Diversity Essay Showcase

Ice-skating
By Jennifer Huang, Central Mountain High School, Clinton County
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As I took my first tentative steps onto the ice rink, I made a spectacular Charlie Chaplin fall. My feet flew up high in the air and I landed flat and hard on my buttocks. My friends immediately came to my rescue and guided me to the sidewalls, trying to hide their smiles. They knew that for the next few hours I would be providing them with even more slapstick entertainment as I struggled to master the fine art of ice-skating.

First I decided to go round the edge of the rink with one hand glued to the sidewall. I observed other skaters around me, and tried to copy their ways of moving and keeping balance. A few circles later, I felt sufficiently confident to inch little by little away from the sidewall. Originally, I was shy and scared of the other skaters laughing at my falls and clumsiness. And true, some did. But by far the majority of the skaters were minding their own business, and a few even encouraged me with their friendly smiles. Seeing this, I became bolder in my approach and soon gained more confidence and the ability to stand up unaided for a few minutes without toppling over.

Next, my friends began to lead me round the rink. One by one they would skate backwards, taking my hands and letting me experience the exhilaration of speed. I felt grateful for their guidance, especially when my incompetence threatened to land us both on the floor, and I quickly learned to rely on their greater experience; I also absorbed their individual variations of advice on how to keep my own balance. About three hours and 13 falls later, I finally began to feel at ease on my new skates. I could glide confidently round the ice, on my own, even at great speed. I was getting there. My friends began to introduce me too (slightly!) more advanced movements, such as little tricks and twirls, skating backwards, and even jumping. I tried hard to imitate them, even though this resulted in my taking a few more tumbles. Again and again, I would fall, dust myself off, and try again. However, I was having so much fun that I was no longer embarrassed by my clumsiness.

Throughout our time at the ice rink, my friends and I took numerous breaks to recharge our exhausted bodies. During these breaks we would sit outside of the rink and watch the other skaters skate. Childishly, we laughed at the less experienced skaters. Eagerly, we examined the brilliant twists and twirls of the trained skaters - analyzing their movements and attempting to adapt their techniques. Through these observations, I gained even more insight on how to better my own skating.

By the end of that first day, I had improved enormously and could skate well on my own. I reveled in this newly acquired skill of maintaining perfect balance and control over my skates. After six hours of exhausting exercise, we made our way home. I sat numbly in the car, wet and hurting from the 24 falls I had made that day (wow! a rate of four falls per hour!), but what mattered most was the satisfied grin on my face. I had just experienced the most fun in my life, in the company of the best friends anyone could ask for. I was on cloud nine.

Unfortunately, my aches and pains woke me up early at 3 a.m. the following day. Unable to sleep, I reached for a bowl of cereal and settled down comfortably in front of the TV. I decided to watch some figure skating. For an hour I was mesmerized. Every professional skater performed the same compulsory moves for each category most spectacularly - although the fundamental movements are the same, each skater had his own style and variation. Every skater's individuality shined through their performance, which was then graded by a panel of judges. Although for the majority of the time, the scores were fairly constant, there would always be some differences between each judge's evaluations of the performance. I was curious to study the skater's movements, imagining doing the most impossible leaps and twirls myself. In my mind I experienced once more the exhilaration of achieving that perfect balance when I had felt so utterly at one with my skates. Afterwards, I turned the TV off and sat back to treasure the silence of the new day. It was then that a remarkable idea crept into my mind. I realized that my learning to skate functioned as a metaphor for the lessons of life...

I conceive of the world as an ice rink. They are big and scary places, yet they offer such opportunities for personal fulfillment and pleasure. I had to share the ice rink with all the other skaters. I also have to share the world with many other people from every walk of life. Just as I had initially learned how to skate by imitating others on the ice rink: in life too, I am a person built up of tiny pieces of the people around me. It was important to understand and value the varieties of skating techniques I examined and absorbed - it directly influences my own skating style. By the same token, it is imperative to comprehend and appreciate the diversity of people's ways and manner around me - it directly influences my own behavior and personality. Learning from observing other skaters' downfalls saved me from experiencing the falls myself. In the same way, by examining other people's mistakes, I can save myself the trouble of making the same errors.

On the ice rink, my friends had held out their hands to help and guide me, they also shared with me their secrets of keeping balance. And, sieving through everyone's advice, I created my own individual version of skating style. In life, too, there are many people who encourage and assist one to find one's way, and through their advice, we learn to develop our own selves.

At the same time, in the world and on the ice rink, everyone is trying to maintain his or her own balance and to enjoy the exhilaration of optimal speed. Of course "speed" has many connotations in everyday life - happiness, success, progress, the list is endless. But each individual's goals will be different, and as a courteous skater, you have to give everyone their own space to develop their own way. Everyone wants to achieve their own signature move, in order to achieve this, they need the space and the freedom to do as they wished.

In my linking of the world with the ice rink, the sidewalls of the rink symbolize one's background, family and support system. In the same way, the center of the ice rink, the center stage as it were, represents the achievement of true independence where one can enjoy one's own moment of glory. Naturally everyone starts the same way, holding onto the sidewalls for security and for the building up of their confidence. A new skater feels nervous and apprehensive of falling: a young person starting out on life feels insecure and anxious. But the support system is there for aid and succor, to help one get onto one's own two feet.

However, as confidence is gained, the individual becomes frustrated by the limitations imposed on him by the sidewalls. He yearns for greater freedom and independence. Indeed, it is only by inching away from the support system that one can acquire that freedom. The support system, the sidewalls, now start to lose their importance. They were crucial at the outset, but now the individual has outgrown them. His goal now is not merely to avoid falling, but rather to achieve optimal speed. He wants to find his own signature move, on the ice or in life, that will result in his moment of glory on the center stage. Nothing less will do. He is fussy. It is everything, or nothing. But to accomplish this signature move, he will need some assistance from others. He will require some physical guidance, some coaching. Most of all, he will need to create the signature move based on what he gathered from other people, here, it is here that diversity plays a major role. If the individual is exposed to many different styles of movement, he will be able to gather the best of every variation and build his own signature move. However, if he does not understand the importance of learning from others, and appreciating and valuing their different styles, he will not be able to benefit from the exposure. He would be throwing away the opportunity to gain the lessons from other people without having to personally experience falling themselves. A panel of judges may have different opinions about a skater's performance, in the same way, in the eyes of other people, each individual's style is valued differently, it may even depend on the judge's background understanding as opposed to the skater's true performance. However, the ultimate signature performance is his, and his alone.

In the world of ice-skating, I am no Michelle Kwan. But in life I will, with perseverance, persistence and practice, find and perfect my signature move. Every star has its right to shine, and finding my center stage glory is my lifetime's goal. A signature move may not be better or worse than the next, it is simply different. I know that to achieve mine it will take much effort and determination. For now I am content to enjoy watching myself fall and try again, again and again as I grow in skill and confidence. But I know that one day, that signature move will be mine, and mine alone.