litlover12

Maybe you remember Julia Liptnitskaya, the "little girl in the red coat" from the Olympics; since then she's had a rough time of it on the ice. Between the puberty struggles that all young female skaters have to go through, and a coach who seemed to run out of ideas and interest, she hasn't been living up to her potential at all. Every time she went out on the ice, she looked lost and sad.

A few weeks ago she got a new coach, who is obviously just what the doctor ordered, because yesterday she pulled off this outstanding short program at Russian nationals.

Moments like this remind me why I watch skating. It fills me with joy to see Julia skating with fire and expression, and nailing her jumps, and being so happy with her performance. I keep watching this program, and every time she starts to cry at the end, I start to cry too! It's been a long, tough road for this kid, and she's still not all the way back yet (her long program wasn't as good, and she didn't medal), but I think she's finally back on the right track. Can't wait to see how she does next season!

As I always say, never underestimate the power of a good teacher.