◎If you are not good enough, you have to become good enough◎
After Ji Tiantian hung up the phone, she went to find her homeroom teacher, Teacher Shen, and told her the truth: "Mom agreed, but Wang Hao didn't want to."
"Then forget it." Teacher Shen rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I just talked to the coach over there on the phone. He said that if you have a male partner, he doesn't mind you giving it a try."
"Teacher, I'll go with Ji Tiantian. I think I have good overall abilities." Chen Yusheng, who had been following behind Ji Tiantian like a little tail, poked his head out and gave Teacher Shen a thumbs up. "My parents are easy to talk to. They will definitely agree!"
Then she looked at Ji Tiantian who looked surprised and blinked: "I suddenly want to try ice dancing too, let's do it together."
"Well, then I can skate like a man." Ji Tiantian said immediately.
From a practical perspective, mastering the men's steps will be more beneficial for future employment.
Most of the people who are interested in floor or ice dancing are girls. Being proficient in male steps will make it easier for her to dance with female students.
Although it is far from the time to choose a career, Ji Tiantian has already started to plan for the future. It is not impossible to get a part-time job as an ice dance coach in the future.
"Okay, stop messing around." Teacher Shen looked at Ji Tiantian and said coldly, "Study hard. If you are really interested in ice dancing, ask your mother to sign you up for a class on the weekend."
Ji Tiantian pursed her lips, feeling naturally unwilling.
She knew very well that even 10 years later, the top talents in ice dancing in China would be very scarce, let alone now. And this wave of top talents was mainly concentrated in the capital and the three northeastern provinces. It was not easy to find a reliable ice dancing coach in Nancheng. This time, she finally came across a training class led by the coach of the municipal team and she didn't want to miss it.
"I heard that there are more than ten people in this training camp, and in the end only the best one man and one woman will be selected to join the city team." Ji Tiantian was silent for a moment and spoke slowly.
"So what?" Teacher Shen frowned, a little impatient.
"As far as I understand, this means picking out the best boys and girls respectively, but it doesn't mean they have to be a pair." Ji Tiantian spoke in a soft voice, looking at Teacher Shen with an unusually firm gaze, "Generally, in this kind of selection, the best performing boy and girl will be paired together, right? If I can skate the best and the coach takes a fancy to me, then the issue of my dance partner won't be a problem, right?"
Teacher Shen silently looked at the indomitable Ji Tiantian.
What Ji Tiantian said was not without reason. Whether in the field of sports or art, talented people can always have a smooth journey. The issue of dance partners is not a small matter, but it is not a big matter either. If you become the best in the country, how can you lack a dance partner?
Teacher Shen was not aware of Ji Tiantian's talent on the ice, but she admired the confidence that Ji Tiantian showed at the moment.
She held her chin up stubbornly, like a proud little swan.
Teacher Shen was silent for a moment, raised his mobile phone, dialed the number he had called before, and soon the call was connected.
Ji Tiantian saw Teacher Shen talking to the phone with an indifferent face: "Hello, Coach Ma, it's me again. My student with a very stubborn temper insisted on learning ice dancing. She couldn't find a male partner, so she came with a girl."
"Yeah, they have a good foundation in ballet. As for ballroom dancing... I'm not sure, but the two of them are quite good at integrating the knowledge. They are the best students in this class."
"Yeah, okay, I know, I'll tell her."
Then, after Teacher Shen hung up, she spoke to Ji Tiantian in a helpless tone: "The coach agreed for you to try. It's rare for her to meet a dancer who is so interested in ice dancing. Just wear the ice skates provided by the rink for the first time. If you can keep up, you can prepare your own skates."
"Thank you, teacher!" Ji Tiantian cheered in surprise and jumped around the office holding hands with Chen Yusheng.
Ji Tiantian didn’t have much hope at first, she just thought that she must not leave any regrets in her life, and she didn’t expect it to actually happen!
Teacher Shen looked at the two students cheering and couldn't help but be infected and smiled faintly.
Finally, she put away her smile and spoke earnestly: "You must study hard when you go there. When you see excellent students taking the national standard exam, you must remain calm and don't cry." The last sentence was said to Ji Tiantian.
Ji Tiantian is a famous crybaby in the class. Every time the class organizes to watch tragic dance dramas such as "Swan Lake", "Giselle" and "Notre Dame de Paris", Ji Tiantian can cry through a pack of napkins. People around her cry when they see her crying.
Ji Tiantian has a strong ability of empathy. She is easily infected and can easily infect others. This nature seems to be a double-edged sword, with both advantages and disadvantages.
"I won't cry, thank you." Ji Tiantian smiled a little embarrassedly. Although she was reborn and no longer a child, she felt that she might still cry after watching "Giselle" again.
"Okay, then keep training and don't embarrass us ballet dancers." Teacher Shen narrowed his eyes and spoke in a majestic voice.
"We will work hard!"
Chen Yusheng informed her parents, and then the two began to prepare for the training camp. Coach Ma of the city figure skating team, who was in charge of the training camp, contacted them in advance and said that they could wear loose pants and use the ice skates prepared by the ice rink for the first training camp to get a feel for it. If they could continue, they could prepare their own ice skates, training clothes and socks.
Ice skates are relatively expensive sports equipment, with branded ones costing over two thousand yuan, which is a considerable expense. However, it is not difficult for Ji Tiantian's family. Chen Yusheng's family is better off than Ji Tiantian's, so it is not a problem either.
The training lasts for five months, starting in April and ending at the end of August. One boy and one girl will be selected to join the city team. The ice rink selected for the training is an old ice rink with a fixed group of skating people.
