Chapter 24
Chapter 24
AsDompredicted,Nationalswent off without a hitch. We finished comfortably in first place, finally confirming what we’d expected would happen for years: we were going to be competing at the next Winter Games. We had dedicated years of our lives to this goal, giving up many things in the process. We’d had to spend so much of our time in our teenage years at the rink, trying to improve our skating while our friends were out having fun.
Our parents had decided where to live based on where the best coaches were. I knew my father had continued to work, even after he was eligible for his pension, because he was putting so much money towards my skating. Everything from my skates to my costumes to our coaching cost thousands upon thousands of dollars every year. Anything that could impede my performance had to be cut from my life, whether that be going to parties with friends or focusing on a university degree. If I hadn’t been so set on this goal, the money and opportunity cost would’ve long ago caused me to give up skating competitively.
Being named national champions again and knowing that we were officially going to be going to the Games made all that sacrifice worth it. Making it meant that all the early morning wake-ups and injuries and blisters and fun things we’d had to turn down over the years had paid off tangibly.
We had to speak to reporters after our victory. Dom and I stood beside each other in our team jackets, grinning and sneaking glances at each other as we faced down all the reporters and their cameras.
“What made you decide to attempt the quadruple twist today?” one reporter asked.
Dom spoke into the microphone that had been shoved in his face. “We have been working on it all season, and we recently reached the point where we are confident putting in into our programs,” Dom answered. “We were eager to do it in competition before the Winter Games, to show that we are still improving even this close to the competition.”
A different reporter said, “Last month, we saw you struggle at the Grand Prix Finals. What changed between then and now?”
Although we didn’t want to be asked that question, it was inevitable. “We don’t want to focus on the past, but instead look forward to the future. Like Dom said, we’re just focusing on constantly improving.” It didn’t answer her question, but I had no intention of getting into what had actually happened.
Thankfully, the other questions were easier to answer truthfully. We answered a couple more questions, then excused ourselves.
Once we were safely away from the cameras, I jumped up and flung my arms around Dom’s neck. He caught me and wrapped his arms around my waist, spinning me around in a couple of circles while I laughed.
“We did it,” he whispered into my ear. “We fucking did it.”
I was still giggling when my toes touched the floor again. “The quad and qualifying on the same day,” I said, somewhat awed even though I’d been trying to visualize both things happening. “I can’t believe it.”
“You should’ve listened to me the whole time!” Dom said. He ran his hands through his already mussed-up hair. “This is fucking surreal. Back when we first met, who would’ve thought that the scrawny little pipsqueak and the pimply, gangly guy in desperate need of a haircut would make it this far?”
“Not me,” I said, shaking my head. “I didn’t let myself think that far ahead for a long time.”
“I did,” Dom said, which surprised me. He must have seen it on my face because he added, “I mean, I hoped we would make it one day. I always dreamed big, no matter how unlikely. It took a long time before I really believed it would be possible.”
That made more sense. For years, people always tried to temper my hopes by pointing out how unlikely it was for me to make the Winter Games. They would tell me that while I was good, I shouldn’t get my hopes up. So few people could ever reach the height of success in their sporting career, no matter what the sport was. Some people had even pointed out that if I really wanted to have a chance, I would be better off picking a team sport where more people could qualify, like hockey or basketball. I’d wrinkled my nose at those suggestions. None of the team sports appealed to me. Even though I knew the odds were against me, I’d insist that I could stick with skating and that they would see one day.
That didn’t mean that there wasn’t a substantial part of me that was surprised that it was actually happening now, against all the odds.
I reached out and grabbed Dom’s hand. “I’m glad we did it together.”
His hand, so warm and familiar, squeezed mine. “I’m glad, too,” he said. With his free hand, he reached out and placed his palm against my cheek. “I don’t think I could’ve made it this far with anyone else, but even if I could have, I wouldn’t have wanted to.”
My heart was pounding in my chest as I placed my hand on top of his. I had the urge to kiss him, but forced it down. “Me neither,” I said, tilting my head so I was leaning against him more. “I’m glad it’s happening with you.”
And I was. So many of the people we competed against had been through several skating partners in their lives. Whether it was because the chemistry wasn’t there, that somebody wanted to quit the sport, there was a career-ending injury, or one of a million other reasons, they’d had to go separate ways from people they had started their pairs journey with. That Dom and I had gotten so lucky on the first go was a bit of brilliant luck I was eternally grateful for.
Dom and I had given ourselves the rest of our time in Montréal to bask in the glow of victory. There were only a couple of days before we had to go home and get back to reality, but it was enough. If we wanted to succeed, we had to get back to work and start planning what would happen every day from then until the opening ceremonies. After that, we would have everything mapped out for us. It would be so busy and there would be so much going on that everything was scheduled impeccably.
We talked with people from our hometown news network, telling the story of how we were paired up together yet again. From there, we moved to talking about everything that had brought us to this point in our careers. The airing of that interview brought so many people from our pasts out of the woodwork. It seemed like everyone we had ever interacted with wanted to wish us luck in the days to follow and to assure us theywould be cheering us on. I appreciated all the well wishes, but I also found it overwhelming to be bombarded day after day.
The days were getting longer, but it was still dusk by the time we left the arena. There were several others grouped together in winter gear and weighed down with bags, talking in earnest. Dom and I stopped to say hi to Elodie, Seohyun, and one of the ice dance teams on the Thursday night after we got back from Nationals. The others were in a huddle, looking serious as they chatted near the exit to the rink. There was an odd mood in the arena, which extended to the group. The usual lightheartedness was gone.
We didn’t have much time left before the Winter Games, and it was becoming clear that everyone was feeling the pressure just by looking at them. Dom and I weren’t alone in trying to squeeze every minute out of the remaining days. Throughout most of the season, you would see people chatting with each other or relaxing during free time in their practice schedules. Now, everyone was talking less as they got ready and was rushing through lunch. For the skaters who were going to the Winter Games, the pressure was mounting. It was easy to spot those who hadn’t qualified by the looks of dejection on their faces.
Hiroshi nodded in recognition as he walked past on the way out. He was a strong contender for the Mens' gold and seemed to be handling the pressure better than the others in the group. Elodie was nervous after her struggles at the last Winter Games, while Seohyun had taken to not talking about things. The ice dance team was ranked second nationally, so while they had qualified, they knew their chances of medalling were slim. I wondered what sort of image Dom and I were projecting.
“We are going to head out for dinner. Do you guys want to join us?” I asked as Hiroshi left. The cold outside air had me pulling my shoulders in, trying to retain body heat.
Elodie and Seohyun exchanged a look. “I think we are just going to go home,” Elodie said. “We have leftovers we should probably finish. And anyway, I am beat.”
