# @bradietennell on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DTjgjEmjO8g
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/43268045-bradietennell-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/a40f4a0d0d.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-01-16T02:29:01.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Bradie Tennell (@bradietennell) — https://gondola.cc/bradietennell

## Caption

It’s taken me a bit to sort through some of my emotions about nationals, but I wanted to share this before going to 4CC. This nationals was about more than placements & medals. I have never skated with such joy & love for this sport as I did last week. I came into this competition knowing that making the team was a long shot; I also knew that I wanted to go out and skate for the version of myself that couldn’t four years ago. 
Being an elite athlete my whole life & then being faced with the reality that I might never be able to skate again made me reject everything about skating & my athleticism. Maybe it was irrational, but it was how I coped with the death of my dream. Months went by in a blur. And when I finally healed & decided to try again, the universe rubbed its hands together & said, “Let’s see just how much she can take.” Going through more injuries, more embarrassment; the resulting crippling self-doubt, anger, sadness, & sometimes just staring at the ceiling wanting to walk away from it all. “Is this really worth it?” I asked myself every. single. day.
There were days where I didn’t know. Days where I thought it wasn’t. And days where I began to see the light at the end of that dark tunnel. I would land a particularly good jump, or do a clean program & think to myself, you still have it in you. Keep going, you can do this. Just a little more, just do it one more time. And so I did. 
Those days turned into weeks, months, years, & at some point that broken dream changed as I realized pinning all of my self worth on making it to one competition wasn’t healthy. My goal became happiness & to leave the ice every day proud of what I had done. Through that shift in mindset, I started to come back to life. It wasn’t immediate or without setbacks - recovery is not linear. But I look back at who I was & see a girl who picked herself up time & time again to show the world she isn’t afraid of failure. And I’m proud of her. Without her, the woman, the athlete I am today wouldn’t exist. 
So even tho it’s a little bittersweet, this nationals was a victory in my book, & one that I’ll never forget. 
#teamusa #usfigureskating #bradietennell #figureskating #isu

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## Tags

bradietennell, figureskating, teamusa, usfigureskating, isu

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