Creative writing practice essay

Journeys allow us to travel from one place to another. Either that be physically across
terrains or mentally through our imagination, nevertheless the type of journey, it is what
the journey does to us that is the most important of all
***
June, 1999, overseas trials - lac!town "ce #rena, $ydney. %he seats are pac!ed, the
change rooms full with ice s!ating teams chec!ing last minute chec!ups & 'air, ma!e up,
tights, costumes, and s!ates( #nd as the tope )$* junior team the +"ce crystals, stand in
a huddle five minutes before we s!ate, " remember bac! to when we first s!ated as a
synchroni-ed ice s!ating team.
" remember learning the routines, those early morning practices with the on & ice fights
over the smallest things. *here the coaches are yelling at us to s!ate faster, bend your
!nees, use those edges, heads up, ultimately to bring us to our goal, to s!ate as one. .h
and offcourse to win gold at nationals to get the opportunity to s!ate overseas in "taly.
ut it is not about just winning gold and going overseas, it is more than that. "t/s that
feeling that you get just before an e0am or a really important job interview, where your
stomach clenches up and everything s1uirms inside. 2ou feel li!e you are going to be
sic! and then just before you have time to react. efore all that food you didn/t eat that
morning can come out, you step on that ice, or start that e0am or begin that interview, and
all the an0iety begins to disappear. "t/s li!e something inside of you has flic!ed the on
switch and your body is doing what it is meant to do, as if you had practices it a hundred
times. %hen, just as 1uic!ly as it all began, its over. )othing you can do can possibly
change the result now. "t is all out of your hands.
$o why do we do it3 *hy do we put our bodies through hours of vigorous e0ercise for
five minutes on the ice which will determine how good you are compared to the rest of
#ustralia, the world even3 *here one wrong move, one step out of place, and your
dreams are over for the year3
"t is simple really when you thin! about it. *e do it because we love it.
*e love to s!ate, not only the learning of the routines, and practicing them til they are
perfect, but also the joy in watching other teams s!ate. %he feeling you get from being
apart of a team. *here everyone is valued and contributes in some way or another.
*here, " am able to be of benefit to others.
4ersonally though, s!ating is much more than that. 5ore than words can wield the
matter. %he freedom, where nothing else matters6 as every time " step on the ice, the
choice where " can be whatever " want to be. "t is how " imagine a bird feels when it ta!es
flight. *here you s!ate with your heart and before anyone else is able to believe in you,
you already believe in yourself. %he before you !now it those limitation you thought you
have, do not e0ist.
#ll of a sudden a cold bree-e wisps through the door, and glides across my face. # shiver
is sent down my spine and my !nees begin to sha!e.
$arah whispers in my ear, +" thin! its time,. " loo! in her eyes and " see fear beginning to
wash all over her, as if she has just stepped out into a storm. %hen " remember what
someone once told me before s!ating my gold medal performance two years prior7
+4eople that never try never fall. ut they will never fly either,.
#nd just as it had reassured me, relief swept over her and that childish grin she has
crac!ed across her face and " !new that she was going to be alright.
%hen someone wal!ed into the change room and was ushering our team out. %he mar!s
of the previous team were being announced over the 4.#. system, but my mind was
concentrating so hard on what " was about to do that the words just washed over me in a
jumble of letters and numbers that didn/t connect and disappeared from my memory.
%he crowd begins to cheer, as my team is announced as the ne0t team to s!ate. "n the
mass of the clapping and screams, our team steps onto the ice. 5y blade glides across its
smooth surface and then that beautiful moment occurs, between s!ater and audience.
*here the audience sits in anticipation of what they are about to see, and even those
parents who have seen the program s!ated over a hundred times, watch with anticipating
eyes as if they are watching for the very first time.
#s our whole team waits for the music to begin, something changes in us to. *e are no
longer about to s!at this program one more time6 we are now performers about to give the
audience the best show they have even seen.
*here, every inch of our body is wor!ing simultaneously6 heads, feets, and arms. *here,
you prepare yourself for what you are about to do. *here, you trust the people around
you to do what they are meant to do. #nd when, everyone does it all so it matches, and
we manage to pull off an ama-ing move. *ith that butterfly feeling you get which ma!es
the pain you are meant to be feeling in your legs go away. *here, your body pushes
harder than it has ever before in practice and you feel almost silly for wishing upon that
star to s!ate well, because as a team we have just reached into the heavens and written
our own destiny.
Just li!e before, it was all over. %ime begins to tic! away again, as if it had paused to
watch our performance in anticipation along with the audience. %he crowd roars with
approval. *e step off the ice and stand close together, our bodies now beginning to feel
the pain of what they have just endured. %hen the mar!s appear, and for a split moment
we stand fro-en as if in shoc! of our own achievement.
%hen the tears begin to fall, as the realisation of what has just occurred dawns upon us.
"t was the best year of my s!ating careers. Every time " struggle just wal!ing down the
street, or when " am at physio and the pain becomes almost unbearable. " remember bac!
to that year in 1999, and my body is filled with determination. "t is as thought " have the
energy to push myself harder, so " can recover that little bit 1uic!er, so " can s!ate once
again.
#s nothing will happen6 my dreams wont come true6 if " forget where " started in the first
place, and ultimately where " will once again be.