Summer DREAMing

Hey Everyone,

I cannot believe that this summer is already more than halfway over! Without school to occupy half of our time over the summer, one would imagine that the life of a varsity student athlete would become a lot less hectic. However, I found that I easily fill the void of academic classes with a million other things to keep me very busy, and to help me prepare for the upcoming skating season. My summer kicked off by watching some of my best friends and teammates graduate from Miami University and end their Miami Skating careers. This was very bittersweet for us all, but I know that they will be around to cheer us on in the upcoming seasons and forever a part of the Miami Skating Family.

Upon leaving school, I took a quick trip out to Seattle, WA to visit family and relax after an amazing and action packed semester full of travel and competition. Don’t be fooled though, I couldn’t quite make it the full week without touching the ice. While in Seattle I was able to take my cousins skating and share my love of the sport with them, making for a very fun-filled evening.

For the past 2 months, I have been spending my time at home in Connecticut with my family, staying very busy working, skating, and working out. I have been scooping gelato, babysitting, and coaching skating in addition to preparing for Miami tryouts at the end of August. I was also lucky enough to be able to watch my younger sister graduate from high school and share in this special time with her. My mom and I teamed up to help each other accomplish the goals that we had set; hers to run her first 5K and mine to increase my endurance and strengthen my cardio routine. Without my teammates to push me further while I am home, my mom was the perfect person to step into this role.

Just after celebrating my favorite holiday, the 4^th of July, I headed up to Massachusetts for the day to help out with the first DREAM Camp of the summer, in Marlborough. I had a blast spending time with my fellow DREAMmates Dana, Ashley Tomich, and Sennett, as well as Team USA coaches Carla DeGirolamo, Saga Krantz, Pam May, and Geri Lynch-Tomich. We were given the opportunity to work with a great group of young skaters and help to inspire them for the
upcoming season. I also had the chance to talk to a group of parents and express my passion for the sport, how important it has been in my life, and the journey that I took to get to where I am today.

As I write this blog, I am packing my bags once again to head back out to Oxford, OH for the next month to be a counselor at the Miami Summer Skating Camps. These camps taught me so much as a young skater, while introducing me to countless new friends within the sport who would later become my current teammates. I absolutely love giving back to this program, summer after summer, and helping the campers to get as much out of the camp as I did, showing them, that they too can make their dreams come true if they continue to work hard and believe in themselves. Finally, I will be taking a short break from Ohio in the middle of the camps to travel to Minnesota for the US Figure Skating Synchronized Skating Training Festival and Coaches College, to share my love of synchronized skating and passion to continue learning from others with a whole new group of talented skaters, coaches, and parents. I hope everyone else is enjoying their summer as much as I am!

Love & Honor,

Ashley Mulhern