Thank you Coventry
What a journey the past 3 years have been!
26th August 2014 was the day I got on a plane to Birmingham with 1 big suitcase and 1 big dream. Living in England to skate with my Russian coaches in Coventry.
I left home with the intention of staying in Coventry for 1 year, but that 1 year escalated/turned into 3 years. How have those 3 years flown by… I still don’t know!
I can’t say every single moment has been easy because I have definitely had my ups and downs. After every down, I’ve had to pull myself together and work hard to get myself up again. Which, most of the time, I managed. And if I couldn’t manage it myself I was and still am, lucky enough to have my amazing family on the other side of the phone, supporting me and helping me through hard times. I have also been so lucky I’ve had some amazing people, including my second family around me, to always help me if I needed any help.
When I think about it now, I can’t believe my mum and dad let me leave home when I was 17! I just finished secondary school and was still such a little girl (which I didn’t feel like ). Yet, they let me move to my other ‘home’ country to live my dream.
I’ve come to the point that I’m finally able to acknowledge that I have achieved quite a few things which I think I can be proud of. Things like being a qualified MUA, passing my coaching level 1 and not to forget qualifying for nationals again in 2016.. let alone, the life experience that I have gained. I have learned so much about myself, other people and life in general, which I feel like I would’ve never gotten through following an education course.
With unfortunately 2 knee surgeries and an ankle injury in the past year and having to go through one of the mentally hardest times of my life, I have been working really hard to get my fitness level back to what it was and to get strong enough to get back on the ice again. Which I did! After a couple of rehabilitation months I was back on the ice and ready to pick everything up again! I am so happy that I didn’t give up during the injuries that I’ve had over the past year.
Thank you for everyone who helped me to recover so quick after my second surgery!
However, a couple of months ago I went to see a knee specialist in Holland and unfortunately I’ve had some bad news. The state of my knee right now is not good enough for me to carry on skating at the level I used to skate before the two surgeries. If I want to live without the constant pain in my knee, I have no other choice than to fully focus on my recovery right now and the only place where I can recover physically and mentally is at home. With certain people around me and with the right treatment.
I don’t like to say that this is end of my skating ‘career’ but I do have to be realistic and put my body first now. I’ve been lucky enough that this is my first serious injury during the 13 years that I have been skating for. I still find it hard to think that I am going to leave the life I built up over the past 3 years behind. But deep down I know this is the right thing for me to do now. I feel like I need to close this chapter and prepare myself for the new one. What the new one is going to be like, I have no idea but I do know that I am ready for it.
I can’t thank mum and dad enough! Not to forget Nikee and Ennio! Without them I wouldn’t have been able to do what I’ve done the past years. I love you all so so much!❤️ no words can describe how much!
Also the people that have been there for me in Coventry, words can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for me! I hope you all know how much I appreciate every single thing you’ve done for me. From giving me lifts to having good chats with me and everything else, thank you so so much!
The people that know me well enough, know that I am an emotional wreck when it comes to saying goodbye, so that’s why I want to say that this goodbye is not forever. It’s for now, so like I always say, love you lots and see you later!❤️??
26-08-2014
12-11-2017