◎First place in the race◎
"Sister Tiantian! Come on, Brother Yi!" Ni Chuan shouted while sitting in the audience.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew from behind, and a figure came running hurriedly, occupying the empty space next to Ni Chuan.
Ni Chuan was stunned for a moment before he realized that the person who suddenly sat over was the international student lady he had met at the World Youth Championship last season. A true fan of Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi.
"The flight was delayed, and I thought I would miss it!" Seeing Ni Chuan looking at her with a look of doubt, the international student lady took a breath and added with a wry smile, "I don't have money to book a hotel, so any savings counts."
"No...why are you here?" Ni Chuan was shocked.
"I still can't let go of Tiantang, and I still want to come to support them. Fortunately, I have some savings from working during the summer vacation." The young lady continued to pant, "It's great, God bless me, I can catch up with Tiantang's short dance."
Generally, for youth group competitions, the auditorium will not be full and tickets will not be in great demand. You can buy tickets on the day of the competition and sit anywhere you like.
Although they are not relatives or friends of the athletes, it is rare for them to travel thousands of miles to buy tickets to watch a youth group race.
Ni Chuan looked at the international student girl, his eyes widened for a moment, and he was so surprised that he couldn't speak.
"Stop talking, it's more important to watch the game." The international student girl stared at Ji Tang on the ice.
Ni Chuan calmed himself down and looked at the ice surface.
The music for Ji Tang's short dance, the rumba from the movie "2046", has already started. With the clear drum beats, Ji Tiantian steps on the ice with her toes and does a sliding step on the spot.
In each figure skating season, a pair of skaters only prepare the same short dance and free dance.
But the same program can also be presented in different ways.
Ji Tiantian held Tang Yi's strong arm, raised her thick eyelashes, and stared at Tang Yi quietly with a pair of grape-like black round eyes.
She still remembered what Qiao Menghan said. Qiao Menghan said that the relationship between her and Tang Yi was very different.
In fact, she felt that their relationship was unremarkable. It was not intense or hot.
Unlike the themed free dance, in the short dance, they always presented a calm relationship like a trickle of water. Because it was so calm, she herself did not pay attention to it, thinking that most of the contestants were similar to them.
But when Qiao Menghan said that, she realized that perhaps their relationship was not common.
Under the seemingly ordinary calm, there is a strong and solid power. It is because of this power that they can continue to live in peace and tranquility.
That kind of power is called trust.
If nothing else, in ice dancing she had complete faith in her partner's abilities and character.
Not all contestants view their dance partners this way.
And in their past cooperation, she could feel that Tang Yi also trusted her.
Dance, like language, is a form of expression, and all she has to do is to express this power to the fullest.
Accompanied by the light drum beats, Ji Tiantian tightened her five fingers and held Tang Yi's arm even tighter.
With his support, she leaned back, and at the same time stretched one leg straight with the instep of her foot pointed into the air. As she skated, her upper body was much closer to the ice, but she lowered her eyes slightly and showed a reassuring smile.
Trust is a power, and she will do her best to demonstrate it.
She stood up and kicked her legs, sliding her legs, and her floating leg calf gently rested on Tang Yi's sliding leg that formed a lunge. As they slid, they looked at each other closely, their eyes bright.
In social dancing, the male partner leads and the female partner shows. In competition, the female partner who shows is like a siege spear, she charges forward fearlessly because he is behind her as a solid backing.
She held Tang Yi's hand tightly and gave him a bright smile.
Tang Yi was infected and also smiled faintly.
They held hands and stretched out their floating legs, changing the blades of their sliding legs, and quickly entered the center line to connect with the steps in the wind and waves caused by sliding.
After a lay back position to stretch her limbs, Ji Tiantian hugged Tang Yi's shoulders and began to do a split-leg twist lift with Tang Yi's support.
The six-week twist and lift was completed successfully, the floating leg landed on the ice, and the music changed to a selection from the cha-cha, "CHILLY CHACHA".
Tang Yi and Ji Tiantian switched to the hand in hand holding method.
According to the original choreography, Ji Tiantian needs to smile and look up to the audience. This is what Ji Tiantian did in the previous stop, looking up at the audience.
But this time she wanted to make some minor changes that would not cause any harm. She still did as designed, with her toes touching the ice, her legs straightened and one hand raised, but she turned her head and looked at Tang Yi, and Tang Yi also looked at her.
