Chapter 65 2013 China Cup
◎Keep working hard and you will always become an excellent dancer◎
The Grand Prix series is a category A event in figure skating. It is held every season, and it will also run normally during the Winter Olympics. Although it is slightly less prestigious than the Winter Olympics, it is still a major event in figure skating.
In the past, Tang only participated in the junior figure skating Grand Prix, abbreviated as JGP. JGP has seven stations, and each pair/individual skater in the four figure skating events will choose two stations to participate in. The six pairs/individual skaters with the best results will participate in the final competition.
Now Ji Tang has been promoted to the adult group and is participating in the adult group of the Grand Prix, abbreviated as GP. Like the youth group competition, the GP sub-station competition also selects two stations to participate in. The six pairs of ice dancers with the best results will enter the finals at the end of the year.
The adult group will be held after the youth group, with a total of six races, starting in mid-October and ending in late November. The Grand Prix is very strict, similar to the Winter Olympics, and is held before the Winter Olympics. Many athletes will not miss this opportunity to train before the Winter Olympics.
Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi had been training in the ice dance school for half a year. Finally, they boarded the plane back home at the end of October. They were going to participate in the adult group race in early November - the China race. This race was also called the Grand Prix China Cup.
"I finally had an international competition at home." After the plane landed, Xu Chi couldn't help but sigh, "I'm finally back."
Ji Tiantian nodded slightly.
China is not the host of the youth group race, but it has been hosting the adult group race. When competing in your own country, you generally don't need to worry about unfair scoring. However, a competition is a competition, and the competition in the adult group is always more intense than that in the youth group.
On the day of the competition, Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi came to the venue and checked their makeup before warming up with a short dance.
"Tiantian, Don." At this time, Katerin from the Goose and her male companion Ilyich came over, "Let us introduce you, this is Darya and Nikolai."
Ji Tiantian looked at Katerin's side. This was a beautiful ice dance duo. The female partner, Dalia, had beautiful red hair, while Nikolai had blonde hair.
This red and gold combination is currently the number one player in the Big Goose Group. They took second place in the World Championships last season and are on par with the number one Canadian combination. They are also aiming for gold in this Winter Olympics.
Excellent skills and looks naturally bring a reputation that ordinary people can hardly reach. Ji Tiantian often sees the names of Daria and Nikolay appearing in figure skating forums in various countries. Although she has never formally met them in the past, Ji Tiantian has known them for a long time.
Darya and Nikolay are about 27 or 28 years old this year, which is the prime time for ice dancing. They have beautiful faces and slender bodies. Although their gestures are full of mature charm, they look very young because of long-term training and attention to maintenance. They came here with the newly promoted Katerin team to participate in the China Cup.
After being introduced by Katerina, Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi hugged and greeted Dalia and Nikolai.
"Dalia!" Just then, a voice rang out. Ji Tiantian looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was Judy who was calling.
Ji Tiantian had met Judy at the ice dance school and knew that she and her male partner Jayne were Canada's number two players and ranked fifth in last season's World Championships.
When Dalia heard Judy calling her, she walked over with a gentle smile on her face.
"What are you talking about to that Chinese group?" Judy asked intimately, holding Dalia's hand.
"No, just saying hello." Dalia asked with a smile, "What's wrong?"
As they were talking, Dalia and her male companion Nikolai had already gone away with Judy.
"It's just that the last time I saw them dancing the Finnish quickstep, they looked very struggling... I never expected that they could beat your Katerin Ilich and our Mia Lucas..." Judy walked away with Dalia.
"The competition in our country is very fierce. Dariya Nikolay's coach and my coach don't have a very good relationship. Our relationship is just ordinary." Katerin watched Dariya and Nikolay go away, and smiled apologetically to Ji Tiantian, "They are still closer to foreign players."
"I understand." Ji Tiantian smiled at Katelin, "Thank you for introducing us."
"Tang Yi, Tiantian, how are you preparing this time?" After a while, Wei Xiao and Chang Yu also came over to greet Ji Tang. The Smiling Group will also participate in the China Cup.
"Not bad." Tang Yi and Chang Yu patted each other's shoulders. Then Tang Yi looked at Wei Xiao, "How is the injury?"
"It's been two months, and it's not bad." Wei Xiao said, "Don't show mercy."
Ji Tiantian smiled and chatted with the Smiling Group for a few words, then turned around and looked around the entire arena.
The Grand Prix Youth Group has a lower threshold for entry, with up to 20 pairs of contestants, but the adult group is different, with a higher threshold and is more grand.
Only 8 pairs of players can participate in each sub-station, and the same is true for the China Cup. The qualification is determined by the world ranking, and can also be invited by the organizer.
The eight pairs of players are either national seeded players or internationally renowned outstanding players. The adult Grand Prix is destined to be fierce from the beginning of the race.
The China Cup was held in the capital. Ji Tang's family and friends were all there for the local battle.
Liu Hui, Zhang Lilian and Ji Ze sat together, while Wang Hao and Chen Yusheng sat on the side.
