  I love to see people entertained.

When I was eight I landed my axel, a jump with one and a half rotations in the air. It doesn’t really sound hard but it is the milestone that separates an average skater from a pretty good skater. When I was nine, I worked on getting my axel consistent and over the past two years I have been trying to land my double jumps. When I land a jump, it is the most amazing feeling, I feel accomplished because all my hard work has paid off, usually I run to my coach and give her a great big hug as she congratulates me and then I go try it again!

There are six double jumps, double Salchow, double toe loop, double flip, double loop, double Lutz, and double Axel. Just recently I have landed and perfected all of these. I was so proud of myself, but I do not want to be just a skater who has a one in a million chance in getting to the Olympics. When I am old enough I want to be in Disney Ice, or any of the shows like that because, like I said I love to perform.