What was your training like as a child? What was your life like as a child?
When I was young, skating was totally fun. I didn't think too much about competition, I just loved the feeling of going fast, jumping, and spinning.
At one point in time, I remember people bugging me and asking me if I was going to go to the Olympics. At thirteen I remember thinking, "Man, I would have to practice everyday for another ten years!" After stopping skating for a couple of months, I realized something:
- I missed skating.
- My friends weren't as efficient with their time as I was and I really wasn't missing out on anything by spending so much time skating!
Were you one of those boys that was talented from the beginning? What was your first competition? What was it like?
I don't know if I was talented from the beginning. I was the short cute kid who had nobody to compete against except the dreaded Ice Skating Institute Rulebook....which I placed Second to all the time! Grrrr...I always imagined there would be this book on the first place podium looking down, laughing at me.
My first competition was a disaster. My mom, dad, and grandmother traveled with me for forty-five minutes to compete around 6:45 AM (or something close to that awful hour). After watching my warm up (girls and guys) start with no Dan to be seen, my dad ran down to find out what was going on. I was freaking out in the locker room, not wanting to go out in front of all those people. My dad was the only one who could calm me down and make me get out there. For many years before I competed, I had to call him up to calm me down.
Did you pass tests quickly?
No, not really. My coaches at the time put me out for plenty of figure tests that I wasn't ready for. I think I took my Third Figure Test about five times!
I remember this great judge from Detroit Skating Club. After being pulled off the test (back in those days, if you weren't even close, they didn't waste their time and let you finish, you got the boot ASAP!) for the third time, Dr. R grabbed me and took me out on the test layout. He wanted to describe what things were wrong so I wouldn't make the same mistake again. He stood in front of me, and with his right hand swung his clipboard up and down the long axis to demonstrate something. On the swing back though, he nailed me (not on purpose) right in the groin! He looked back, shrugged an apology, and kept right on going. Meanwhile, I'm almost doubled over unable to breathe, let alone the pain...ahhhh...good times, good times.
Did you ever do any pairs or ice dancing?
I competed one year in Intermediate Dance with Julie Benz. She is an actress now. Back in my day, everyone did dance on top of freestyle and figures. I had a major crush on Julie, so of course I decided to try out competing in dance. However, there is no "I" in a team, and that describes most of us single skaters. When she got nervous at Sectionals and took out all the small lifts and moves she thought I would drop her on (even though I never had in the past) we ended up in thirteenth place. She seemed surprised when I told her the results, and true to my "single" attitude, the words, "Of course we did, what did you expect when YOU took all the meat out of it?" slipped out, and so ended the "team" aspect of my skating.
If I fail, I want it to be all my fault, and visa versa. You can't have the "blame it on the other person attitude" if you want to be successful in pairs or dance. OH, and let us not forget that at 5'2", it is pretty hard to find a girl that would be a match for me who wasn't six years old!
In 2004, I passed my Gold Field Moves Test in Sun Valley. In 2005 I finished my Gold dances with Judy Blumberg. I have passed through my Novice Pairs Test. I hope next year to get through at least Junior Pairs with the help of Larissa Speilberg who just married her partner, Craig Joeright.
What shows did you participate in as a competitor?
Well, Champions On Ice in 1996 thru 1998 while I was still competing. At that time too I was starting to find my niche, my true love in skating: comedy, and was getting more offers.
