Dear World,

Wind whistles in my ears. Blades scrape against the clean, shimmering ice. The ice is like a drug to me - it's something I can't live without.

I've been on the ice for as long as I can remember. I was born in Modesto, California and soon after moved to Oxnard. There, I got my first taste of skating when I turned three.

My parents took me to a skating rink on one warm day. They thought it would be fun for me to try, since I seemed to enjoy skiing. The moment I stepped on the ice, my parents could clearly see that I was a natural.

After skating for a little while, I bounced back to my parents.

What I said would change all of our lives.

"Mummy, Daddy, I'm home."

"I want to become a champion."

Day in and day out I practiced. Slowly yet surely, I moved up the ranks of figure skating. I will be forever thankful to my parents, for, they have put thousands of dollars to help me get to my Olympic dream.

After training for eight years, my parents and I have to make a huge sacrifice.

If I wanted my dream enough, I would move to Chicago.

It was a hard decision. Leaving California would mean leaving close skating friends, my playful bird and my beloved cat, and perhaps most terrible of all:

I would have to leave my father behind.

I have made my decision.

Dad...I need to go to Chicago. There is better training there, and I want...need to go to the Olympics.

We move to Chicago, and here I am.

Every day I wake at 5:45 a.m. without fail. I go to the rink with my mother and train for six hours. Head to a workout, go home, bed. Same thing.

Day after day after day.

Moving to Chicago is a stepping stone to the ultimate goal:

The 2022 Olympics.

I wrote this from the heart. I wrote what my inner voice speaks.

I want you, world, to go at anything. Take a shot. Go after your dream; for, you can do anything you set your mind to.

As a person in the dimension which is called life, you have many ups and downs. Anywhere you look, there is no easy way out. So if you truly want your dream, you got to put your head down and try your hardest.

I remember a coach telling me a good piece of advice:

"Think of something "hard" being a rock. An unmovable hard rock. Now, these "rocks" can add up and become a weight on your back that you can't get rid of. Now, think of "challenging" as a block of ice. Though you can't move it by hand, it can be melted - so if you work on something with the mindset that it is challenging, not hard, you can go far."

Believe in yourself.

And remember:

You're not alone.

Love, @Soul_Of_Thunder

[Word Count: 500 Words.]