Chapter 21 Growing Pains Coach, My Legs Hurt
Although there are still a few months until the Spring Festival, the atmosphere in the Chinese skating community is no different from that of the New Year.
The competition is not even halfway through, but good news keeps coming one after another. Singles and pairs skating fans are overjoyed on the forums, while ice dance and skating fans are left heartbroken.
Many figure skating fans also expressed regret over the ISU's list of junior Grand Prix Final contestants, hoping that Feng Simai would have the opportunity to compete.
The athlete, admired by fans, was completely unaware that he was in the equipment room being supervised by Xia Yuezi as he did aerobics. Meng Xin said that he could land a full rotation on his 3A with the bar, but when he had to rely solely on himself, he would mostly fall during his 3A.
After finishing this set of exercises, Feng Simai put the barbell back in its place. He picked up a towel from the side and wiped the sweat from his face.
His knees were red and swollen with scabs, and a corner of the adhesive tape was showing where it was covered by his shorts, but it was completely covered again when he got up to get water.
He was injured during skating training. Although the standard pattern has been removed, many coaches in the team still use this method to teach skating and footwork.
Xia Yuezi sprayed the spray on his knees and asked, "Will the growing pains still flare up?"
Feng Simai experienced growing pains when she was only 1.6 meters tall. The pain only increased after she joined the group and only gradually subsided after the first leg of the competition.
Xia Yuezi could only reduce the original training tasks appropriately and break them down into two or three sessions. Even the 3A training on the ice was limited to less than 20 times a day.
The last recorded height in the notebook was 176 cm. Even though his height growth hasn't been as rapid lately, Feng's mother still massages his legs every night, and sometimes she hears him complain about sore legs after exercising.
"It doesn't hurt as much anymore, but I still can't sleep well at night."
Feng Simai lifted his legs onto the chair and massaged his leg muscles to prevent cramps.
Xia Yuezi squatted down beside him and skillfully handed him a hand warmer: "It's good. Last month's physical examination report showed that your bones have started to close, and your center of gravity will not change much anymore. After you finish the high school entrance exam, you can fully prepare for the adult group."
She had even figured out how to get him into the best mental state in the shortest amount of time during the winter break.
When he got on the ice, Feng Simai wore protective gear on his legs and did a few triple jumps to warm up.
His main task now is to build muscle. His ice training time has been reduced to one hour a day. Apart from adapting to the impact of 3A, he spends almost all his time practicing new combination jumps and adapting to the axis.
With a 3A foot landing, the skate blade subtly traced a short arc backward. Xia Yuezi thought this jump would finally be successful, but it ended with Feng Simai landing on his bottom.
What just happened?
Xia Yuezi could see it clearly from the side; the arc could be drawn out, and Feng Simai's legs went weak at the last moment.
Feng Simai sat on the ground, panting, clutching his right ankle, looking distressed: "Coach, my leg hurts."
Upon hearing this, Xia Yuezi's expression immediately turned serious. She helped him up and skated off the ice rink. After confirming that he could still walk, she helped him to the infirmary.
The team doctor on duty today was a young man. While he was examining her, Xia Yuezi made a phone call to both Feng's mother and Meng Xin.
Meng Xin had just finished training one student when she received a call. She packed up Feng Simai's belongings left at the training ground and rushed to the infirmary, just in time to hear the team doctor giving his diagnosis.
"It's nothing serious, just a muscle strain. You'll be fine after a few days of rest."
Feng Simai leaned against the nursing bed, an ice pack on her ankle. The little guy looked listless, his head drooping.
Meng Xin gently placed the things she was holding on the ground and sat down next to Feng Simai, rubbing his head. Although she hadn't been coaching him for long, seeing her child so downcast was hard on her heart.
Thinking of this, she looked up and glanced at Xia Yuezi, the head coach, fearing that she was feeling even worse right now.
Hurried and hurried footsteps echoed in the corridor. Xia Yuezi looked up and saw Feng's mother constantly looking up, searching for the door number.
As soon as Feng's mother entered the door, she sat down next to Feng Simai. Her originally neatly styled long hair became somewhat messy due to her anxiety.
Meng Xin silently stood up and stood in a row with Xia Yuezi. She was prepared to be bombarded by the parents. No matter what the reason was, they had entrusted their children to them, and now that something had happened, they had to take responsibility.
"Mom, I'm fine. We'll go home after the cold compress."
Feng Simai tried her best to make her voice sound energetic, but when she met her mother's worried gaze, the smile on her face became less genuine.
"Okay, I'll buy pig's trotters when I get back. We should eat what we need to replenish."
After removing the ice pack, Feng Simai dragged his swollen ankle to put on his shoes, while Xia Yuezi slung her bag over her shoulder, ready to see the two of them off.
Feng's mother glanced at her and said in a somewhat stiff tone, "Give me the bag. My car is parked right outside."
Xia Yuezi pursed her lips, knowing that Feng's mother was angry. She put down the bag and handed it to her, instructing, "There was no one guarding the bag for a while. When you get back, you should check if any items are missing or damaged."
Mrs. Feng nodded to indicate that she understood, and with one hand carrying her bag and the other supporting Feng Simai, she took small steps towards the door. Before she even reached the door, she heard a reminder coming from inside.
