Notes:
prefecture : (フランス･日本などの)県，府
embarrassed: 恥ずかしい、きまり悪がる
as a result: 結果的には

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I went to Nagano Prefecture to go skiing repeatedly when I was a child. I couldn’t stand up on the skis at first, but as I practiced many times, I learned how to ski. Now I am good at skiing and am learning how to snowboard. Skiing remains a very pleasant memory for me thanks to beginning at an early age. I have heard that skiing is very difficult for people who begin to ski after they grow up. If we start skiing when we are adults, we can’t ski at first and we feel embarrassed, so we stop practicing. As a result, many adults can’t improve their skills. I was very young when I started skiing, so I didn’t feel embarrassed even when I failed. I would like to say to parents who want to go skiing with their children and to the children who want to start skiing, “It is still not too late if you begin right now!” (written by student Miss A, edited by Prof. Douglas Jarrell)
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Notes:
seed: 【競技】 シード選手;
final: 決勝(試合);
bouce: はずむ，バウンドする;

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Nishikori Kei surprised the tennis world. He beat the number 5 seed, the number 3 seed, and then the number 1 seed Djokovic in the U.S. Open, one of the four most important tennis tournaments. He went on to the finals and played Marin Cilic from Croatia. Although Nishikori lost to Cilic, he became the first Japanese man to reach the finals in a Grand Slam tournament. People were also impressed by his racket skills. In his game against Djokovic, he bounced his racket on the court and caught it behind his back without looking at it! (by Prof. Douglas Jarrell)
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