'Why do we fall down?... So we can learn to get back up'- by Michael Cheek Going in to the 2010 Indoor National Championships I honestly felt really good. I thought I would be really strong and have a great chance at winning the World Class Men’s division. Unfortunately, things didn’t quite turn out like I expected. I was flat, and just couldn’t put things together. It felt like I was stuck in a bad dream and I couldn’t wake up. The only thing I could try to do was keep a smile, and keep trying to do better. I always pride myself with training hard, and doing everything I can to be ready for competitions. Nationals was no different than other races, I did all of the things I know I needed to do, to skate well. Sometimes, despite doing things right, things can go wrong. I was lucky enough to have my family, my sponsor, and my team there to help me. They all knew I was having a rough time. However, instead of them asking me what was wrong or getting mad, they all were positive and helped me keep my head up. Honestly, without everyone telling me just to relax and have fun, I probably would have struggled for the entire week. Thankfully after a day with no finals, everything settled down and I started to skate like myself for the relays. In the end, nationals was mentally tough, but in the end very gratifying. When my partner and I won the Senior 2 man it felt like a 100lb weight was lifted off of my shoulders. People in the stands said I looked like I had never been so happy to win a race in life, and they might have been right. Sincerely, your friend in speed skating, Michael Cheek
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