August rolled through without a lot of hitches. Of course there was Jenny and Kennedy to contend with, but other than that it wasn't so bad. Madi eventually was brought out of her coma and we were allowed to go see her. The doctors told her she would be able to return to school, but she wouldn't be riding or doing physical activity for the rest of the year. So that meant Sal was being sent back home to Wisconsin. Madi was glad to come back to school, but we could tell she missed her horse. In the meantime, she was in the process of physical therapy and recovery with AT Dr. Thompson. She continued to observe practices in the viewing area, dismayed at seeing Jenny in her spot.
School was going pretty well. I was keeping afloat pretty well in all my classes. Everything needed to be squeaky clean if I wanted to have a good college application. It was strange to think I'd only be going to this school for a year, and then going off to college. I'd been receiving letters and offers from all over the country, and even a few international schools. I talked to my SHR girls about it a lot, but I was beginning to get to talk to Delaney less and less. And it wasn't from any lack of effort, we were both insanely busy, but it just didn't feel right.
At last, the time for the first show of the season had rolled around. We'd been working heavily for months, and this was our first opportunity to prove ourselves. The varsity would be traveling to Louisville for the Oak Hill invitational, while the National team would be off to Washington D.C. for the Capitol Hill show jumping competition. The trainers had been busting our butts all across the board, until every jump was clear and every flying change was flawless.
On Friday a week before the show, all the teams were called into the barn after the JV practice ended at 8:30pm. Many of us had in fact shown up in some form of lazy clothes or even the beginnings of pajamas. We all stood in front of the office wondering what this was about, and why we had been told to bring some form of a tote bag. Eventually, Mr. Watts strolled out of the office with the other trainers.
"Alright, you guys are probably wondering why we called you all down here this late. We promise, nothing's wrong, knock on wood. Follow your respective coaches to your meeting areas. Let's go!" With a loud clap, we broke off into our groups. Varsity followed Mr. Watts and Ms. Brandt into the office. On the desks were large cardboard boxes and plastic storage totes.
"Hello hello my varsity horse people. First off, I'm sure you're well aware that we have our first show of the season on Saturday. However, that is not our focus at the moment." He had a look of business on his face as he paced in front of us. "What I want to first touch on is how we run the teams. There is going to be a big change in how we do things. As you know, we've had fluid teams with no captains for a long time. However, in the past 5 years, we've noticed that the teams do not ever change much anymore, so we are converting to a more rigid system, save for the elite team. You all are currently locked into your current teams as of this moment. If at any rate, we thing you need to move up or down, we will send you a notice to meet with us. In the case of being moved down, you will meet with the coaches of those two teams to work out a plan of one week probation. If you can change our minds during the probation, you will remain on your current team. Otherwise, you will be moved down until further notice. In the case of moving UP, you will talk to the coaches of the two teams and we will discuss if it something you want to consider. If it is a path you would like to choose, you will have a boards audition in the areas we choose. If you pass that audition, you will move up. Just remember, all of this is done to be both in the best interest of you, and the team."
Our jaws were on the floor. Cool that we were more secure in our spots, scary that if we were in limbo for any reason. Also, captain? How the hell would that go for us?
"On the subject of captain, we will be looking for that person or persons next week after the show. We will be watching closely, in and out of the stable. Any questions?" We all stared wide eyed and meekly shook our heads no.
"Alright then, now that we've scared you guys a bit, time for the good part", Ms. Brandt grinned. They pulled the boxes to the center. "As many of you know, the teams get special gear every year. The higher level of team you're on, the more gear you receive. This is more for the purpose of recognition as you go further and further away for competition. At the local shows and school showcases like novice does, we're already well known and renown competition. When we go as far off as Indiana and Washington, we don't have as much recognition. Soo without further ado, let us commence with handout."
From the first box, they pulled out white and and dark green polos with our Silver Hawk Ridge logo on the heart, as well as Nike long sleeve combat tops in the same colors. The fabric felt luxurious and was moisture-wicking. It even had SPF 30 built in, what a bonus!
"These are for days when there is cross country at shows, when we have important guests, in which you would be notified well in advance, a jury audition, etc. These are yours to keep. If you look closely at trainers like Ms. Brandt and Mr. Muntz on the novice team, they still have their polos from when they went here." That was the first I'd heard of it. "Wear them with pride."
From the next box, they unearthed gorgeous white, quilted saddle pads. They had a subtle thin line of forest green piping between the pad and the border with our logo that didn't have our school name on it, so we were able to keep these for future use. We were to use these at shows and keep them very clean at all times.
The final cardboard box held green hoodies with our last names on the back and our graduation year. The front had our logo displayed largely across the chest. We could wear these whenever we wanted and during our downtime at shows. People would definitely know who we were.
"Now for the items that you will eventually be returning to us" Mr. Watts said.
The first tote held show coats that were (once again) our signature dark green with subtle white piping along the pockets and lapels. Their durable fabric was soft and light to the touch. Now THESE were good hunt coats. I would definitely be keeping this safe in its garment bag most of the time. Thankfully this could be washed and hung to dry instead of dry cleaned only. I was definitely excited to wear this.
"And now for my absolute favorite piece we get to give you guys for the year..." Ms. Brand said smiling. She pulled out a brick sized white jewelry box. Opening it revealed absolutely gorgeous silver stock pins. Upon closer inspection, the pins were revealed to have a flat, detailed silhouette of a hawk head. Now this was cool. Only boarding schools could afford this.
"Wear this with great pride and please please PLEASE keep everything nice and in order. And don't lose it" Mr. Watts laughed at that last part, as did we. "Get out of here, we'll see you tomorrow morning". We all gently put our items into the bags we brought (now that we finally understood the purpose), and headed for the door.
"Avery! Savannah! Wait up!" We heard Isabelle coming up behind us with her gear. She had received what we did, in addition to a custom sweat set to wear over show clothes. Their hunt coats were black with a dark green accent lapel piece. We were definitely a tad spoiled. We walked back to our rooms and carefully put everything away in a safe place.
"You know what? Time to call the girls over. It's been a bit since we've had all of us in one room." Before long, Charlie, Bianca, Izzy, Morgan, and Madi were all piled into our room. We ordered some pizzas from the place on campus and kicked back with the Princess Diaries movies and a binge-watch of Sonny With a Chance. In short: a pretty good time...until it started storming again and knocked the power out. At first everyone was dead silent, and then Morgan broke out laughing, sending the rest of us into fits of giggles. Friday nights with your friends are hard to beat, even when the power goes out.
~~~~~~
I know it's just a bit of a fluff chapter, but I'm working on chapters with more plot detail in the coming releases. Also because quarantine school is hard to balance with writing😂
YOU ARE READING
Silver Hawk Ridge: Taking Flight
Teen Fiction"Rewards hard earned are never easily kept" Savannah Bell has earned a coveted position at Silver Hawk Ridge, a prestigious equestrian academy. Upon arrival, she discovers it is not the end of her trials. It's hard enough being a teenage girl...
