In the words of ABC...

Be near me! Be near!



What do you do when greatness zooms right past you? You stop and stare, awestruck by the moment. What am I talking about?



I was on the ice this morning with Sarah Hughes, the 2002 Olympic Gold medalist.



We are never glamorous at 7 am, and neither was she. This did not shock me, it made me smile. Her hair was up, no makeup, scraggly blue t-shirt, a patch of freckles and a bit of acne (oh, to be human!) But there she was, zooming by into double salchows to the right of me (she jumps clockwise.) I wanted to grab her hand as the session ended and tell her how my phone rang off the hook the night she won, how all of us from Long Island, Queens, and Brooklyn cheered and hollered in joy after years of knowing her skate sharpeners, costumers, and fellow coaches. I wanted to tell her how every one doubted me when I said "This kid's gonna win it all" when she was only 13 years old. But I didn’t. I let her skate. And I let myself feel something like joy.



Sarah’s sister, Emily, is at Mids this weekend, competing with her long-time coach Bonnie. Mids is short for Middle Atlantics Competition. It’s one of the oldest and biggest non-qualifying events on the east coast. Hundreds of skaters show up to give their competitive programs a test run early in the season. Choreography is tested, costumes are revealed for the first time, and the never-ending battle of nerves, placements, travel and time constraints begins. I will be volunteering this Saturday while the rest of this city mourns that horrible day. Do I have to say it? I won’t. You know, kiddies.



The last time I cried while watching a sporting event, it was the 1980 hockey team, and I didn’t like hockey yet. I don’t know where the tears came from back then, and I didn’t know during that night in Salt Lake City. It was pure emotion.



I enjoyed 27 minutes this morning of long edges, sweeping turns, and edge pulls. I did no spins, no jumps. I enjoyed myself, and the presence of two other people on the ice. A nice morning considering yesterday’s train snarl that left me with a sinus headache and backed-up sewers in my neighborhood.



The great “champion” memories always came from Rock Center, but SkyRink is starting to catch up. And that’s good. They’ll probably put me on flower “guard”, wrapping up all the daisies, carnations, and roses so no leaves/petals/thorns make their way onto the ice when I volunteer this weekend.



Well, like everything, it’s back to basics. Let’s see if I can get my stamina back up to Abe Stark levels. I used to do 2 ½ hours every Sunday in Coney Island with George Tom. I really need to get a book and write down what he taught me. I should have done that all along, but I wasn’t thinking. I thought I’d have him forever. Silly me.



Anyway, you heard it here first. Don’t be surprised to see Sarah back on the horizon. She just finished a stint as an Olympic announcer at Athens, and she’s going into her sophomore year at Harvard. But, as I can attest, skating pulls you back in. It never leaves you. It’s a struggle to stay in, but it’s torturous when you walk away for whatever reason.



Who knows if 2006 is sitting in the back of her mind? Her former coach is working with Sasha Cohen now, but Adam Leib is no slouch. He got Aliza Allen to Nationals with a tenth place finish, and she was no where NEAR the jumps that Sarah has. I don’t want to say “had”, since Sarah's only 19. All she needs is solid combo jump, a double axel, and some work on that underrotated lutz. The layback and the spirals are divine.



It’ll happen. I know it. Just a little hard work, and a touch of inspiration.