As today is Father's Day, I thought this would be appropriate.  I spent a few summers training 3 hours away from home on the Cape, only seeing my dad every few weekends or so.  I knew my parents were spending a lot of money to support my training, so I worked hard to improve and reach my goals for the season.  The last competition after the summer was the Boston Open, where I performed my Novice Short.  This was the only time my dad had come to a competition without my mom, so the competition had a different feel to it.  He hadn't seen me skate since my summer training had ended, so it was the first time he could see the improvement I made.  I skated a great program, and will always remember his beaming face as I got off of the ice, thanking my coach and sweeping me into a big bear hug.  I think that was the proudest I have ever seen him.

He passed away the following spring, and the vision of his face and his proud reaction from the day are always etched in my memory.  That will always be my favorite skating moment, and one of the best memories of him.