"TOO HARD TO ACCEPT- and skating is EVERYTHING for me!" PART 2 | Golden Skate

"TOO HARD TO ACCEPT- and skating is EVERYTHING for me!" PART 2

anything_for_skating

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 7, 2006
"TOO HARD TO ACCEPT- and skating is EVERYTHING for me!" PART 2

I believe many of you remember my thread “TOO HARD TO ACCEPT- and skating is EVERYTHING to me!” where I posted about my skating conditions and trainings…and how much I love this sport. In case you didn’t, check it out here www.kalik.co.yu/mila
I was actually surprised that many of you posted comments and tried to help me.

Today, I want to tell you just another injustice that is not so little for me.

You all heard about the EYOF, right? European Youth Olympic Festival, which will be held in Jaca, Spain. Skaters born between 1.7.1990. and 30.6.1992. may participate. Each country may send 1 boy and 1 girl. People often call this competition Junior Olympics, which on the end it really is.

When we’re talking about Serbian skaters, me and one another girl were candidates for the EYOF. We had a test skate at Saturday 20th January, where we skated the short program. It was a test for all junior girls, and for two of us, to see who is better. It was like this:

1)One girl didn’t show up (she competed at the JGP Romania, but she doesn’t like skating, she only comes to traning 2 days before the competition, because her mommy makes her to do so) She was born in 1989.
2)Second fell really bad on the warm up, tried to skate but couldn’t. She attended the JGP Hungary and she was also born in 1989.
3)The girl who won junior nats 2006, that competed at Jr Worlds 2006 and was at the JGP Taipei, also born in 1989, lives in France so she didn’t skate here.
4)And finally, the girl who was nominated for EYOF with me(competed at the JGP Nederlands, born in 1990), would you believe it, mysteriously “got ill”… Imagine that, she was at the practice at Friday, then she was sick at Saturday and again she came on practice at Monday! Right…

On the end, only two of us skated, me and a girl who was 4th at junior nats 2006 (born in 1989)

Ok, now, why did I say when were all of them born? Because I was born in 1992 so I’m 3 and 2 years younger than all of them.

I was always “little Mila” and nobody ever believed in me and my skating. When all of girls I mentioned above jumped axels and doubles I was only learning the waltz jump. And suddenly, I’m there, with them.

But the federation is not supporting me. Wanna hear the end of the story? I am not going to the EYOF. And I am better than the other girl, and everybody know that. I have never posted any of these backround things in our skating, but I am sick of it, and I want to let you all know. Just for example, to mention few other things:
Before JGP Romania and JGP Netherlands, there was a skate test too. I was THE ONLY ONE who skated a clean program (they asked only short program for our category) while other girls, that were sent to JGP after that, were falling down and not doing 2 and even 3 out of 3 jumps in the program. And what? Nothing. They still went to JGP and I got nothing.

Another example is 2006 Nats….yes, I won the novice category but did you know that the girl who finished 2nd is actually from Canada? I don’t even know does she have our citizenship…I guess her parents are Serbian or something. She was brought here, we all know that, to put her in 1st place and me down to 2nd. But heck they couldn’t! I didn’t skate good as her, I didn’t skate better, I was twice better. That’s why they just couldn’t do anything.

There are million of injustice stuff like this and I just wrote a few for an example. After all that girl is going to EYOF, and she didn’t even show up on the test skate! I never mentioned any injustice in the federation, I always was thinking like “Never minds, they all will see me….every single thing they done to me will return to them in one moment…” I was thinking at the EYOF ofcourse. I was dreaming about it… I skated sick and I skated at 6 in the morning, and freezing… I know that with conditions like these I’ll never go to real Olympics…so I gave each and every piece of myself to skating, to go to EYOF. And thanks to some stupid people that have deals to someone I’m not going.

Oh, and did I mention that the one who was sick on the test skate was me? Yeah, and a doctor can confirm that too.

But you know what is the most stupid thing? That girl doesn’t even like skating. Ask her why is she skating, she’ll say ‘I don’t know’ Because her parents make her to that. And which is the most important everybody are rude to other people, who really want to do something.

I didn’t go to JGP, I’m not going to EYOF now… I don’t get it. Why this world is so bad to us, little people, that live for one thing, like me for skating?

From one hand, I am a strong girl, I’ll get over it and I’ll be fine. But from the other, I was always waiting…and waiting…and saying ok to all injustices… And until when will I live like that?

There is only one thing I am glad about in whole this story. You see, I couldn’t compare to these girls a year ago, and now, instead of reaching for more, they’re thinking about if they will be better than me.

So on the end, I would like to thank to the president of the federation and to people that are in it and don’t have any skating experience, for making this sport dead in Serbia. This is why we don’t have skaters. Because when someone good shows up they try to bring it down because of their own interests.
 

