Chapter 106 Returning to the Ice Surface: Nothing is More Important Than the Ice
Xia Yuezi looked up at the computer screen in front of her and silently noted down her scores.
With a technical score of 36.19, a program content score of 26.14, and a short program score of 62.66, it is currently ranked first.
Compared to the preliminary rounds, Yan Rui's skateboarding hasn't improved much, but he has shed his initial awkwardness on the big stage, and his program content score has gradually increased along with his competition results.
Having reached the finals for two consecutive years, even without winning a heavyweight tournament, his treatment from the referees is among the top two in the youth group.
In contrast to the junior women's singles, the junior pairs figure skating team, which advanced to the Grand Prix Final, finished first in both of their qualifying events and went on stage last.
As a result, starting with the first group of contestants, one after another made mistakes, and by the time they went on stage, no group of contestants had scored 58 points in the short program.
Coach Lu, as their head coach, watched with bated breath from behind the barriers, especially after a set of spins went wrong, fearing that it would affect their mentality and cause them to make mistakes in the following set of single jumps.
Xia Yuezi sat in the stands with the athletes, her seat very close to the aisle. Fans in other sections with the same seats could also greet the athletes and ask for autographs.
She propped her chin up with her hand and looked at Coach Lu, who was jumping up and clapping excitedly like an old father in the aisle. He looked very familiar.
Every time she saw a player in her group make a mistake, she would immediately adjust her mindset and she and the other coaches would maintain this attitude while standing on the sidelines.
However, she couldn't rest for long. After watching the youth doubles match, she went straight backstage for the men's singles match in the adult group.
Feng Simai ate a rice ball two hours in advance to fill his stomach. As soon as Xia Yuezi entered the room, she saw him sitting on the yoga mat eating a banana. Meng Xin was standing next to him. The other contestants nearby had already begun warming up to varying degrees.
After a game, the venue will be cleared of ice. After he finishes eating, he can practice for a while, and then it will be almost time to finish.
Xia Yuezi stood behind the barrier, taking the jacket and MP3 player from Feng Simai, her expression indifferent. For a while, Feng Simai hadn't exercised much; he'd just warmed up and then practiced his footwork in the corridor with headphones on, trying to bring his emotions into the program.
After returning from the Japanese leg of the competition, Feng Simai immersed himself in the performance class. When the opera singer made time, he was the most enthusiastic of all the contestants. He even rehearsed with a professional actress, who guided him step by step to find the right emotions.
As for how effective these efforts will be, we'll have to wait and see in today's game.
Although Xia Yuezi's expression remained calm as she escorted Feng Simai onto the ice rink, her heart was already pounding. He was facing a series of car crashes ahead of him and was the first to go on stage among his group of skaters. No one knew if he could withstand the pressure.
As the sound of rain began, Feng Simai raised his hand with a faint smile on his face. The camera was positioned perfectly in the middle of the ice rink, and in just a second, the ice skating fans watching the live stream were captivated by his gaze.
Whether a performer is better at using skills or emotions, and whether they are truly engaged, can be seen from the very beginning. Coincidentally, although Feng Simai and Yang Yiyan are not following the same path, they are both better at performing with heart and emotion.
Xia Yuezi naturally sensed this as well, and showed her first smile since the start of the men's singles competition. However, she did not let her guard down and kept her eyes on the figure on the ice.
The moment he touched the ice, a puddle of ice shards flew up around him. After landing the 4T, he lifted his leg again and followed up with a 3T. Feng Simai wrapped his left hand around his head and then quickly turned and skated out.
The youth group's car accident did not affect the adult group, and the two coaches on the sidelines couldn't help but raise their hands and high-five in celebration.
Compared to his previous performances, Feng Simai still skated very subtly, but his body language was more obvious. At least now, he was like a star on stage who could always find the camera and convey sweet words with his eyes.
Most of the Chinese skaters in the stands had seen him perform at the China Grand Prix, and the male pairs skaters who had previously given scathing critiques of his performance were now nodding in agreement.
"It seems the last special training was quite effective. When can we arrange one for our Heilongjiang team as well?"
Yang Yiyan rolled her eyes and said, "Brother Sheng, do you and Sister Xiaohui need special training to express your emotions? As one of the few real couples in pairs skating, you two can just skate a program and the fans below will be swooning over you."
It's not that Yang Yiyan intentionally praised them, but as the world's number one pairs figure skating duo, they can easily convey their understanding and affection for each other with just a glance and a gesture.
“Xiao Hui and I sometimes need the teacher to guide us to try new styles, okay? And there are quite a few performers in our team who need training. Last time I practiced the prescribed patterns with An You and the others, I even heard Coach Song and Coach Ren complaining.”
Upon hearing this, He Jiayun couldn't help but turn around: "Hey senior brother, who are you pointing at?"
