US Freestyle Skating Association

Part 1: First day of Competition

It’s the end of the first day of competition, and I am exhausted.
It’s late, so I’ll keep this short.

Friday was our first full day in Paris. A group of us headed out to Les Invalides, to the spot where freestyle forum in it’s current form originated. There are several permanently marked lines on the ground, and you can usually find people out practicing. There were a handful of skaters there when we arrived, most of whom were participants in the competition. After a break for lunch we returned, and found a growing crowd there. Phil, one of the skaters from London, helped me adjust the frames on my Seba’s, and that made a world of difference in how I felt skating on them. Yay! So many of the people there were very, very good. It was both intimidating and inspiring, and I eventually got into a grove. It was a very enjoyable afternoon. Around 6, the clouds looming in the distance got nearer, and soon a sheet of solid black sky was nearly on top of us. Our group decided to wait out the storm in a nearby cafe. We got there just as the first drops were falling in one of the most torrential storms I’ve ever witnessed. For 20 minutes, the world seemed to be a wall of water, before petering out to a more normal rainfall.

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