MKFSfan

Medalist
Joined
Mar 15, 2006
Aw! I am very sorry to hear about your experiences. All I can say is that if you truly love skating, hang in there. I firmly believe hard work DOES pay off, and someday you will get your moment. Good luck and keep us updated!
:)
 

anything_for_skating

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 7, 2006
Yes I believe one day everything will pay off but when I realised I'm not going to EYOF I just started asking "when?"
But hey, what doesn't kill me, makes me strogner! They think this is the end of story? Heck, better think twice! The "little Mila" still has a few things to show them! :cool:
 

Ptichka

Forum translator
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
So sorry for your experience. I am assuming the "other girl" is Jovana Stanisavljevic - if so, then it's especially egregious as she came dead last in Hague - 34th in both SP and LP, full 10 points behind the 33d place - so it's not like she had some wonderful showing that would give the federation a reason to give her every chance they can. All I can say is what Tarasova always says - if you're head and shoulders above the competitions, then deal or no deal - you'll win. You apparently had a taste of that at Nationals - you won despite everything - and if you continue with working hard and all, before you know it, everyone will be cheering Mila from Serbia! :rock:
 

anything_for_skating

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 7, 2006
So sorry for your experience. I am assuming the "other girl" is Jovana Stanisavljevic - if so, then it's especially egregious as she came dead last in Hague - 34th in both SP and LP, full 10 points behind the 33d place - so it's not like she had some wonderful showing that would give the federation a reason to give her every chance they can. :

Ofcourse, they are not watching at who is better and more perspective, they're only watching after their own interests. If you were the president of the federation, would you do this or that?



All I can say is what Tarasova always says - if you're head and shoulders above the competitions, then deal or no deal - you'll win. You apparently had a taste of that at Nationals.

Oh yes, I did!



and if you continue with working hard and all, before you know it, everyone will be cheering Mila from Serbia! :rock:
:rolleye: :)
 
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_Ladybug_

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 23, 2007
Don't give up girl. You are very young yet. You have plenty of time. One day you will get there. Hard work ALWAYS pays off one way or another.
 
Joined
Mar 14, 2006
What happened to your plan to come to the US?

Maybe it's my bias, but I think we have a meritocracy here (comparatively speaking, at least) -- it's all about who performs best.

But you would no longer be a big fish in a little pond. (Don't know if you are familiar with that saying.) Our pond is huge.
 

anything_for_skating

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 7, 2006
What happened to your plan to come to the US?

Maybe it's my bias, but I think we have a meritocracy here (comparatively speaking, at least) -- it's all about who performs best.

But you would no longer be a big fish in a little pond. (Don't know if you are familiar with that saying.) Our pond is huge.

Hmm...didn't understand much of that what you said but...

It's about who performs best? It should be. I skated my program ok. And she didn't even skate anything!
 

Kasey

Medalist
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
I am sorry that you feel slighted. I'm not sure that publicly speaking out against your federation and federation president is in your best interests, but I'm sure you will do whatever you feel is best.
 

persimmon

Rinkside
Joined
Feb 7, 2007
Mila, I'm sorry!
That's a terrible situation to be in, but I can't help but note that posting all of this on a public forum is not a good idea. You have no idea who is reading this. While I have absolutely no doubts that everything you're saying is true, it doesn't mean posting all about it here is appropriate. Generally, blasting your skating federation, no matter how true or not true it is, doesn't bode well for your public image. You are still young, and not in the public eye yet, but you have to learn what can and cannot be said in public if you are aspiring to become a world-class skater, which *would* put you in the public eye. How many skaters complain about their federation in interviews? None that I can think of, and if they do, it only makes them look bad.
Plenty of skaters have been in similiar situations as you are, but they smile on the outside even though they are probably seething on the inside. Did Emily Hughes complain about how she would have gotten the gold medal at Nationals this year, if the judges had only rightfully called Kimmie Meissner triple toe loop in the short program cheated? Did she complain about Michelle Kwan being sent to the Olympics instead of her even though Michelle didn't even compete at Nationals? In fact, that seems like a *very* similiar situation to yours, only on a much larger scale. What about Jeremey Ten? He won the gold medal at the Jr. Level in Canada and all three spots for Jr. Worlds went to Senior skaters, but does he whine about how unfair it is in public? I'm sure that every skater feels like you do Mila, when things like this happen, but the point is you can't show it. Instead of spending your energy on this, move on and train even harder so that you can kick butt this season, and make them wish they had sent you to EOYF. Use this experience to motivate you in you skating, instead of using up energy dwelling on it.

Good luck!
 

julietvalcouer

Final Flight
Joined
Sep 10, 2005
Yeah, what Persimmon said. There's a reason this same thread got locked at fsuniverse. You really never know who's reading these things.
 
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