 |
|
Nicole's next season was solely a way for Nicole to make her comeback and feel good again about her skating. Back with a new and encouraging attitude that was inspired by Michael Jordan saying, "I succeed because I have failed," Nicole seemed more determined than ever to get back to her winning form. To do this, Nicole swallowed her pride and asked her most successful coach, Richard Callaghan, to give it another go as her coach. Richard, who had just lost Tara Lipinski as a student, was intrigued by the thought of bringing Nicole back to her best, so he accepted her offer. The old chemistry that was there between the two was immediately rekindled, but this time, Nicole was pushing herself to do the work. Nicole had certainly matured from the rebellious teen who hated anything that even resembled work a few years prior. In fact, when Richard was out of town with his other students at other competitions, Nicole didn't have a coach at all, so she just skated by herself. She relied on herself more than any other time before, since even her mother was no longer in her life but in their home in Florida. Nicole's performances were downright terrible in the beginning of the season, but she definitely got better each time she stepped out on the ice. By the time she entered her second major international event, Trophy Lalique, she was in winning form. Even though she didn't win that particular competition, she did win the short program and came in second overall with two strong performances that were good enough to compete with most of her other competitors at that time. Nicole's next competition, an easier pro-am, was a synch for Nicole to win. Even though she didn't necessarily need difficult jumps like the triple lutz, she put them in her programs anyway to push herself for future competitions. By this time, Nicole was back to her winning form, skating more consistently than ever. Typically, this season wasn't injury free. She suffered from a concussion early in the season that forced her to withdraw from one competition, but she came back strong. However, she wasn't so lucky with her next injury. A few weeks before Nationals, Nicole began to have major pain around the area of her stomach while practicing. This pain was caused by scar tissue from her surgery seven years before and could have also been caused by an ovarian cyst. Nevertheless, Nicole was forced to miss out on both Nationals and Worlds and was only able to get back her easier jumps like the double axel and the triple toe loop before her usual summer tour, Champions on Ice. Nicole is certainly an amazing girl to continue fighting after so much pain and suffering. Most people could only wish to have half of her strength.
Through such tribulation, it's hard to believe that Nicole can smile through programs the way she does so effortlessly. No one can deny that she has talent and that she has not been handed an easy life. Some may think that she's lazy, but she's really anything but. Please continue to visit this site and learn of Nicole's current status in support of Nicole. She deserves it.
|