They both raised one hand at the same time, straightened their bodies, stared into each other's eyes, and smiled faintly.
Joyful music flowed around them, and deep within that music, a hidden power surged.
They trust each other and dance is their communication and expression.
The international student lady in the audience subconsciously covered her mouth, with surprise in her eyes.
The goose yellow sequined tassels swayed happily beside Ji Tiantian's legs. Ji Tiantian slid quickly to the music, twisting her upper body to the Latin beat.
As the music cheered, Ji Tiantian held Tang Yi's hand and opened her mouth into a small O shape, making a cheering mouth shape. While she was doing it, she winked at Tang Yi.
Tang Yi paused and couldn't help but reveal a rare happy smile.
The audience was originally clapping along with the music, but seeing the two contestants' immersive and joyful interaction, some people couldn't help but whistle.
"They are more skilled than before!" The international student lady couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "They are really dancing happily!"
Ice dance competition is not just a show, its essence is the interactive dance between men and women. Only when they feel each other's emotions can they really move the audience.
Ji Tiantian felt that she vaguely understood something. In the depths of her soul, a door that had been tightly closed suddenly opened.
Amidst the whistles, the two began to twirl.
Three sets of joyful twists were completed successfully.
As the music ended, Ji Tiantian bent down in Tang Yi's arms and completed their short dance.
Ji Tang and the coach came to the waiting area together. Ji Tiantian looked at the waiting area anxiously.
"You skated very well, don't be nervous." Jiang Lin reached out and held Ji Tiantian's hand to comfort her.
Ji Tiantian panted and nodded gently, but her nervousness could not be relieved.
She used a completely new performance style, one that focused more on the relationship between the dancing partners. I don’t know if the judges will agree. She needs to use the results to confirm it.
Soon, their scores appeared on the display screen: technical score 28.51, program content score 27.82, total score 56.33.
There was applause from the audience.
"Great, this result seems to... surpass the Canadian group that won first place in the short dance at the first stop." The international student girl said in a daze.
"Alright!" In the waiting area, Xu Chi clenched his fists, "Not bad!"
In this short dance, she only made a mistake in one key point of the pattern. The short dance connecting step was level 2, and the technical score was not much different from the first stop. It was also the limit of what Ji Tiantian could do at the moment.
However, it is necessary to note that their program content score was 3 points higher than the first stop.
Ji Tiantian subconsciously clenched her fists, turned to look at Tang Yi with a happy expression.
These three points mean a lot to her. These three points show that her performance is acceptable and that she is on the right track.
They can improve on the content of their programs!
As long as they are not trapped, they can continue to improve.
One day, they will not rely solely on technology to stand on the international stage.
Ji Tiantian left the waiting area with an excited look on her face.
Next up is the American disco group, Johnson and Nancy.
The American group ended the short dance with cheerful cha-cha and mambo.
They also made a mistake in one of the key points of their pattern dance. Although they did not twist and throw twice like in the first round, the movements were still not neat enough, which directly affected the GOE of the execution of the technical movements and the content of the program.
The final short dance scores of the American group were: technical score 26.32, program content score 26.72, and total short dance score 53.04.
The first day of short dance ended here, with Ji Tang temporarily ranked first and the American group temporarily ranked second.
"What happened this time? Was the referee biased?" Nancy from the American team looked at the results display screen with a look of disbelief.
In the first short dance, they ranked behind Ji Tang because of a gap of about 2 points.
The amount they lost in the first stop due to twisting errors was exactly 2 points.
Before coming to the second stop, they made a special attack on the twist, thinking that without any mistakes they would be able to catch up with Ji Tang in the short dance. However, they did not expect that the gap between their short dance scores would widen!
"It doesn't matter. They won't be able to perform in the free dance," Johnson said to Nancy. "They are injured, and they spent time recovering from their injuries. Their performance this time will definitely not be good."
Nancy listened, the expression on her face gradually relaxed a little, and she waited for the next free dance.
On the second day, the ice dance free dance competition began.
After the group warmed up, Nancy Johnson went on stage first, followed by Ji Tang later.
Nancy and Johnson began their performance to the cheerful music of Meteor Rock by Maroon 5.
Their performance this time was still very stable. The speed of twists, lifts and combined rotations were all quite high. Except for the step sequence which was level 2, the other difficulty techniques could all reach level 4.
