Featuring World-class Figure Skater, Nancy Jones & Romans 8:38-39

Hello and welcome to Loving the Imperfect. Today we will speak to world-class figure skater Nancy Jones about her decision to quit skating for the U. S. team with the faith that God was leading her in a different direction. 

In 1961 the plane carrying her teammates to the World Competition crashed in Brussels. Join me as we talk to Nancy about this event and how God has since been with her all her life. 

For more information about me and my work, please visit www.BrianneTurczynski.com or www.LovingTheImperfect.com

#podcast #spirituality #episcopal #history #prayer #love #ministry #interviews #christianity #contemplative #meditation #Bible #Bible reading #religion #Biblestudy #christianmystic #mysticism #figureskating #competitiveskating 

More information about me and my work can be found at www.brianneturczynski.com or www.lovingtheimperfect.com

For more information about me and my work, please visit www.brianneturczynski.com or www.lovingtheimperfect.com

Transcript

Episode Transcript:

Welcome to Loving the Imperfect Podcast, a show for seekers of deeper contemplation. I'm Brianne Turczynski. For 10 years, I've been studying offerings from holy teachers and holy texts. I'm a journalist who has listened to the stories of many people throughout the years, and I continue to be captivated by the stories of how God touches the lives of us ordinary people, how God nudges and directs us, either by closing doors or opening them, making the mystery of coincidence, more of a mystery. So join me as we listen to these extraordinary stories and become witnesses to the truth of love

Hello and welcome to Loving the Imperfect. Today we will speak to world class figure skater Nancy Jones about her decision to quit skating for the U. S. team with the faith that God was leading her in a different direction. Nancy, thank you for joining me.

Brianne: So when did you start figure skating?

Nancy: Probably when we were about five years old, five or six. I had one sister, older sister, and a younger brother; we all skated, and we went to a public, skating, session at the old Madison Square Garden in New York City and, skated around, and then the guard that was there came over and told my mother that we should think about joining a skating club and taking [lessons] from a good teacher and taking up skating because he thought we had a little natural talent there, and that's how we started.

Brianne: So what did skating mean to you when you were skating, or you know when you decided that you were going to pursue that for a little bit and you know be that great that you could possibly go to a world championship?

Nancy: Well, we were raised in Queens, New York, and other than school, we kept busy with our skating. And I think looking back, our skating teacher was also a former, champion for France. He was French, and he was very disciplined and strict. And I look back at that, and I think that was a good thing. Very good training for life, because we learned how to be disciplined and strict and organized and all that, which followed into our, our own lives with our own children, you know, and husband.

Brianne: What did it mean to you to be on the ice? Looking back, if you could be on the ice again and be, doing whatever routine that you used to do. Like, what would that mean to you? Or what would that be like?

Nancy: It felt very good because we were skating to music. And at those days, classical music was really liked by the judges. So all our pieces were classical music. And we just enjoyed flowing over the ice, and then doing the different jumps and the competition of it. Meaning like I was on the world team three years, and I met a lot of skaters from all over the world and that was very interesting to see the culture of all the different skaters. We did a lot of travel which was nice. We got to go to Europe a couple of times. When I was about 19, I made the decision to, figure skating and concentrating in college and that saved my life because the airplane with all the skaters, the coaches, the officials, in 1961 crashed in Brussels and I would have been on that plane. So I felt, you know, somehow the spirit of God was with me then that I wasn't on that airplane.

Brianne: And that was All of your teammates, right? Yes. Yeah, I knew everybody. Teammates, coaches, officials. Yeah, wiped out all the U. S. team—skating team. Were they on their way to the Olympics or something?

Nancy: They were on their way to the world's. That's held every year.

Brianne: Where were you when you first heard that that plane went down?

Nancy: You know, it's so strange. My sister and I were talking about that. She remembers where she was, and I can't remember where I was. I just remember seeing the pictures of the four skaters from Detroit Skating Club when we were training there in the summer. That were on the front page of the newspaper. That I knew, but I don't remember how I heard it. I don't think that was how I heard it, but I don't know whether I've blocked that out or what. It's strange. Yeah.

Brianne: Wow. So, you don’t remember your first thought or anything?

Nancy: Oh, I remember my first thought. I didn't believe it. I had a hard time comprehending it. Because I knew all the people on there, I knew all of them. And it was very rare for that to happen. And since then, they don't have a lot of teams go on the same plane for the skating now because of that. Because it did wipe out all the skaters for years until Peggy Fleming came along.

Brianne: Wow. How long after that did you meet Rad, your husband?

Nancy: I think I already knew him then and we were dating when that happened. I actually roomed with his sister. She was my roommate for a couple years. And then I used to go home with her.

Brianne: So if you had been on that plane, you wouldn't have...?

Nancy: No, we wouldn't have married.

Brianne: After that tragedy, what did that do to your relationship with God?

Nancy: I think it made me closer. After I decided not to compete anymore, I actually did put my figure skates on and went to the rink in East Lansing because I was at college at MSU. And thought about competing again. I think, something was telling me I should help the United States because they lost everybody. But then I thought, no, I think being just a regular college student and concentrate on that. What did you study I majored in sociology.

Brianne: Did you end up using your degree?

Nancy: No, I actually got married after I'd spent three years of college. And then I thought about going back, but I probably wouldn't pick that major again. I'd probably go into interior decorating or something like that. But I knew I had my skating to fall back on and I could teach skating, which I would have enjoyed doing. So, I never went back to finish my degree.

