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Have you had a moment of rest since Nationals?
Not really. There was so little time to prepare all the travel plans between Nationals and Vancouver, it became a whirlwind of planes, trains and automobiles trying to coordinate plans and relatives.
What did you do when you knew for sure that Jeremy had made the Olympic Team?
Before or after crying? Actually, we went out for a quiet celebration. It was very late at night.
What did it feel like to see Jeremy march in the Opening Ceremonies?
We actually didn't see Jeremy walk in opening ceremonies. We arrived late and through the kindness of friends, we were very close to the stage. After 16 hours of travel, no food, walking in circles trying to get into BC Place and then entering into the most indescribable event one could ever imagine, we were lucky to see much of anything other than a mass or red, white and blue, flags, white pants and flashing cameras. We knew he was there. We didn't need to see him, though his sister did find him on the way out long enough to get a photo of them together.To see a childhood dream come to life must make you so proud. What have you done since Nationals? Do you feel like you've been on the go 24/7?
Actually, now that we are home, we only wish we were still in Vancouver. I am blogging about our experiences. That is the best place to see how I feel about what went on. No one truly understands the magnitude of the Olympics. We certainly did not. Being Newbies, we tried very hard to accept the Games as "Just another competition." That truly is not possible. The Olympics sit out there, circling like this hot white sphere that only appears like Haley's Comet. If you miss it, it's gone. Even when it re-enters our atmosphere every four years, it is something unreal; it is an experience unlike any other in life. It's no wonder that once an athlete has walked through those gates, they cannot wait to return and try again. Reaching Mount Olympus is an honor beyond description. Every athlete, no matter what sport or what placement, can always say they have been there, done that. It is an experience of the gods that the Greeks probably understood better than any of us can.
Is it hard to get any sleep these days?
Right now, sleep is easy. Ask me in four weeks when Jeremy heads to Torino for Worlds. I suspect we will see a very different Jeremy Abbott in Italy. He now knows he belongs on the big stage and he will not be ready to give up a leading role now that he has made it past the "audition."
What are your plans after all the excitement is over?
Back to work. Pay the bills. Life continues, as does sport.
How have you been there for Jeremy at the Olympics? How will you be there for him as he prepares for Worlds?
From shortly after Nationals through Olympics, we had a “hands off” policy with Jeremy. We decided that it would be best to let him refocus his efforts on his skating and not get caught up in what we had to accomplish to get to Vancouver. We let him reach out to us if he needed our advice and support. That worked quite well and helped Jeremy find his comfort zone and establish a calm and refocus for this training.
For Worlds, it will be much the same. Jeremy knows we are a call or a text away. If he needs us, we’re there.
I read your Lemonade piece from your blog and wonder if you'd like to share those thoughts with About.com's readers?
I am fine with sharing the lemonade blog post. I began my blog to help parents just coming into the sport. It has subsequently turned into a cathartic piece for me that I hope people enjoy reading.
- A Recipe for Making Lemonade - From Allison Scott's Life on the Edge Blog
I believe it may be harder to be a skating parent than a skater. How do you stay strong and keep moving forward? Do you ever want to "quit?"
I wrote a blog post called "Looking Back at Vancouver" where I answer this question to a degree. What we have to remember as skating parents, or parents of any elite athlete, is that we are not in control. We are there to guide and to offer advice, if asked. We cannot do it for them; at this point, we are along for the ride. Quitting for us is not an option, and certainly not our decision. We told Jeremy from Day One if he was finished, just say so. This isn’t about us.
Did you ever have any idea that Jeremy would be at this level of skating when he began to skate as a little boy? Would you recommend figure skating to parents of other little boys?
Jeremy started skating at a very young age. He took to the ice for the first time at age 2. He did his first U.S. Figure Skating Basic Skills competition at age 4 1/2. Everyone dreams of having a child grow up to be an Olympian. None of us really have an “idea” of what that really means. All we hoped was that Jeremy would take skating as far as he wanted to go. I guess we now know how far his dreams extended.
Boys choose figure skating; they are rarely forced into it as some girls are. The boys we have known who were forced to skate usually didn’t last in the sport because they couldn’t put up with the teasing – a sad commentary on our macho culture, in my opinion. Would I recommend figure skating for other little boys? If they want to do it, encourage them; just don’t force them. They will know soon enough if they love it or not. We need more boys in the sport, but it has to become “socially acceptable” in this country to be a figure skater. Until that happens, we will continue to see the approximately 50 to 1 ratio that has existed for years.
Thanks for your time. Tell me anything else you'd like to share.
Life on the Edge - That's where I am blogging. I'll be sharing my experiences, as I have been since August. It's been cathartic and it seems to be enjoyable to those who have chosen to take this journey with me.
Thanks for the opportunity Jo Ann! Good to see you in Vancouver!!
Allison