Of course, as they skated at a fast pace, the choreography was also very rhythmic, and the degree of completion and creativity looked good.
The final scores of the American team were: technical score 37.41, program content score 43.11, and free dance total score 80.52.
The American team finished their second leg before Ji Tang, with a combined short dance and free dance score of 133.56, temporarily ranking first.
"Sure enough, the P score is very high..." The international student lady looked at the display screen and couldn't help showing a worried expression, "I wonder if Tiantang can catch up."
"It's okay, our short dance results are higher than theirs. It's no big deal to be caught up a little bit." Ni Chuan said.
"Yes." The international student nodded slightly, still looking worried, "I just hope that Tiantang can perform stably this time..."
"The next players to play are Chinese players, Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi." The broadcast sounded.
"Here they come!" The international student lady and Ni Chuan were all excited.
Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi skated onto the ice one after another and got into ready position.
Their free dance repertoire was The Little Prince. Ji Tiantian, who played the role of Rose, wore a red miniskirt, while Tang Yi wore a green shirt, the color of the Little Prince. The yellow stripes on the round collar symbolized the Little Prince's scarf.
The two began to dance on the ice to the accompaniment of cheerful children's music, and after a set of connecting steps, they began to spin together.
The 4th level of combined rotation is to complete a set of three rotations in a holding position, then change feet, direction and posture, and then complete another set of three rotations. The rotation must include four difficult postures.
Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi stared at each other, holding each other's arms, maintaining the posture of bending their sliding legs and floating legs at their sides, and began to rotate.
Different from her leading role in the short dance, the free dance seemed more like Tang Yi's emotions were leading her.
Beneath that light and long children's voice, there seems to be a long and eternal emotion hidden.
After the three-week rotation, Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi stood up and changed their feet, ready to enter the next part. Before starting the next part, they needed to rotate half a circle hand in hand.
Just like in countless practice sessions, their hands naturally clasped together.
Ji Tiantian performed a vertical split, holding the ice skate in one hand and supporting Tang Yi, who was doing a swallow-style balance step, with the other hand, and together they completed the latter part of the combined rotation.
Applause broke out and they began to skate on the ice facing each other.
"You are going to play a reserved and elegant rose." Ji Tiantian still remembers what the choreographer Clara said to her, "I have already told Tang Yi that he will play a little prince who chases roses and takes good care of them on the ice. You just need to be responsible for the performance. However, if you can feel his emotional fluctuations from his skating, make some small responses."
She looked into his dark eyes and could feel his silent protection from his solid and reliable strength.
He is like a warrior guarding the ice, using his arms and his flesh and blood to tightly protect his dance partner, territory, and the ice dance he loves.
In his previous life, he had guarded the place like this. People around him came and went, but he just stayed there.
He is the real little prince, but the difference is that his planet is made of ice and snow.
And she is a rose that suddenly descended into the world of ice and snow.
She couldn't help but smile. This free dance theme really suited them.
The rose thanked the little prince for his efforts and expressed its love for him.
At the end of a dance with hands clasped together, Ji Tiantian couldn't help but reach out a hand and gently stroke Tang Yi's messy hair. Her movements were extremely light, like a breeze with the fragrance of flowers.
Next, the Level 4 graded joint lift, which they failed to complete in the first stop, is about to begin.
"Ah, here it comes!" The international student lady in the audience shouted excitedly.
Other ice fans who had watched Ji Tang’s first performance live or through replays also expressed excitement and were looking forward to it.
Ni Chuan stared at the ice with bated breath. On the edge of the ice, Jiang Lin and Xu Chi also showed nervous expressions.
The melodious children's opera still echoed on the ice, but the atmosphere on the scene gradually became warmer.
The score of the entire lift is not just based on the movements of the two lifters during the lift. The way of entering the lift and the way of leaving the lift are also scored.
Ji Tang and his partner performed a set of connected steps to the music without holding each other, and then Ji Tiantian jumped lightly onto Tang Yi's body, wrapped her legs around his waist, and hugged his neck with her arms.
Suddenly entering a lift or jumping position will increase GOE.
In the wind caused by the rapid skating, Ji Tiantian, who hugged Tang Yi, looked down into his eyes with a sincere smile.
This is her little prince. From now on, they blossom together in the world of ice and snow.
No one will be alone.
Tang Yi held Ji Tiantian's legs, while Ji Tiantian bent back and arched her body into a slight arch.