Brianne: Is there any moment that you've felt you were truly being nudged by the Spirit? If you look back on that decision that you made to quit skating, do you think that God had any hand in that? Can you, can you look back and remember sensing something?

Nancy: Yeah, I do. I think anytime I've experienced sickness, or death of friends, I think I've always felt God. But I feel God all the time, not just when something like that happens. I always, felt God in my life from an early age.

I was raised Catholic. Just went to church because I enjoyed church. And then, my first Holy Communion meant a lot to me, my Confirmation in that church. And then I roomed with a girl who was Episcopal. And her parents said they would take me to my church. And I didn't want them to go out of their way. So, I said, well, I'll go to your church with you. And I don't know what it was, I think something about the church. I just came out of there and just felt very close to their church. And Rad was Episcopal when I met him. He never asked me to change but I wanted to be confirmed in it. And then I wanted to bring the children up in that too. So, I think that was when I felt the spirit of God near me too.

I had a funny experience after my dad died. In the middle of the night. I woke up in a dark room and I saw my dad's face in the corner of the room. And he spoke, I heard his voice, and he said, “don't keep crying, enjoy life, and I'm in a really good place here, enjoy life now”. That was the only time I saw him after that, but I felt that was his spirit telling me that he wanted me not to keep crying over his death and go on with life and enjoy life.

Brianne: Wow. So how old were you?

Nancy: I was probably, I think, in my late 40s.

Brianne: And your mother had died already.

Nancy: Right. When I was 14. Yeah.

Brianne: So, your dad was the one who kind of raised you.

Nancy: Right, he did. He raised three of us. He had a 12-, 14- and 16-year-old. And another time I felt really close to God was with the trip to Jerusalem with the church.

That was a wonderful experience. Everything we did there, we enjoyed. And we felt like we followed where Jesus walked and everything. It was very spiritual. I think everybody that went had felt that, that that kind of changed their life, too.

Brianne: What was your favorite moment [of that trip]?

Nancy: Oh, a lot of things, because we did a lot of different things. But I do remember just sitting among the woods on benches, and we had seven ministers go with us—women and men. And when we had Holy Communion there, just sitting on benches with all different people from different churches. I think that was very moving.

And then when we were in the desert and sitting there too, the same type of thing, that was very moving also. There were so many things we did there that were moving. I liked all of them. And the different churches we went to. We went to a lot of different churches and the people there were very welcoming, you know, and we, we all enjoyed that too. Is there any advice you would give to people on how to keep a relationship with God going? You know I've always found a relationship with God, and it's come to me easy I just feel good when I say prayers and come to church.

I think about God, through a lot of things. The different seasons and flowers, trees, anything like that. The sun, nature, music, I love music. I guess I'm sort of an optimist and a positive person. I don't like to stay around negative people 'cause I'm a positive person. So, I see the good, pretty much in everybody.

Brianne: When you notice people are negative, you tend to I tend to…

Nancy: I tend to stay away from those people. But I do think that there is good in that person, but maybe they themselves don't realize that they're that way, I think.

But it can affect other people, so I tend not to stay around people that are like that. I stay around people that are more positive. Just recently, we took our vows, because we've been married, sixty-one years now, and that was very spiritual, too. That, that made us feel good to have taken vows now, because we're older, and appreciate marriage and just being together that long too, you know.

Brianne: So, you renewed your vows?

Nancy: Yes, we did.

Brianne: Oh, that's nice.

Nancy: Yeah, which we really enjoyed it. I've always enjoyed going to church and I think it's very good for socialization and we have a lot of good things here at St. Philip's, like Bible study and Eric is wonderful. If you're going through surgery, he's there at the hospital to give you a blessing. One time I had a surgery and there wasn't a priest there and I felt uneasy. Whereas when I get the blessing before, I feel really good, but there's so many things that the church does that are good to help people. And that always makes you feel good too. If you contribute to, you know, the charities they give too.

Just church for myself too, you know, really. Probably even if it didn't have people there, I'd be coming, I think, you know, for myself. I like the sermons. I love the sermons. Fr. Eric makes them so attuned to what's really going on in our world today. So, when you listen to his sermon, you really listen, and you really think of what's going on now and he helps you get through that. I think that's very helpful.

Brianne: Yeah, it really carries you through the week.

Nancy: It does. You know, a lot of his sermons.

Brianne: So I wanted to ask you if you could share your favorite Bible verse or a Bible story, if you have one.

Nancy: Yeah, the one I really like is Romans 8:38-39. It reads: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither the present or the future, nor any powers, neither height or depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord”.

Brianne: So, why is that your favorite verse? What about that verse helps you?

Nancy: I think because it, it dwells on the love of God and the spirit of Jesus Christ and believing that and having that guide you through your life. I think that's very important and will help you through a lot of things in your life.

Brianne: Well, thank you for joining me today.

Nancy: You're welcome.

Thank you for joining me today on Loving the Imperfect. Please consider subscribing or writing a review. New episodes are uploaded biweekly. Next time, I'll share an interview with Michigan shipwreck explorer Rick Mixter. I conducted this interview several years ago, and he explained what it was like to explore the S. S. Edmund Fitzgerald tanker, which sank in Lake Superior 49 years ago on November 10th. So, I hope you will join me then. Thank you for joining me bye bye.