The Dance I never forgot

We raced over the frozen lake with a hockey stick in our hands and pretended to be famous players. I wasn’t elegant on the ice, could hardly hold my balance and never figured out where the breaks were.

I admired boys and girls who could skate backward and the brave ones, who tried to jump a little bit. I preferred the skies over skates, that was my element.

I was always drawn to the Winter Olympic games. I followed the skiers and the ski jumpers (who could forget Eddie the Eagle) and even watched ice skating because I had to. Back then we only had two TV stations or perhaps three. We watched what was on screen -like everybody else.

34 years ago in the evening, I watched ice dancers and didn’t find them too appealing. I was a young adult, but still, there was that tomboy in me that preferred speed and downhill races. This elegant dancing was not for me.

And then a couple came on. I had never heard their names. They were from Great Britain, and the commentator was full of praises. “I expect great things from them,” she said with excitement in her voice, and I watched.

Right from the start, they got to me. The way they danced to a classic song I knew so well, sent shivers down my spine. The dancers had a special connection, and everybody could feel it, see it and witness it. The song started slow, and so did their movement, then the pace got faster, and the mesmerizing dance continued.

It was perfection and people around the world could witness it. The Olympic Stadium in Sarajevo (former Yugoslavia) erupted when the screen showed a score of perfect 6.0 at the end. A record score that was well deserved and can’t be broken, due to changes made to the judging system in 2002.

Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean made history that night and to this day I think about them, every time I watch ice dancing. I am glad I was there and part of it, even though it was just in front of a small TV.

Isn’t it fascinating what impact one event can have on our lives? So many years later, now in my mid 50’s, I still remember it like it was yesterday.