"Most pork sold outside is unsafe. If you want to buy pig's trotters, I can ask at the canteen for you."
Mrs. Feng paused, turning back to look at the two young coaches. Each of them wore a look of guilt and unease, especially the new coach, who looked nothing short of apprehensive.
Outside the training center, Xia Yuezi and Meng Xin saw off Feng's mother and ordered a week's worth of fresh pig's trotters for her at the cafeteria.
Meng Xin put her hands on her waist and visibly breathed a sigh of relief: "I thought I was going to get a terrible scolding today, but I didn't expect this parent to not say a word."
Many athletes' parents are very domineering. They not only want to control their children's food, clothing, and accommodation, but also want to interfere with the coaching staff's training plans. If they are not satisfied with the slightest thing, they will talk about transferring to another team and criticize the coaching staff or other athletes on social media.
Similar reports have emerged both domestically and internationally. Meng Xin was fed up with being criticized by parents who didn't know any better. Suddenly, a parent with good manners appeared, leaving her somewhat at a loss.
"Xiaoyan and Simai's parents are both quite reasonable. If you talk to them nicely when something happens, they can be reasoned with once they calm down."
Xia Yuezi had heard a little about Meng Xin's past experiences. With a hint of sympathy in her eyes, she patted Meng Xin's shoulder and turned to walk towards the office.
Meng Xin blinked, finally snapping out of her daze and rushing inside. Her voice echoed throughout the ice rink: "Wait, was that expression you just made mocking me?"
Xia Yuezi quickened her pace, and her tone became more relaxed: "If you say so, then so be it."
Many coaches and athletes around the ice rink witnessed this scene and privately said that the two had a good relationship. As for the incident where Coach Meng, enraged, cornered her in his office and gave her a good beating, Xia Yuezi didn't mention it, and Meng Xin would never bring it up.
………………
At the end of November, all the coaches of the Beijing team held an emergency meeting.
Xia Yuezi reluctantly entered the conference room with her notebook and pen. She originally wanted to find a spot furthest from the podium to close her eyes and rest, but her good partner had already secured the prime spot in the first row.
"The Skating Federation just released the selection plan for the Youth Olympic Games and the World Junior Championships two days ago. They will definitely talk about these things at this meeting, so we need to listen carefully so we can prepare accordingly."
Coach Xia lay listlessly in his chair, thinking to himself, "Isn't this list just about age and performance ranking? What kind of nonsense can Li Tan possibly come up with?"
This year's World Junior Championships have two slots for both pairs and singles events, while ice dance has one slot. The minimum technical score is also listed, so the competition is not too fierce.
However, apart from ice dance, which has no spots available for the Youth Winter Olympics, the other three sports each have only one spot. In addition, the age limit is very strict, so the number of qualified athletes can be counted on one hand.
The age requirements for the Youth Winter Olympics are different from other competitions. Participants must be between 14 and 18 years old, while other competitions only require that they reach the age requirement before July of the year the season ends.
Yang Yiyan was born in June 1998, a birth date that would have allowed her to catch the last train to the Sochi Winter Olympics, but she will miss out on this year's Youth Winter Olympics.
Feng Simai was born a year earlier than her, so she could hitch a ride on both of their coattails. It just depends on who the Skating Association would prefer between him and Lin Ye.
Xia Yuezi had a long face the whole time, and her seat was right in front of the podium, making Li Tan think he had said something wrong. He would glance at his notes every few words.
As soon as the meeting ended, Xia Yuezi, who had packed her things in advance, was about to run away when Li Tan specifically asked her and Wang Can to stay behind.
As Meng Xin's figure gradually disappeared, Xia Yuezi felt very resentful. They were in the same group, so why didn't she have to stay behind for a private meeting?
Li Tan, who was completely unaware of this, put down his manuscript and walked up to the two coaches and said, "There will be a national team training camp before the start of this Youth Winter Olympics. The Skating Association has prepared a list of athletes of the appropriate age based on their performance in the past two years, which has not yet been announced. Zhang Mengyi and Feng Simai from our team are on the list, but whether they can be selected in the end will depend on their performance in the National Championships and the training camp."
Neither coach had any objections. Li Tan noticed Xia Yuezi sitting listlessly to the side, yawning, and asked with concern, "Coach Xia, what's wrong? You don't look well."
When Xia Yuezi's name was called, she seemed to be back in her school days when she was caught daydreaming by her homeroom teacher. She immediately sat up straight and put on a sincere and innocent smile: "No, I was just thinking about Simai's legs. Although he has resumed training now, the growing pains are still having some effect."
It was no secret that Feng Simai was injured. Li Tan nodded, his face becoming more serious: "Then you still need to pay more attention. The Olympics are in two years."
Feng Simai has already been able to jump beyond the triple A, although it's not very consistent. But after all, he's the only men's singles player in the Beijing team with a Super C rating, so Li Tan has given him a lot of advice.
Seeing Xia Yuezi pretending to be well-behaved in front of Li Tan, Wang Can rolled his eyes from the blind spot of the head coach, which was seen by Xia Yuezi.
As she listened to Li Tan's words, she revealed an innocent smile, her gaze passing over Li Tan and landing on Wang Can, making him feel provoked.
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