Tang Yi lifted Ji Tiantian up, leaving a smooth arc on the ice.
The bright red petal skirt fluttered lightly as she glided quickly. Ji Tiantian opened her arms and showed a happy smile.
This is a level 4 rated arc lift.
Accompanied by the cheerful music, Ji Tiantian laughed happily, like a rose blooming on the ice.
Elle se prépare avec tant d'amour
She dresses herself with passion
A naïve en étant belleme le jour
Blooming like the sun
The international student lady in the audience subconsciously held her breath. Ji Tang's skating speed was so fast that she was a little afraid to watch, but she couldn't bear to look away.
At the edge of the ice, Jiang Lin and Xu Chi were still very nervous.
Any difficult moves performed while skating quickly involve risks, not to mention the set of combined rotations that Ji Tang had to complete, which was also quite difficult even for the adult group.
If Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi hadn't insisted on doing a joint lift, Xu Chi and Jiang Lin would not have planned to set such a difficult lift.
Fortunately, the 6-second arc lift was completed successfully in an instant.
Half of the combined lift is completed, and the next step is the other half of the combined lift, the twist lift.
Ji Tiantian hugged Tang Yi's shoulders with both hands, and Tang Yi also hugged her shoulders and began to turn and lift her.
Ji Tiantian's legs were crossed behind her and swung high into the air, parallel to the ice surface.
They began to move and rotate on the ice.
Like a petal-like skirt, it spread out on the ice as they moved. At this moment, the rose finally blossomed to its fullest.
Under the ice and snow, she bloomed stubbornly.
Level 4 twist lifts require at least six rotations. The lifter cannot interrupt the rotation, and the lifter must maintain the difficult posture all the time.
Ji Tiantian relied on the two people's arms to stabilize the center of gravity, and her two slender legs always kept a posture parallel to the ice surface during the high-speed rotation. It is not easy to maintain the posture and hold up a pair of heavy skates.
But there was always a smile on her face, as if it was effortless for her to do so.
She is not doing any difficult poses, but blooming to her heart's content, naturally and in one go. She is not only the little prince's rose, but also the only rose in this icy world.
She is a unique rose.
There was applause and cheers from the audience.
The international student girl subconsciously covered her face with tears in her eyes.
Every time she comes to the scene, she is always easily moved by the content contained in the dance of Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi.
It's not like they're performing a dance, they're performing themselves.
After 6 seconds, the perfect joint lift was completed.
After twisting, Ji and Tang finished their free dance and raised their hands to the audience.
There was warm applause and whistles from the audience.
"It's rare to see such an outstanding twist and lift in the youth group..." Some audience members applauded and couldn't wait to discuss it with people around them.
"This Chinese group is quite interesting. Every time they express something, it has a lot of layers..."
"Wow... I'm so touched. The accidental injury didn't knock them down. They still look so strong..."
"The bronze medal in the World Youth Championships shows that their strength remains the same and they have even improved."
"They don't need to explain how they got injured in the first stop. Their dance is enough to explain their attitude. Even if they have to use up their lives, they must bloom!"
Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi were also very satisfied with the performance of this station. They greeted the audience with bright smiles.
Plush toys kept falling onto the ice. Ji Tiantian picked up a few in front of her and handed them to Tang Yi, then picked up a few herself and handed the rest to the ice boy who was clearing the ice.
Ji Tiantian held a stuffed toy in one hand and held Tang Yi's hand in the other. They smiled happily at each other.
Ji Tiantian's smile was a little embarrassed and a little reluctant.
Every free dance competition seemed to exhaust her energy and make her dream a full and satisfying one. The music stopped, the magic was interrupted, and she fell into reality, which made her feel a little uncomfortable.
But, without a doubt, every dream was worth it. No regrets.
They reached the exit together.
"It looks great! It really looks great!" Jiang Lin hugged Tang Yi and Ji Tiantian tightly, "You guys performed really well!"
Ji Tang came to the waiting area accompanied by his coach.
This time, Ji Tiantian was no longer as nervous as she was in the short dance, and she performed at a level that was within her expectations.
At least she had passed this test. She had a clear conscience.
At this time, Nancy and Johnson from the American team were also looking at the display screen anxiously.
Their complexions did not look very good.
They did not expect that the Chinese team would perform so well, not to mention the smooth step-by-step and fast and neat twists.
