Above: Sammie Levine and the RedHawks celebrate success at the U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships. Photo by PJ Duimstra
Editor’s note: Sammie Levine enters her second season as an assistant coach at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Levine joined the Miami synchronized skating staff after a decorated career as a RedHawk skater. On this Thanksgiving holiday, Levine penned a sincere message of gratitude about her time in the sport.
By Sammie Levine
Dear Skating,
When I think of my time in our sport, I think about determination, grit and the willingness to overcome adversity. I think about our pursuit of excellence and the risk-taking that comes with it. The artistry and passion. Curiosity and collaboration. But above all those things, I think of the love.
Love is the most infinite and effortless presence in this world. It’s hiding in every crevice of human nature — in the way rainbows appear after rain and in the way trees provide shade on warm summer days.
In skating, love is the extra spritz of hairspray someone gives you right before you compete and the TikTok they send you way too late the night before a morning practice. It’s rushing into the rink to tell everyone about your day, waiting patiently for the Zamboni driver to finish resurfacing, and the warm nod from your coach that you didn’t realize you needed.
On the ice, love is the first and final crossover of your programs and the sound of your heart beat when you strike your beginning pose. It’s the laughs you share during practice, the hand you extend when someone falls, the goals you set with those around you and the passion you foster day in and day out.
Love has shown itself to me in every aspect of our sport. And although I am competitive in nature and driven by excellence, I don’t need to worry about the love that’s present in this sport because it’s all around me. It’s reached me at my best and it’s met me at my worst.
I could get lost in the 20+ years of blood, sweat and tears. The work that went into competing on national and international stages, the 6 a.m. skates and cardio sessions. The electricity I felt performing for a crowd. Huge victories. Heavy losses. Fierce comebacks. After all this time, what matters most to me is the love that brought me back to the rink each and every day. I’ve been the athlete, now I’m the coach … but at the end of the day I’m just a really big fan. What magic our sport brings!
Skating, I’ve found quite a special home in you. Our time together hasn’t always been smooth sailing, but it has always provided a compass for who I’m becoming. You taught me how to go for it, to dig deep and to focus on the controllables. You’ve shown me that it’s cool to care. Being part of our skating community has helped me curate my world into one that scans for love, connection, and joy, despite — and even sometimes because of — the chaos. You’ve taught me more than I could ever put into words, and now I have the joy of passing your best lessons on to the next generation of skaters. We’ve had a strange and beautiful journey. I’m grateful to find new love in it every day.
So … thanks. For everything.
Love,
Sammie
