Competitions

Competitions can come in many different varieties. The most important thing, I think when you go into any kind of competition (especially one for sports), is to learn during the competition not just in practice or training.

I've been to five speedskating competitions, three in America, one in Amsterdam the Netherlands and one in France (where I live).
My first competition was in New York state U.S.A. I was ten and had been skating for nearly two years. I was a little nervous because I had never been to a competition before (at least not one that I had competed in) and was at the beginner level (Novice). In the end I came in third out of four skaters, but it taught me how a competition works. You have to work as hard as you can and you have to set specific goals and you have to want to achieve them. As long as you know what you want to get from the competition and work hard to get it you will be able to.

My second competition was held in the rink I started skating in. It was only a couple months after my first competition and was a big reminder of how easy it is to mess up. One kid broke his ankle and got taken away on a stretcher, another teenager (around eighteen), fell in the exact same place almost every race he was in and one of my teammates fell while I was racing against him. One of my best strengths in speedskating specifically is that I don't fall very often (or at least not anymore), but I did fall a couple of times in this competition. One of the key things to winning a speedskating race in a competition is to know that people are going to fall and its your job to make sure that when they fall, you don't fall, too. It's not about who falls, but about who doesn't, because those are the people who, if they have enough focus, determination, practice and skill will win.

Some competitions are just very badly organized (like my third speed skating competition) and not very eventful and really just worth forgetting about. So I'm going to go straight to France

In this competition, I was a little more nervous because it was the first competition with my new team, it was in France, all the announcements were in French and my coach, who spoke English wasn't there (only the assistant coach who didn't speak English was there), but the whole thing went pretty well. All the kids in my team were really supportive and helpful (as was the assistant coach). That competition was a reminder of how hard you have to work to be good. I came in last in almost every race. Right after that competition I decided that I was not going to come in last anymore. When you make a decision about yourself that you want to live up to and are willing to put the effort in to make it happen you can MAKE IT HAPPEN. So after that I stopped being the slowest in my group and started getting better and better. The good thing about me being the slowest at the time was that I had all these teammates (in practice) that drove me to get better. Even though I was this new kid who didn't even speak their language, all of my French speedskating teammates made it so easy and so enjoyable to be there, which made it easier to compete in these foreign countries.

Now, the most recent competition I went to was in Amsterdam NL and that was a reminder of how quickly anyone can grow in a sport. It was the first two-day competition I'd ever been to and I think I learned more in those two days then I had learned in the rest of the year. Also, in case you are wondering, I didn't come in last in a single race. I still wasn't the best, but considering how much progress I made I know that soon I'm going to be winning a lot more. Also, in that competition I decreased the amount of time I took to complete all my distances from what they were in prior races. It was definitely one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had. My speedskating coach made being and competing there very easy and fun so a specific thank you to him. Also, my relay team and I won the semi-final and came in third out of four in the final, but that was also an amazing experience so thanks to all my teammates.

Some people don't like competitions (and I can understand that), but my advice is not to be afraid of competitions, but to learn from them instead.

Comments welcome.

Tour of Place de la Concorde and the Louvre

About two months ago, I went on a walking tour of the area of Paris that starts at Place de la Concorde (in the eighth arrondissement/district) and ends at the Louvre (in the first).

The tour wasn't about seeing famous sites; it was about seeing things that most people don't notice.

For example, in Place de la Concorde there is a column on the Hotel de Crillion that is darker than the other columns, because it's made of different stone that was used to replace the original after being destroyed by a tank in world war II. There was also a notice on a building (near the Place de la Concorde) that was put there during world war II as a call to arms. Then there are the sundial marks with the Obelisk of Luxor at the center of the sundial (also in Place de la Concorde).

In the Tuileries, there is a uprooted tree made completely of bronze. The way the roots were made and the detail of the bark, it looks like a tree, but if you take a closer look you can see that it is bronze. The tree is black like iron though it's made of bronze.

Around the outside of the Louvre, you can see carved initials on the walls that indicate which king or emperor built that section. If you look closely you can see N for Napoleon, or L for Louis XIII and XIV, or H for Henri IV, or C for Catherine de Medici (who was Henri's wife), and D for Diane de Poitiers (Henri's mistress).

Near the Louvre there's a stone gargoyle on the outside of a church with the world in its mouth. If you look closely you can see that the world has rats crawling into it to indicate the end of the world.

This is very interesting to me, because I enjoy seeing things that other people haven't seen yet and teaching them about it. Yes, if you go to somewhere like Paris you're going to want to see things like the Eiffel Tower and the Mona Lisa, but I find it just as interesting to explore somewhere new and see unusual things: like the amazing architecture of Paris (and other European cities), or the buildings that have been around for hundreds of years. So I am going to learn and see as much as I can about the world, not just one place.

I hope that when you go somewhere new this helps you to think about what you want to do.
Comments welcome.

Recipe blog

This is one of my favorite recipe blogs.
http://glutenfreesoyfreevegan.wordpress.com/
Because I am vegan and gluten-free, this blog is great for me.
These recipes are the ones I have tried:

Twice-Baked Potato Stuffed with Broccoli
This one I have made more than once. It can take a little while to prepare and bake these, but they are great for almost anyone's taste. You can adjust the recipe to add more garlic or red pepper or less of either, depending on how spicy you like your food. I prefer them exactly as the recipe says but change them a little if you feel like it. I just wouldn't add too much of anything spicy. Also the recipe is for one person so I always have to double or triple it.


Dosas
This recipe is another one I tried, but I only made it once (not because it was bad, but because I haven't had the ingredients for it in awhile). I recommend using coconut or extra virgin olive oil, not grapeseed oil.

When I made the Dosas I made them with this Dal recipe below, which was good, although if you have a different Dal you want to try, then go ahead. I used red lentils in the Dal but I don't think it matters. I didn't use the green chili or the cilantro but it's your decision. Spinach Dal

This recipe is one of the best I've ever eaten and is great even if you're not used to vegan and gluten-free food. Vegetable Fritters
Be careful with the cayenne, I used a little bit less than it called for, but again it's up to you.
Also I use olive oil when it calls for other oil or you can use coconut oil.
Happy cooking and let me know how you like them.
Comments welcome.