Thank You | Golden Skate

Thank You

Layback11

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Hey, everybody. I know it's been a LONG time since I logged on, but this seemed like as good a time as any to make an appearance. But why am I coming out of the woodwork right now, when I quit skating two years ago and have been too busy with school to keep up with the skating scene the way I used to?

Well.
Next week would've been my high school graduation. Relevant to nothing, I know, but graduations are a time to look back on your childhood and remember where you came from, and I can't do that without thinking about this forum.

I think all of you guys who were here when I was active realized that I was young, but I'm not sure if you know just how young I was. But when I joined, I was an antisocial thirteen-year-old who had exactly two friends and whose entire life revolved around figure skating. I always think that I was lonely back then, but at the time, I didn't realize I was - maybe that's because I wasn't. I had this forum. I had good friends (@invisible spiral, @cheerknithanson - do y'all still exist? You were my first internet friends!), a place to talk about what I loved, somewhere where I was treated as an equal by adults. This forum was so much of who I was and it gave me so many gifts: a community to belong to, vital writing practice because I somewhat foolishly thought that if I was a good enough writer people would think I was an adult (uhhh...sorry, Sarah, no), and a truly intense love of and expertise in all things figure skating that I carry with me to this day.

GoldenSkate made what would have been a pretty lonely childhood so much richer and more joyful, and on the eve of my would-be graduation, I have to thank you all for that. No one asked for my biography, I know, and now that I'm eighteen I can't really get away with the childishness I often showed in the hallowed halls of this forum five years ago, but I wanted to let you all know how much you mean to me, even though I've sort of disappeared. I may have drifted away, but I will always call the skating world home (I'm even working on a novel about skating that I'm planning to self-publish by the end of the summer!), and I have you guys to thank for that.

So, to everyone who befriended me; to everyone who took on the herculean task of keeping this forum up and running; to everyone who contributed to the lively discussions that made me so happy as a teen - thank you. To the skaters I looked up to - thank you. To those who helped me make memories, from the hilarious threads of speculation (Crazy Predictions Thread = BEST childhood memory!) to the iconic programs to the small-fed skater love to the games we'd play in Le Cafe to the four people who'd be in the competition threads with me giving play-by-plays, which I only got away with because I was homeschooled and my mom wasn't around - thank you. You were truly a part of who I was for many of my most formative years, and my heart is overflowing just thinking about how special this place was to me.

Merci beaucoup, my friends. Once upon a time, you made a little girl's life a whole lot better.
 

CaroLiza_fan

EZETTIE LATUASV IVAKMHA
Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 25, 2012
Country
Northern-Ireland
Firstly, welcome back! It is so good to hear from you again.

Secondly, congratulations on your High School Graduation!!! :cheer: :clap: :points: :hb:

You know, I don't think it was as obvious as you think that you were so young. Yes, you were enthusiastic, but your knowledge made you seem older. And the fact that you were writing so much fiction. That's not something that many teenagers do. Hey, you and invisiblespiral are the only teenagers I have come across that do it!

Although, counting it out on my fingers there now after reading your post, you did give us a big clue to your youth in your username... :p (I trust that you only registered when you were 11, and didn't actually start posting until you were 13... ;) )

During the lockdown, I have been working on tidying up the old Predictions Game scoresheets that I didn't get a chance to tidy at the time. And seeing the names of members who used to post very regularly but don't any more, it started me wondering about them. You were one of the ones I was wondering about. So, thank you for the update, and letting us know that things are good.

A lot of the members that were around in our day are still visiting, but just not posting as much as they used to. I miss them. But, at the same time, it has allowed a number of newer members to come to the forefront, refreshing the forum and providing different perspectives. And I have become very good friends with some of them.

And trust me, it is not just people of your age that look back on their posts from a few years earlier and cringe at some of the things they wrote. I do exactly the same! I may be older than you, but I too look at some of my old posts and think how immature they were. "What on Earth was I thinking?!" :eek: (And that's just the posts from last week! :laugh: ) The Crazy Future Predictions Thread you mentioned was great fun at the time, but I'm almost scared to go back and actually read it! :laugh:

Oh, and don't worry, I'm still dosing out the love to small-fed skaters! :)

All the best with your novel. I hope it will be a great success. And when you are a prolific author in years to come, we will be able to say "we knew her!"

