“Only With Passion”– Femininity in the Tough Business of Sports

Sarah McNally, an American friend of my best friend Uwe and lecturer for public affairs, convinced me to write a book about my life as a figure skater, and the role of the woman as athlete in sports. I wrote down the experiences I had as a young athlete and hope to give some inspiration and motivation to a new generation of figure skaters and female athletes from other disciplines. How can one be both strong and successful, while at the same time feminine and graceful?   

"Only With Passion"

The book "Only With Passion" which I wrote with the help of E. M. Swift, journalist for Sports Illustrated and author of the bestseller "My Sergei" with Ekaterina Gordeeva, is only published in English. The Book was released in the USA. 

"Only With Passion" - My Life as Biography and Fiction

A teenager is a teenager, regardless if it's today or 20 or 30 years ago. Teenagers are rebellious, perhaps not untalented, but they don't want to take advice, they struggle with themselves and their environments, and know everything anyway. Regardless of this, their instinct sometimes forces them to be grateful, even if they don't admit it, when a helping hand is extended to them.
In my book "Only With Passion", I try to tell my story, not only of the straight track from one success to the next, but also of the many pitfalls, heartache, and doubts that go along with it.
Because I didn't want to just repeat my "Biography" and write everything in the first person, I "invented" Jasmine. Jasmine is a young, somewhat confused girl with an unbelievable talent for ice skating. She has a desperate desire for freedom, but is trapped in the not yet realized gift of an undefined passion. On the one hand, she is a promising talent in figure skating, but on the other hand, the stress of training really gets on her nerves. Of course she has her first broken heart and wants to give up. Haven't we all been there?
Jasmine is a teenager with all its advantages and disadvantages. Curious and stubborn. I had fun with the dialogue. Observing her and thereby rediscovering a part of my childhood and youth, put a smile on my face. She "moves in with me" for a few days, and turns my fully planned schedule on its ear. She likes the comfort of my nice apartment, asks me about my past athletic experiences, wants to hear about the competitions, gets to know Mrs. Müller, thumbs curiously through my photo albums and enjoys the attention I get in a restaurant. Jasmine even has the courage to ask about my present life, and pressures me into considering my future. Short and sweet. For a teenager, life is black and white. There is still nothing in between.
But she loves my openness and honesty. She learns that whatever you do, whatever you struggle for and whatever you decide on, no decision has to last forever. It just has to be the right decision for that particular moment. And you have to believe in it with all your heart.
Will she find her way back to the ice?
Which love or passion will she choose?