The ice rink also needs to make a profit, so many people go there at noon, afternoon and evening. In order to avoid being disturbed, training is conducted in the early morning.
On the day of the first training camp, Ji Tiantian and Chen Yusheng crawled out of the dormitory before dawn. They needed to return to the dance school after the first cultural class in the morning.
"Why aren't you sleepy?" Ji Tiantian yawned as she walked in the corridor.
"I'm excited." Chen Yusheng said.
"What's so exciting about this?"
"It feels like an adventure. Don't you think it's exciting? This is the first time I've seen you and your mom, Teacher Shen, speak so forcefully since you entered the dance school. It's so exciting. I love it so much. I feel like my life is going to be different as well."
Ji Tiantian: “…”
Ji Tiantian silently held Chen Yusheng's hand. In her new life, she still liked the quirky Chen Yusheng and wanted to be her friend forever.
The two of them ran out of the teaching building hand in hand excitedly and met Teacher Shen who was waiting for them at the school gate. Teacher Shen sent them to the bus stop, reminded them to be careful on the road, and then went back to school.
Soon, Ji Tiantian and Chen Yusheng arrived at the ice rink. Next to the ice rink locker is a shoe cabinet, which has many ice skates for rent to tourists. Usually there will be someone to take care of it and distribute ice skates to tourists, but the person in charge is not at work yet.
Ji Tiantian's petite body kept moving around the huge shoe cabinet, looking for ice skates that would suit both of them.
"Is there anything particular about ice skates?" Chen Yusheng, who was standing nearby, asked in confusion.
"Yes, that's right. Ice skates have star ratings. The higher the star rating, the harder they are, and the more expensive they are. Seven-star skates are particularly hard, and can provide strong support for single and pair skaters who are practicing jumping. For ice dancing, four-star skates are enough. We need the flexibility brought by soft shoes more than support. Three-star skates are very soft and comfortable to wear, but they collapse easily...which means they break easily. There don't seem to be any three-star shoes here. Maybe they have all been worn out." Ji Tiantian picked a pair of shoes that were suitable for Chen Yusheng and handed them over. "In fact, the blade also has its own requirements. The thickness and weight of the blades of different brands are different. Compared with other figure skating events, the blades of ice dancing are shorter and thinner, so that turns and changes of steps are more flexible...but the blades here are all the same, so just use them."
After Chen Yusheng put on her shoes, Ji Tiantian bent over to tie her shoelaces. The shoelaces of ice skates also need to be loose at the toes, tight at the instep, and loose at the ankle, so that the feet can be protected while maintaining flexibility.
"Ji Tiantian, when did you understand all this?" Chen Yusheng looked at Ji Tiantian busying around with a look of surprise.
Actually, I had a husband who was an ice dancer in my previous life. You might not have imagined that.
Ji Tiantian paused for a moment and blinked: "I learned ice skating before entering the dance school, have you forgotten?"
"Oh, yes." Chen Yusheng slapped his head hard, "It's over, it's over, I'm the only newbie here with no basic knowledge. No, I don't want to play anymore." He said as he pretended to leave.
"Since we're here." Ji Tiantian grabbed Chen Yusheng, "Didn't we agree to set up a dance troupe together in the future? Learning more knowledge will be helpful for us to set up a dance troupe in the future."
Chen Yusheng: "...Although I don't quite understand it, I think what you said makes sense."
Ji Tiantian changed into her ice skates and pulled Chen Yusheng to stand at the edge of the ice, watching the sixteen boys and girls skating on the ice under the guidance of the training team's coach Ma.
The boy and girl hold hands. They face each other, the boy's right arm wraps around the girl, his right palm is placed under the girl's shoulder blade, and his left hand is holding the girl's right hand. The girl's left hand is placed on the middle of the boy's right upper arm. They line up in a row, the boy slides backwards and the girl slides forward, revealing strength in their elegant steps.
Most of the participants in the training camp are dancers who have strong body control. In addition, they have already trained for a while and can now skate smoothly on the ice.
They pushed the ice and stepped forward with familiarity. When the sliding foot on the ice slid forward, the other floating foot stretched straight and elegantly behind, which was very beautiful.
Ji Tiantian easily found her schoolmates, Cong Juan and Zhao Feng, among them. They skated face to face, holding hands, and their postures were calm. Cong Juan and Zhao Feng soon saw Ji Tiantian and Chen Yusheng.
Two junior high school girls came as a team, neither of them had a male dance partner, which was so incongruous that Cong Juan and Zhao Feng couldn't help but smile as if they were going to enjoy the show.
"I really don't like those two people." When Cong Juan and Zhao Feng skated past him, Chen Yusheng whispered to Ji Tiantian, "But they skated really well. I'm so disappointed."
"Not very good either." Ji Tiantian lowered her eyes and looked at the trajectory of Cong Juan and Zhao Feng's sliding, speaking softly.
Their blades leave thin, shallow marks on the ice. This is the mark that only beginners leave. Generally, experienced skaters use their blades much deeper than this, and they will leave a very perfect arc.
Ice dancing is the heaviest of the four figure skating events. Although Zhao Feng and Cong Juan look beautiful, confident and elegant, their skating is totally unacceptable. If they don't improve in a short period of time, Ji Tiantian thinks they will definitely not be selected into the city team.
"Tiantian...are you very good at ice skating?" Chen Yusheng looked into Ji Tiantian's eyes and asked in a low voice.
Tiantian raised her eyes, looked at the spacious and smooth ice surface and took a deep breath. She finally overcame all difficulties and came here.
She came to the place she had always longed for.
“Even if I’m not strong enough, I have to become stronger.” She murmured and clenched her fists.
-over-
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
