How much salary can I get from the training camp roster in Chapter 68?
The 2013-2014 Grand Prix Final has officially concluded, marking the end of the first half of the season. Athletes from various countries quickly returned home after their exhibition skates to begin their final training camp before the Olympics.
Neither of the two Chinese athletes were able to bring a medal home. From the moment the competition ended, Meng Xin conducted a large-scale search of posts on the forum. Fortunately, she did not find any comments that defamed the athletes. On the contrary, most people had certain expectations for the future based on the finals over the past three years.
In the past three years, apart from ice dance, two or more athletes in men's singles, women's singles, and pairs have entered the Grand Prix Finals. This means that the overall strength of Chinese figure skating is gradually improving. In particular, the men's singles event, which has never been popular before, has seen the emergence of two different types of athletes who can take over.
After the finals, one of the contestants was taken to an orthopedic hospital by his parents and coach for a full-body checkup. It wasn't that Feng Simai had any health problems, but rather that Xia Yuezi wanted to know the extent of his synovitis recovery.
The doctor, holding the X-ray, said seriously, "The fluid buildup in your joint cavity is getting better. Your coach said you looked fine during the competition?"
Feng Simai sat in a chair, surrounded by a group of people, and nodded awkwardly: "Before the competition, my knee joints no longer had any fever or pain, and I didn't have any problems bending my knees when I did jumps."
Upon hearing this, the doctor pointed to the examination bed next to him and said irritably, "If you still can't bend your knees like before, you should be lying on this hospital bed. Do you still want to participate in the competition?"
With parents present, Xia Yuezi didn't pat him on the shoulder to scold him. She just said a few words to him: "You should be glad that this is acute synovitis and not chronic, otherwise it would be more difficult to recover."
Feng's mother kept her hand on Feng Simai's shoulder. The young man shrank his neck and didn't dare to say anything. He chatted with the doctor for a few minutes and only left the clinic to go to the pharmacy to get the medicine after confirming that there was no major problem. He left Yuezi alone to discuss the training precautions with the doctor.
"Doctor, I'd like to ask if he can still handle the upcoming high-altitude training?"
The doctor pushed up his glasses and sighed, "His synovitis was discovered early, and he also had a period of time off from ice training and physiotherapy. While he may not have fully recovered to his previous level, he should be able to train. However, the training volume and rigor of the high-altitude training camp will be even higher than that of the provincial team. For his health, it is necessary to mention this to the coaches at the high-altitude training camp."
Coaches for high-altitude training camps are usually selected from well-known coaches from various provincial teams to provide short-term training for athletes.
Xia Yuezi nodded, and then thought about Feng Simai's recent situation, preparing to gradually change a few things on the original training plan after returning.
The selection criteria for the national team training camp roster will be released after the finals. The top four finishers in this year's National Championships or athletes ranked in the top 200 in the world are eligible to participate in the training camp, and the Winter Olympics selection trials will be held on the last day of the training camp. The final selection will be based on a comprehensive evaluation of the training camp results.
Although that's what the announcement said, Xia Yuezi felt that the skating association leaders must have already made their bets based on recent competition results. If the selected athletes perform well during the training camp, they might get a boost in the domestic selection trials.
Yang Yiyan and Feng Simai have both met the world ranking requirements, and as long as their performance at the National Championships is not particularly bad, their entry into the training team is a foregone conclusion.
As Xia Yuezi left the hospital, a light snow began to fall. She pulled her down jacket tighter and followed Feng's mother to the parking lot.
Xia Yuezi lived in the provincial team dormitory and didn't have many expenses. Apart from regularly sending part of her salary to Yu Qian, she saved all the rest of her money in her bank card. In addition, the team would give her bonuses after Feng Simai and Yang Yiyan achieved good results. As she saved, she found that she could buy a car.
Originally, she wanted to save money to make a down payment in Beijing, since it was her hometown, and she could also bring Yu Qian to live with her so that Yu Qian could take care of her hands. However, the amount was far from enough.
Then I thought about how none of the kids I was training were easy to handle, and they were bound to get bruises and injuries on the ice. Sometimes I would even receive a doping test notification during class, and since their parents were at work, I could only ask the coach to take them for the test. So I changed my mind from buying a house to buying a car.
After saying goodbye to Feng Simai and his mother, Xia Yuezi took out her phone from her pocket, tapped it lightly on the steering wheel, and then drove towards the provincial team.
Knock knock—
"Coach Li, you wanted to see me?"
Upon hearing the "Come in" greeting, Xia Yue pushed open the door and entered. Li Tan sat behind his desk, smiling amiably, with a stack of printed documents on the desk.
Perhaps because she had been a worker for so long, Xia Yuezi had developed a habit of feeling anxious whenever she saw a document. As soon as she sat down, she stared at the document and considered several possibilities. Before she could sort out her thoughts, she heard Li Tan speak.
"Xia, you know that the training team is currently forming a coaching staff, right?"
Xia Yuezi suddenly looked up, her mind blank.
