“In all honesty?”
I hesitated before saying it, because I really didn’t want her to think I was being rude.
“I wouldn’t aim for the Olympics.”
Her expression changed slightly.
“Please don’t take that as me trying to discourage you,” I quickly added. “I’m just being realistic.”
Figure skating wasn’t something you could simply pick up and decide to master in a year or two. For the Olympics, most skaters had already spent years training before they were even old enough to understand how difficult the sport really was.
“Think about it,” I continued. “You’re already about ten years behind some of the skaters who started when they were three.”
That didn’t mean it was impossible to learn. It just meant the road would be much harder.
Most serious skaters learned the basics when they were very young. By five or six, they were already working on jumps, spins, balance, and control—things that took years to make look effortless.
“And the money…”
I sighed.
“That’s another whole problem.”
Skates weren’t cheap, especially when your feet were still growing. You could end up replacing them over and over again. Then there was the damage from training, repairs, blades, ice time, competitions, costumes…
“And you’d need a coach. A really good one who’s actually willing to train you seriously.”
I paused.
“Oh, and flexibility.”
She looked at me.
“Figure skating requires a ridiculous amount of it, especially once you get into higher-level spins and jumps. Starting flexibility training when you’re three or four obviously gives you a huge advantage.”
I shrugged.
“That’s why a lot of serious figure skaters also do ballet. Ballet teaches balance, posture, control, flexibility—all things that can transfer beautifully onto the ice.”
I gave her a small smile.
“So… could you learn figure skating now?”
“Absolutely.”
“Could you become really good?”
“Yeah.”
I looked at her for a moment.
“But the Olympics?”
I shook my head gently.
“That’s a completely different dream.”
