Sticks & Spirals

My name is Vanna Ariadne Ladd.
Yes, Ladd.
My cousin is one of the Chicago Blackhawks; Andrew Ladd.
And yeah, my name is no where near as simple as his. My mom has a thing with unique named, which is weird since she’s Andrew’s dad’s sister and his dad is as normal as a hockey dad can be.
I never met my father. My mother became pregnant with me before they got engaged, and he ended up passing away in a severe car accident just months before my birth.
A diamond ring was in his pocket when he died.
Sad story, but it’s the truth. And that’s how I ended up with the name Ladd despite being related to Andrew through my mom’s side of the family. I don’t know my dad’s side. Never have, never will. I’m not upset, though. I have all the family I need.
Anyways, my name is pronounced like “Vuh-nuh” not like “Van-uh” like one would say van. My nicknames tends to be V or Anna as if I was European. Like “Uh-nuh”. Yeah, something like that.
Complicated. I know. But that’s how it is.
Anyways, I suppose I should tell you a little about me. I’m twenty-two years old, two years younger than my famous cousin, with mid-back length dark blonde, almost light brown, wavy hair and hazel eyes that are more green than brown. They’re a lot like my cousin’s, but mine are more bright. He’s such a downer.
Not really. He’s actually really awesome. If you ever get the chance to meet him, you really should. He’s amazing, and funny, and tons of fun to be around.
Anyways, I’m 5’7” which is pretty tall for a girl. But then again, my cousin is 6’2”, so tallness pretty much runs in the family.
I’m pretty skinny though, with next to no fat on my body. Just muscle. Lots and lots of muscle.
Oh, and I suppose I should mention that I’m a three time national figure skating champion. See, my cousin isn’t the only cool one in the family. All my medals and trophies match his. I’m just not as well known since we figure skaters aren’t as popular as hockey players. but I’m cool with that. I don’t like publicity much anyways. You have to be so self conscious of what you do and watch what you say. It’s such a hassle. I’m mainly just known as “Andrew Ladd’s cousin”. That’s about as much publicity as I get.
I actually just suffered a bad injury, which has me in rehab. I blew out my knee at my last competition, and it turns out that my rehab is in Chicago.
Illinois.
My cousin lives there.
I love Andrew so much. He’s always been more like a brother to me. We’ve been close for as long as I can remember. I went to his hockey games and he came to my competitions as much as possible. I loved him a ton, and he was so happy when I told him that I was moving down to Chicago for my rehab as well as my new training. My new coach lives in the States too, which is cool. So it all works out in the end. I get to be with my cousin and still recover and eventually train when I’m good to go.
But the coolest part is that I’ll be living with my cousin, despite the fact he is a big time hockey player. Family comes first. That’s the Ladd family motto. So yeah, it really does end up working out in the end. That makes me happy, very, very happy.
So yeah, that’s a little about me. I don’t want to spoil to much. I’m not much of a touchy feely kinda girl. I don’t like sharing my feelings, except with Andrew. He’s been my personal therapist throughout my life. He understands everything. I think if he wasn’t a hockey player, he seriously could have gone into psychology. I’ve had some things happen to me that I’d rather not talk about, and he’s always been there for me.
Oh well. Maybe you will find out, but I seriously hope not. I like keeping my personal life personal.
Well, here comes my new life in Chicago. After being in British Columbia most of my life, besides traveling for competitions, I am ready for a new beginning. I need to get away from the things, and people, back at my home.
Things will be great here in Chi-town. I get to live with my brother, and hopefully I get to become friends with his team. I’ve met some of them before, like Kris Versteeg who has adopted me like a cousin too since him and Andrew are like brothers, but I’d like to meet the rest of them too.
Chicago, Illinois, home of the Chicago Blackhawks, here I come!