It's a shame that you are not able to follow figure skating anymore. But, I think we can all think back to the time we were your age and relate to your position. It's not really possible to follow a sport intensively at a time when you are studying for important exams. But, I hope that you will be able to come back at some time in the future when things have settled down.

Please remember that you will always be made welcome here if you want to chat. Whether it be about skating, or just general chat (the "Random Confessions" thread really has become the go to place for chatting about anything and everything).

It's been nice talking to you again.

CaroLiza_fan
 

elbkup

Power without conscience is a savage weapon
Medalist
Joined
Mar 3, 2015
Country
United-States
That is one amazing, delightful post... I think our paths crossed in these hallowed pages once or twice. :biggrin: I could be your Gram!! Who knew?!! Stay safe, well & healthy and God speed; wishing you success and prosperity in the future...
 

Layback11

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Thank you guys so much :’) what with “researching” for my novel, I’ve been getting caught up on a lot of the skating that I didn’t watch. The Olympic channel has been so generous as to post a ton of footage, and there are always the ISU streams, so I’m slowly getting reacquainted with the state of things and am so glad you guys remembered me :yahoo: thanks for the warm welcome!
 

CoyoteChris

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 4, 2004
Thank you guys so much :’) what with “researching” for my novel, I’ve been getting caught up on a lot of the skating that I didn’t watch. The Olympic channel has been so generous as to post a ton of footage, and there are always the ISU streams, so I’m slowly getting reacquainted with the state of things and am so glad you guys remembered me :yahoo: thanks for the warm welcome!

Congrats! Wait...there was another person on the planet that had a lonely child hood? I thought I was the only one! In my case, things got better after 6.5 years of college.
(I hope people dont have the nightmares I have....I didnt go to any of my three college graduation ceremonies and now I have nightmares about NOT graduating.:laugh2:)
So what is next for you? Best wishes for your next endevors....
 

Layback11

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
So what is next for you? Best wishes for your next endevors....

Thank you so much! I’m heading off to the University to Southern California in the fall (if there even IS college in the fall...). Before that? Finishing up my novel, getting it ready to self-publish (it’s my second novel but the first will never ever be published :shame:) and polishing the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. (SOMEONE SKATE TO THAT, pLEEEEASE?)
And maybe getting caught up on skating ;)
 

hanyuufan5

✨**:。*
Medalist
Joined
May 19, 2018
Congratulations on graduating and being accepted to college! Good luck with your writing!

And depending on how you feel about your graduation ceremony being cancelled, either, "You have my sincerest condolences!" or, "Yay, now no one can nag you or force you to go!"
 

Ic3Rabbit

Former Elite, now Pro. ⛸️
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 9, 2017
Country
Olympics
I'm pretty sure we've crossed paths here a few times before you left. I hope it was good. :)

Congrats on your graduation and thank you for stopping by and saying hello to us all.

Good luck with your novel, I hope to someday read it, also good luck at USC!:cheer:
 

Layback11

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
I'm pretty sure we've crossed paths here a few times before you left. I hope it was good. :)

Congrats on your graduation and thank you for stopping by and saying hello to us all.

Good luck with your novel, I hope to someday read it, also good luck at USC!:cheer:

Thank you so much! I plan to have it out in the world by July and I'll link to it for you guys if you want :)

EDIT: I just remembered that my novel includes a knockoff of GS called IceForum that’s occasionally name-dropped when two characters meet at a competition and want to find out more about each other. :p since I want these characters to get to know each other but they live far apart, they often mention something they learned about another skater in an IceForum interview. (Stalkerish, but they’re internet savvy teenagers, what’d you expect?) I thought y’all might get a kick out of that.
 

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
I know I get a kick out of knowing that GS has a role in your novel! Congratulations on finishing it and on graduating! I wondered what had happened to you and had hoped all was well, and am very glad you stopped by to say hi!

You might want to.drop by Fan Fests you started back in the day, to see how things turned out for those particular skaters. A lot of the OPs are up to date, or nearly up to date. I have been trying my best to keep the data links and YouTube links current, but the censors at YouTube are always three steps ahead of me.

Wishing you the best at USC, and do drop by again some time soon to tell us about your new adventures.
 
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ancientpeas

The Notorious SEW
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 11, 2014
Congratulations on your many accomplishments (HS and the book). :cheer:

Go boldly forth and finish conquering the world young gun.
 
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