THOUGHTS - "When pigs fly"
July
1, 2001
For all of you who were starting to believe
that you'd see pigs fly before receiving an
e-mail from me, this update is dedicated to
you. Let's see....what would be a good excuse
for my cyber -slothfulness. (Since all good
letters from e-mail slackers start with the
essential apology/excuse component.) Arthritic
hands? Nope, too young.... I was lost for
three months in the back woods of the Rocky
Mountains and was adopted by a family of bears?
Getting better but probably not.... I embarked
on a three hour boat tour and a huge tempest
suddenly washed me up on a deserted island?
Nah, that's just Gilligan's Island flashbacks.
"Maybe he just doesn't love us anymore!" Please....let's
not exaggerate.
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Ah,
yes, the introduction is complete. Now on to the
meat and potatoes. (My middle school English teachers
taught me way too well.) Since the 2001 National
Championships were still a figment of our imagination
the last time I authored an expose' of my life,
let me start there. My general feelings from Nationals
were that I didn't perform as well as I felt I
was prepared to. My short program felt really
strong with only a mistake on the triple axel
and the long program wasn't "bad" by any means.
It just wasn't good enough and I made several
careless mistakes. The word "careless" isn't the
right word for what happened. How can I be careless
about any part of the precious few minutes that
I've been preparing all year for? I remember the
feeling I had when I turned out of my second triple
lutz during the long program at Nationals (which
I almost always land.) It seemed like an "out
of body" experience. Everything was feeling good
and I thought the jump was landed then I realized,
"Whoa, I'm still turning!" It was not the sensation
I wanted. I finished eighth overall in the event,
several places lower than last year.
After Nationals, my first order of business was
to allow my knee to heal. I didn't jump for two
weeks and then stayed away from elements that
jumped off my right leg for another two weeks
after that. The tendonitits felt much improved
after that time. Ironically, (or is it predictably),
the pain came back as soon as I began training
again. From there I began a combination of acupuncture
treatments and heavy strength training. The acupuncture
helped reduce inflammation and the intense lifting
began to strengthen the area around my knee more
than "therapy" exercises. I saw an orthopedic
doctor at the Olympic Training Center during this
time and his basic message was, "Your only hope
is to get your leg strong enough to deal with
the demands that are put on it." (Author's paraphrase
:-) There was also the surgery option but that
just sounded ludicrous. I've been doing extra
weight training for over three months now but
that hasn't been enough to complete the puzzle.
Recently, I've also been treated by a doctor who
specialized in active-release techniques. My basic
understanding is that he manipulates the muscles
and tendons to provide relief to the injured area.
He felt that the pain would go away after a few
visits and I said, "Sign me up!" After my second
visit there was noticeable improvement in the
way I felt. That only lasted for a couple days
and the other visits weren't as fruitful. I've
learned a few of the active-release techniques
from this guy which still provide me with some
relief to this day. To be honest, pushing through
pain everyday is really wearing on me. Sometimes
I lose sight of the big picture and question my
sanity. Luckily, I have a lot to be happy about
and I still come to the rink each morning excited
about the day. I guess I can't ask for much more
than that.
A new season means new programs! A couple friends
of mine introduced me to a CD of symphonic Led
Zeppelin hits and a great program was born. This
years short program is "Stairway to Heaven." It
is powerful, flowing, and the ideal program for
me. To make it even better, Tom Dickson, my choreographer,
was able to combine it with music segments of
the original version to create a one of a kind
program. I can't wait for you all to see this
one. My long music was harder to decide on. I
like having a character and skating to various
dance types so I chose a tango.
The opening section sounds like I'm a "tango villain"
and the melody in the slow part is carried exclusively
by a saxophone. The program doesn't scream tango
until the end. I think this provides some artistic
license with the tango that will keep it in it's
own category. It doesn't look like my programs
will get on TV until Nationals this year so your
anticipation can grow until then!
Since shortly after Nationals I've been getting
additional coaching from Hoon Kim (besides my
primary coach Diana Ronayne.) He's been coaching
at the Broadmoor for many years and also took
Nicole Bobek to the Olympics. He's been helping
me technically with my most challenging jumps
like the triple axel and combinations. He makes
things very clear and simple. It seems like I'm
finally getting off of the plateau that I've been
stuck on for a while. His favorite things to say
to me is, "Too tense...Relax." For the first time
in quite a while I'm seeing visible improvements!
I still have a ways to go but things are looking
up.
My anticipation is growing because tomorrow evening
I start moving! That's right, my days of renting
are over. My parents were able to purchase a townhouse
only about two miles from where I currently live.
They plan on eventually moving there from Detroit
once my dad retires in about five years or so.
The decision was made to invest in a place now
because prices will be much higher in several
years and it was about time to start building
equity with my rent money each month. No more
leaky ceilings for me! (I hope :-) The new place
is much larger than my current abode so I'll be
finding a roommate. Also, the location is superb.
It sits right off of a golf course so the view
from the living room reminds me of Michigan; flat
green grass and a small lake. Then all I have
to do is walk out the front door to see the mountains.
What a blessing...
No matter how much I try to ignore it, it seems
like I'm growing up :-) Over the last few months
I've been down right enjoying some "adult" activities:
Meeting with the realtor to look at the new property,
being there for the home inspection (a handyman
is my new idol), having my first experience with
water damage and actually caring that the finish
on my coffee table is messed up, and seeking out
health insurance for myself. I guess my hold on
my dad's coattails are loosening! Another exciting
thing is that my father has been working to incorporate
my skating business. I'm soon to be the President
of J-Edge, LLC. It sounds so official it's almost
scary. My mom and I are shareholders and this
move should help with the economics of my skating.
"Hi, I'm Ryan Jahnke and I'm the President of
a company."
Another exciting thing that is a part of my life
is a beautiful young lady named Tashiana Foreman.
We've been dating for a year now and our relationship
keeps getting better. I'd be lying if I said I
don't often think about her possible role in my
future. The majority of my free time is spent
with her and it is such a joy. Often times the
weekends just seem to evaporate. I tend to get
horribly behind in the small details of life (i.e.
e-mail, hint, hint) and papers on my desk frequently
begin to stack. This is all right with me because
I still keep my head above water. I'll send along
a picture with this e-mail if I can figure how
to do it :-)
I've been given the opportunity again this year
to skate in the Nebelhorn Trophy in Obersdorf,
Germany. I enjoyed this small town immensely last
year and it pleases me to know I'll be in a much
better place physically before I go again. I feel
that if I can make progress on the consistency
of my triple axel and triple-triple jump combinations
this summer, I could have my best international
finish yet. I plan on doing everything I can to
produce this steady improvement. I still find
it humorous and equally frustrating that one day
things can feel so natural while I feel like a
brick two days later. There's sport for ya! I'll
leave for Obersdorf at the beginning of September
which comes up very quickly. I am also skating
in the Wissahickon Competition in Philadelphia
from July 18-21 which will be a great practice
run for Germany. I'll see where my current strengths
and weaknesses are and I'll have time to improve
on them. Please keep me in your prayers as I try
to make these many improvements for this season.
I still feel like I haven't reached the peak of
my skating ability. I feel a drive inside of me
to reach that point and I guess I'll know it when
I get there!
Thank you to everyone who has shown an interest
in my skating or who has provided encouragement
in some way. Have a great summer!
Love,
Ryan
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