Coach Song is in charge of men's singles, but Coach Ren is in charge of pairs skating. She can count the number of pairs that these two can pair up on one hand.
Moreover, she and Qi Ran were not partners since childhood; they were only paired up two years before she was promoted to the youth group.
Qi Ran was originally a singles skater, but switched to pairs skating because he was injured and could not perform high-difficulty skates. The two of them were not as good as other partners in terms of basic skills and tacit understanding, so naturally they were also lacking in emotional expression.
In fact, their results in the youth group were not bad. Their best results were a bronze medal at the World Youth Championships and fifth place in the finals. However, with the Cao-Lu duo as role models, their younger teammates always felt that they were not good enough.
Lu Sheng smiled sheepishly, put his hands together, and said with a very sincere expression, "Xiao Yun, I didn't mean that. After the competition, I'll treat you to dinner at a restaurant to make up for it. I heard from the other contestants that the ice cream at the restaurant is really good."
Cao Jinhui, sitting to the side, chuckled and patted He Jiayun on the shoulder: "Don't mind him, he's just being a smart aleck. Your skating has improved a lot this season, Coach Ren even praised you. It's just that there's still room for improvement in the program choreography. You can find a better choreographer next season."
After saying that, she glared to the left and continued, "Also, don't agree to him. He only wants to eat it himself, and Coach Lu already scolded him yesterday."
Just as everyone was about to laugh out loud upon hearing this, their attention was drawn away by the applause that erupted from all around.
As the show progressed into its second half, Feng Simai was dancing a jazz dance on the ice, completely immersed in the experience.
The ice skates swiftly glided across the ice, the footwork mostly consisting of three turns and hooks, mimicking Lockwood's discarding of his umbrella and his carefree spinning dance on the street.
Just in time with the music, Feng Simai knelt on one knee, using his thigh to slide to the left, leaning his upper body slightly back and spreading his arms wide, as if he were about to hug someone.
This action was newly added by him, and it directly pushed the emotions of the entire program to a climax at this moment.
His eyes sparkled, and he couldn't suppress the smile that spread from his eyes to his eyebrows. As he stood up, his gaze was fixed on one direction, filled with expectation and a hint of tenderness that he couldn't hide.
If last time Feng Simai was just skating for fun without any particular purpose, this time he has found a theme and achieved the effect he wanted.
Xia Yuezi completely relaxed, took her hands out of her coat pockets, picked up the knife sheath on the barrier, and packed her things with Meng Xin. She then prepared to walk towards the entrance of the ice rink.
As the music stopped, the emotion in Feng Simai's eyes lingered, tinged with a sense of unfinished business. He looked up ahead, as if seeing his own Kathy at the end of his solo dance, and raised his hand to invite her to dance with him.
During the special training period, the method the teacher taught him was similar to Xia Yuezi's "mirror" concept. They were not trying to create a new character, but rather to find a reasonable entry point to bring in the emotions.
Even if the emotion doesn't align with the character's behavior at the time, it can still be used as long as the emotional portrayal is consistent.
Feng Simai locked himself in his room and created an "ideal type" for himself. Since he didn't have anyone he was interested in, he personified the things he liked. And it seems that the only thing he liked was figure skating.
During that time, he dug out his old Costum and hung it on a clothes hanger in the middle of the posters in his room, treating it as his lover and cultivating feelings for it every day. His eyes were almost like those of a pervert in a movie. Even Feng's mother thought he was a little mentally unstable and almost dragged him to a psychiatrist for a checkup.
He looked out onto the field and saw two coaches waiting at the entrance. The astigmatism made it impossible for him to see the expressions on their faces, but his intuition told him that both coaches must be very happy at that moment.
Feng Simai let out a long breath, still smiling, and skated off the ice amidst the applause of the audience, eagerly seeking praise from her coach.
"How was it? Did I skate great today?"
Meng Xin was the first to give a thumbs up: "This is the right taste! You should be able to feel the difference from the skating before, right?"
Xia Yuezi draped her coat over the contestant's shoulders. Although she didn't say much, the smile on her face was enough to make Feng Simai happy for a while.
The judges were a little more lenient in the finals, and with Feng Simai going back to refine the program, the short program score broke the 90 mark.
Lin Ye, who was still unaware of what was happening, was doing high leg raises when he suddenly heard a burst of cheers outside. He paused for a moment, then continued exercising.
They were all athletes who had competed in many matches, so how could they not understand what this cheer represented? He was also happy for Feng Simai, but not at this moment.
They had made a pact long ago that nothing was more important on the ice than the ice surface in front of them on the ice.
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Author's Note: After watching today's qualifying matches, I have only one thought—
Turns out the Skating Association is quite capable, and the Chinese judges can really put together a magic showdown. The pairs skating scorecard almost made me laugh to death. So, I'll make a small wish: may our skaters be in good form tomorrow and the day after, and continue to achieve high scores.
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