Go figure another miracle on ice.

• Author: Barrash, Jane
• Position: Athletic Arena - Interview

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

IN 2006, I TURNED 49 and seriously began to contemplate my impending 50th birthday. For most people, that half-century mark starts the countdown on the second half of life and, for many, it is a time to evaluate what you have done, where you are at, and what lies ahead. For me, it became the time to strap on figure skates after virtually a four-decade absence from the ice and commit to training for a performance as a personal 50th birthday challenge. It also became an epiphany that set a whole new universe of possibility in motion--a wonderland of opportunity that I believe everyone can access. Luckily, I captured it in a decidedly homespun movie made for very little money but with lots of chutzpa.

The arduous training and conditioning, with many tumbles--as well as a broken foot--that characterized the preparation for m, show on April 21, 2007, also relied heavily on the tools, techniques, and knowledge that I had gained and taught to everyone from Fortune 500 executives to risk youth as a self-discovery leader during my 25 years at the Continuum Center. Basically, Continuum is in the business of developing the proverbial "other 90%" of brain-mind capacity for creativity, productivity, health, relationships, and quality of life. Personally, my practical mind wanted to see how the information I was hearing professionally actually could be applied to live a healthy, effective, and meaningful life.

I first thought about a 50th birthday return to the ice at 45 when I had five years to get ready, but I put it off until, at 49, I could not delay any longer. I had a party and made the announcement publicly so I had skin in the game. I called it the Quantum Leap Event.

As a young girl in the 1960s, I had been a pretty good figure skater, landing double axels, skating six or seven days a week, and starting to compete. When I turned 13, I quit to become immersed in my life at a Chicago high school where I played just about every team sport and loved hanging out with friends. Fortunately for me, the last pair of skates I had before "retiring" was purchased after my feet had stopped growing. I skated here and there during high school, and took my skates to college, but did not skate much during or after those four years--maybe 25 times over 36 years. In 2006, I was not even sure the skates would still fit.

After skating for a few months over the summer of 2006 to determine I was not crazy, I found a coach. In September, a couple...