Discovering My Identity

By Brittney

For as long as I can remember, the words “I am a competitive synchronized skater” have followed my name in any introduction I have given—whether I was greeting my new middle school class or meeting a new family friend. 

Rightfully so, right? I have dedicated my whole life to a sport in which I have had countless invaluable experiences, including competing at the 2019 Junior World Synchronized Skating Championships in Neuchatel, Switzerland. There is no doubt that it’s a part of my identity. 

Throughout the past year, and especially during months of quarantine, I had quite literally lost access to my identity. Without being able to reach the ice, who was I? 

I have come to realize that my sport is not my identity. Rather, who I am is a driving force in my competitive career. 

The moment I shifted my thinking, my passion on the ice flourished, and I felt as if I had fallen in love with my sport all over again.

You see, for so long, I feared the day that I would graduate college and finally have to end my skating career. I was scared to lose that label of “synchronized skater”, believing that I would not know who I was without it. Now, I train with the freedom of knowing that while skating has allowed me to build who I am throughout the past 14 years, it is not all that I am (and, just because I will one day end my career does not mean that the sport will no longer be a part of me).

The truth of the matter is, nothing defines you more than YOU. Your personality, your values, and your strengths are what you bring to the table. You have the power to evolve your sport, your career, or any endeavor into something extraordinary.