"You've helped Xiaoyan achieve 3A and Simai achieve 4T, and you've also helped Simai get through his developmental stage relatively smoothly. The two children's current achievements are also evident to all. The higher-ups want you to become a jump coach. Of course, I know you have other students under your supervision, so whether you go or not is up to you."
The two sat facing each other for a long time without speaking. Li Tan did not disturb her, giving Xia Yuezi ample time to think.
After a long pause, Xia Yuezi finally spoke: "If I go to the training camp, what will happen to the remaining students?"
"Don't worry about that. Meng Xin will still lead them in skating, and Coach Han will take over the jumping.
Although Xia Yuezi didn't know much about this coach, she had heard some things about him.
Coach Han is considered one of the more experienced coaches in the Beijing team's singles figure skating program. His students have very solid skills and are from the same batch of athletes as Li Tan. Even out of respect for Li Tan, Coach Han would not mistreat these students.
“There’s another question,” Xia Yuezi said, placing her hands on her lap and looking at Li Tan expectantly, “If I go, how much salary will the training team offer me?”
Li Tan, who had considered all the possibilities except for Xia Yuezi asking about his salary, was speechless.
It's not that Xia Yuezi is greedy for money. When she was an athlete, the prize money from competitions and the salary subsidies from the provincial team were only enough for her training expenses for one season. What truly enabled her to achieve financial freedom was commercial endorsements.
But now that she's a coach, she's lost her main source of income, so she can only live on her fixed salary and bonuses. If she wants to buy a house in Beijing, she doesn't know how long she'll have to wait.
Seeing that Li Tan didn't reply for a long time, Xia Yuezi also thought of some things the Skating Association had done, and blinked her eyes with a hint of probing: "After you call me over, the training team won't stop paying my salary, will they?"
Li Tan was amused by Xia Yuezi's question. He shook his head. He was talking about a serious matter, but his tone and actions made it sound like an HR person trying to fool college graduates and making empty promises.
"All the coaches who came to the training camp were seconded by the General Administration of Sport. Their salary is calculated as overtime pay. In addition, the coaches will receive a special allowance during the high-altitude training camp. In previous years, it was 500 yuan. I don't know if it has changed this year."
This kind of Olympic training camp usually lasts for two months. Xia Yuezi did the math in her mind and felt that the amount was quite considerable. The corners of her mouth turned up even wider, and she looked particularly sincere.
"Okay, I'll go."
Li Tan naturally didn't miss the change in Xia Yuezi's face. Her temples twitched, but then she thought of the meager salaries they earned as coaches and sighed silently.
When Xia Yuezi returned to her dormitory, she found the room empty. Meng Xin had probably gone out with her friends during her vacation.
She turned on the air conditioner, poured herself a cup of hot water to warm her hands, and then stood by the window. Suddenly, she remembered Meng Xin saying that she seemed a bit boring and that she couldn't muster any interest in anything in life except figure skating.
Meng Xin also asked her if she had really retired, and why her daily routine was still similar to when she was still active, and whether she was really going to become an ascetic.
Xia Yuezi just laughed it off at the time, but now that she's alone, she can't help but think about the topic again.
She has been in this world for almost four years and knows very well that it is probably difficult to go back. But she still can't let go of her feelings for figure skating. It's like she's deceiving herself that as long as she maintains the lifestyle she had as an athlete, if she ever goes back, she can quickly regain that feeling.
But the moment she stepped out of Li Tan's office, she felt there was no need to deceive herself anymore. The responsibility on her shoulders was still heavy, only the content of that weight had changed.
She has taken root in this world, met students who trust her, colleagues who fight alongside her, and a "mother" who is distant yet polite to her.
Perhaps this is another arrangement fate has made for her.
Xia Yuezi took a sip of water, leaned against the table, and made a phone call. It was answered shortly afterward, and the sound of cooking oil fumes came from the other end of the line, followed by Yu Qian's voice.
Why are you calling me at this hour?
Xia Yuezi told her about her upcoming training camp on the plateau. The sounds of cooking oil on the other end of the phone gradually disappeared, replaced by the clattering of spatulas and plates, and the sound of footsteps.
"This is a good thing. You and your students have been included in the list of high-altitude training camp, which means that your abilities have been recognized. In this sense, you have also fulfilled Xiaxia's dream."
Xia Yuezi remained silent for a few seconds, lowered her eyelashes, and felt a pang of sadness in her chest.
Yu Qian probably sensed the awkward atmosphere and changed the subject: "It's cold on the plateau, so bring some thick coats with you."
She went on and on about some things to be careful about over the phone. Xia Yuezi listened quietly, occasionally responding with a few words and a faint smile on her face.
The snow was still falling outside the window, creating a temperature difference between indoors and outdoors, which caused a layer of condensation to form on the window. Water droplets flowed down the window, mingling with the conversations coming from inside the room, and landed on the green plants by the window sill.
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Author's Note: Just a little quiet commemoration: today, a domestic remake of Mission Impossible is being made in the skating world. Little Feng can finally come out and make some contact on Weibo! [laughing and crying emoji][laughing and crying emoji]
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