The year is 1999 and here Minnie and I are in the Warm up at Nationals looking a little more at ease and actually smiling.
Here are Minnie and I again with such joy on our faces and this photo freezes that joy in time. It was the first time we had beaten our good friends, Dick and Kitty Hopkins in Team Dance and we were just beside ourselves with pride at our accomplishment.
I had Skated the Flordia Winter Invitational for 5 years in a row and had to skate against Martha McMillian in Solo Dance but this year would be different. I arrived at the Winter Invitational without a partner and was already signed up for Team Dance so I asked Martha if she had a black outfit. She did and the rest is History. We practiced together at the Practice Rink for only 2 hours before heading to the Competition Rink the next day. We had similar styles and bonded very well together we thought. The Judges thought so too because we won the Silver Medal and when the awards were given out the announcer said "Not bad for two hours practice in a parking lot." It was a great moment for me and my friend Martha and again it is preserved in time with a great Pro Shot of us and our Medal.
This picture gives me great memories of the day a 57 year old Man and a 72 year old Woman with only two hours practice together won the Silver Medal. Martha McMillian is a great lady who is strong and has as much power as I did and it was one of the crowning glory moments in my soon to end Skating Career.