Eyes on Ice [EDITING]

EYES ON ICE - 13

XIII. Day 1 - Official Practice (Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy, ISU Challenger Series Part II)

"Good," Mason said and clapped his hands twice when France approached the side of the rink, catching his breath. He handed a bottled water to his student and added, "keep up with that pace at practice and then do your best tomorrow. I'm asking you again if you're okay with the current arrangements of the elements so we can review it again and modify your program."

France drank from the bottle, took his towel to wipe his sweat and answered, "it's alright for now. But if I'm in good condition tomorrow and the other day, I think I might place one or two jump combinations on the second half. Don't worry, I'll still keep an eye on the music and make sure to time my movements in it. I'm not sure about it anyway. I just plan on doing so."

"Okay. I'll talk to Yuki for a bit," Mason said and switched his attention to his another student.

The atmosphere in the rink was just like usual. It was cold and France liked how he felt it embracing his body. It was a bit surprising on how he didn't feel nervous since the start of the official practice. Maybe because he's back at his home rink or there's nothing to be nervous about yet. Either way, he knew something's bound to go wrong. He at least, expected that coming even from miles away.

"France!" Sir Jay, who just arrived, called from the side of the rink. With a bag's strap on his left shoulder, he took off his cap and fixed his hair a bit before saying, "how's it going?"

"I've just thought this now, Sir," France started and placed his arms on the structure that encloses the rink. "Ililipat ko ho sana sa panghuli ang spin combination. It was supposed to be the step sequence but I realized na I'm not that good at enduring the tiredness. Sa practice po kasi is lagi akong napapagod pagdating sa step sequence and I could barely make it. I'm afraid na baka hindi ko ma-execute 'yon ng maayos. The step sequence is everything."

Sir Jay nodded. "I understand your point," he said and suddenly faced France head-on. "Pero bakit ngayon mo lang 'to sinasabi? Sa isang araw na ang free skate. Haven't your coach talked about this in practice? Siguro ay pansin naman niyang hirap kang tapusin ang step sequence, 'di ba?"

"I've never brought this up to him po. Siguro po ay napansin niya pero wala naman siyang sinasabi. He's the type of person who wants to be approached. Gusto niya kasi na magkaroon kami ng courage to speak about our concerns. Pero gaya po ng sinabi ko, ngayon ko lang 'to naisip. Sure, I've dealt with it in practice but I guess I'm just too afraid to mess up."

Just before Sir Jay could answer, applauses from some of the audience were heard. When they shifted their eyes at one part of the rink, what caught their sight is Dravie executing a triple lutz. This time, there were already screams when he landed the jump cleanly.

"Showing off in his own country, huh," France mumbled while Sir Jay laughed.

"You know.. Dravie's actually been doing really good," he said. "Hindi sa point na mayroon na siyang mailalaban doon sa mas magagaling sa kaniya. I think he's just evolving in his own way. Siguro ay gusto niya lang yatang bumawi dahil natalo mo siya last year. Anyway, you know, figure skating is not just solely about you."