Sweet Summer Time

Hello Everybody!

 This summer has been an absolute blast but it is hard to believe that it is actually almost over and school will be quickly starting up again. Since the end of last season, I have been pretty occupied with school and coaching. However, a few of us did get the opportunity to come to Worlds and watch the competition. It was nice to cheer on Team USA, attend the world team alumni party, and participate in the DREAM activities, such as the autograph table. I have now attended Worlds in the United States as an athlete in 2010 and a spectator in 2013.  I must say that attending as a competitor was an amazing and much preferred.  When the Crystallettes qualified for the 2010 World Championships in Colorado, the atmosphere was electric. It is a feeling that you honestly will cherish forever and even though I did not get to experience it as a skater this year, it was still heartwarming to see the amount of support that Team USA and the sport of synchronized skating received.

This summer has been one of the most exciting summers that I have had in years! After finishing up my spring classes, I lived at the rink coaching my students and teams as well as practicing on my own. I attended the Hoedown in Detroit in June with a few of my teammates and that was an absolute blast! The Crystallettes also had their annual skating banquet where we recognized all of the teams for their accomplishments and, if a teammate is not returning, wish each other well on the next endeavor. We may not have received the outcome that we wanted last year but nothing can break the bond we made with one another, we will always be sisters. I have also got to go on many wonderful and incredibly relaxing vacations. I have gone up north to my cottage with my family, and traveled to Orlando, Florida for 5 days. I had the opportunity to go to Universal Studios Islands of Adventure and it was awesome! The rides were incredible; my favorite by far is the new Harry Potter simulator ride. I also purchased all sorts of minion accessories.   I went “minion crazy” buying slippers, a stuffed minion, coffee cup, ring tones and key chain. They were so cute; I couldn’t resist.  In August, my parents are taking me to Las Vegas in for my birthday!

However, my summer has not been all play. In the month of April, tryouts were held and this season I am skating on the Crystallettes Senior and Adult team as well as continuing to coach the Crystallettes Intermediate and Preliminary team. Practices have been going on all summer and I am very excited for the upcoming year. The girls on the team are hard workers and we mesh well together.  We are all eager for the competition season to begin! Besides the hours of practice, the senior team has made time for team bonding! As a team this summer, we have gone out to team dinners and even attended a Detroit Tiger’s game together.

I have a DREAM camp coming up this weekend in Delaware and then the coach’s college and training festival next week. I am very excited to work with the skaters attending the camp and eager to learn from the coaches attending. I find the coaches college very beneficial as a coach and skater. I attended the coach’s college a couple years ago and learned a lot. With the rules continually changing, I am very thankful to go as a “DREAMer” to learn about the clarifications to the rules for this season. Meeting all of the skaters is always an adventure because they all come from different places with various backgrounds and it is intriguing to hear their stories. I am looking forward to all of the activities that the upcoming DREAM camp and Synchro festival have in store for me and I will cherish every moment.

Katilyn :) 

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