A superb and flawless joint lift, not only did the male partner lift up the female partner, but it also lifted the entire Chinese group from the trough to the top of the clouds.
Experienced ice dance teams are intuitive. The American team could clearly feel that China's Ji Tang could easily join the medal race at the end of the season with just this lift.
Soon, the free dance results of Ji Tang and his partner were shown on the display.
"Ahhhhhh!" The international student girl couldn't help but scream.
Ji Tang scored 39.21 points for technique, 41.85 points for program content, 81.06 points for free dance, and 56.33 points for short dance, for a total score of 137.09.
They surpassed the American combination with a score of 133.56 to become first.
They were the last group of contestants to compete. After they finished competing, the ice dance competition at this station was over.
This also means that Ji Tang won first place in the race.
"First place in the substation..." The international student lady looked at the last ranking displayed on the screen, a little dazed, "It's really... great..."
"Sister Tiantian! Brother Yi! You are the best!" Ni Chuan shouted loudly amid applause.
"How is this possible..." Nan from the American team stared at the display screen, unable to believe his eyes.
There was a hint of panic in her eyes.
Ji Tang surpassed them and took first place in the race.
And this first actually means a lot of things.
For example, Nancy knew that their group was better at relying on P points to gain points than relying on solid skills.
They always skate to the pop rock that they are good at, playing to their strengths and avoiding their weaknesses, and winning with ever-changing dance steps.
However, Ji Tang's score made her realize that this Chinese pair could actually gain points by relying on P points!
Compared to them who are only good at pop rock, Ji Tang, who has skated rock and is challenging opera in the new season, seems to be omnipotent!
In the South Xiwang waiting area, Ji Tiantian, who was hugging her coach, felt a chill on her back.
Compared to the iron-like Chinese male partner, this female partner is obviously more terrifying. Her face is still childish, but the energy she releases on the ice is unprecedentedly powerful.
There seemed to be a huge monster lurking in her petite body.
"I've never seen an Asian group with such a high P score..." The other contestants gathered around also started talking.
"The referee couldn't control the score. Their joint lift was really amazing, and their other technical moves were also remarkable. They were integrated with what they wanted to express."
"This total score is about to catch up with the Canadian giants. The Asian combination is catching up with the ice and snow superpower... What a miracle I have witnessed..."
"I was wrong. I shouldn't have said online that the Chinese team was lucky to win the bronze medal at the World Youth Championship. They really deserved it."
“How terrible…”
At this time, Xu Chi and Jiang Lin, who were hugging Ji Tang, were still a little dazed.
First in the station.
This is something they would never have dared to think about in the past.
Figure skating is a scoring sport, and scoring sports generally involve subjective factors.
Even if they think their own players have solid skills, they don't think that honors like first place in a race will fall into the pockets of Asian players.
But Ji Tang did it.
They lit up the venue and inspired the referees with their outstanding performance.
They won the first place in the race. They achieved the same unprecedented achievement as the World Youth Championship.
Jiang Lin slowly came back to her senses and looked at Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi who were hugging Xu Chi. Ji Tiantian didn't cry this time, she smiled happily.
Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi are both competitive players. Their performances on the field are even more amazing than during their usual practice.
Winning first place in the race might not have been particularly unexpected for either of them.
Jiang Lin thought so.
"Tiantian, congratulations, you got the bonus." Jiang Lin walked over, touched Ji Tiantian's head and said, "How do you want to spend it?"
"Huh? Bonus?" Ji Tiantian was stunned.
Oh, yes, she almost forgot that the Grand Prix is called the Grand Prix because it has prizes.
The top five in the adult Grand Prix will receive bonuses, while the top three in the youth group will receive bonuses. The first prize is $3,000, which is not much compared to the various expenses of figure skating training, but it is not a small amount of money.
They won first place in the race and received $3,000.
“Wow, I’m rich…” Ji Tiantian, who didn’t cry when she saw her scores and ranking, couldn’t help but feel a lump in her throat when she heard that she was rich, and tears gradually filled her eyes.
She had a premonition that the days of poverty were gradually fading away.
Gone are the days when you had to spend a lot of money to buy an ankle brace.
"Tang Yi! We are not poor anymore! We are rich!" She wiped the tears from her eyes, turned to Tang Yi and smiled happily, "We will definitely become richer and richer in the future!"
"Yes." Tang Yi looked at Ji Tiantian and nodded firmly, "I definitely will."
-over-
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