Not far away sat Ni Chuan and the sweet and pink-headed Feifei, who didn't want to watch the game with their parents.
At this time, the competition had not started yet. Everyone looked down at the booklet that was handed to them during ticket checking. The booklet listed the start time of the four events and the introduction of the players. The China Cup also competed in all four events of figure skating. The competition schedule was very simple. One day was the short program of singles and pairs and the short dance of ice dance, and the next day was the free skating of singles and pairs and the free dance of ice dance.
"This time, the main opponents of Sister Tiantian and Brother Yi should be Big Goose No. 1 Dalia Nikolai and Canadian No. 2 Judy Jayne." Ni Chuan looked at the booklet and fell into deep thought.
"Katerin Ilich and the Smiling Face group are also very good. In short, all eight pairs are excellent." Feifei said while looking at the booklet, "This season's short dance pattern dance is still the most difficult Finnish quickstep... I wonder how Tiantang will perform..."
"I heard that the pattern dance is particularly difficult this season."
"Yeah, we won't be beaten by Europe and America, right?"
"Ahh, I'm so worried..."
There was a buzz of discussion in the audience.
Soon, the short dance competition began.
The 8 pairs of players were divided into two groups for warm-up. Ji Tang was drawn earlier in the order and was assigned to the first group for warm-up.
Soon, it was their turn to take the stage.
Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi started their competition to the accompaniment of a brisk quickstep dance music.
They quickly entered the first difficult movement - the first part of the pattern dance. Ji Tiantian held Tang Yi's hand and skated happily on the ice. The two crossed their legs and jumped lightly on the ice. The key points of the first set of pattern dance were conquered one by one.
There should be nothing wrong, Ji Tiantian thought to herself, she must stay steady and not make any mistakes in the rhythm.
Next, we move on to the second part of the pattern dance.
The first key point of the second part is the female partner's steps 32-33. Do the SWING Choctaw with a swinging leg, change to the edge, and then follow with a twist of one and a half circles, leaving the male partner's hand. In addition to the synchronized twist steps of the male and female partners, the twist can also be done alone, such as in this pattern dance.
However, the accident came very suddenly. Ji Tiantian began to twirl to the cheerful music, but her speed was a little faster, and she suddenly lost her balance and slipped. The moment she was out of Tang Yi's hand, she fell on the ice.
"Ah!" A cry came from the audience.
Zhang Lilian, Liu Hui, and many others opened their eyes wide.
Ji Tiantian was a little confused at first, but she quickly reacted and tried to get up. However, she felt a sharp pain in her calf.
She had been practicing too frequently and her muscles were always aching. The sudden fall had caused the sore area to hurt so badly that she couldn't stand up quickly.
"Tiantian! Come on!" Everyone in the audience reacted quickly and immediately applauded to cheer for Ji Tiantian.
"Come on!" Ni Chuan and Fei Fei also shouted.
Ji Tiantian looked at Tang Yi who was nearby. Tang Yi was not far from her, looking at her with firm eyes and reaching out to her. Ji Tiantian gritted her teeth and climbed up. Even though her legs were hurt and she couldn't use any strength, she still tried her best to push the ice and slide to Tang Yi's side.
They held each other's hands tightly and continued to slide.
Ji Tiantian was not able to perform the following movements well. Because of her leg injury, their synchronized twists and connecting steps were also affected.
When the last two finished the game, there was applause of encouragement from the audience.
After saluting, Tang Yi immediately helped Ji Tiantian walk off the ice. Tang Yi and Xu Chi went to wait for the division, while Jiang Lin accompanied Ji Tiantian to receive the team doctor's examination.
"It's okay. Everyone falls down sometimes." Jiang Lin comforted Ji Tiantian while she was being examined. "Look at the bright side. At least this isn't the Winter Olympics."
Ji Tiantian nodded silently. She knew very well that this race was of great significance. But the accident had already happened and there was no way to change anything. All she could do was to seize the next race.
Soon, Ji Tang's short dance score was displayed on the display. The technical score was 27.21, the program content score was 27.80, and one point was deducted for falling. The short dance score was 54.01.
Ji Tiantian lowered her eyes and calculated in her mind. The key points of the second part of the pattern dance were all wrong, and the grade was 1, the synchronous twist was 3, the connecting step was 2, and the lift was 4. This was about the score.
She didn't want to fall or make mistakes, but falling was a fall, and the score truly and cruelly reflected what the score would be like after the fall. Compared with the World Youth Championship, it was nearly 10 points less.
After the break, Xu Chi and Tang Yi returned to Ji Tiantian and asked the team doctor about the situation.
"It's a muscle strain. I suggest you not to play tomorrow. It will be bad if it gets worse." said the team doctor.
"Really? We can't compare?" Ji Tiantian asked, looking up.
"Little girl, is tomorrow's game important to you?" The team doctor sighed silently, staring into Ji Tiantian's eyes and asked.
Although he didn't say it explicitly, he knew that Ji Tiantian understood what he meant. On the first day of the short dance, she fell down and her score was not satisfactory, so there was actually not much difference between having a free dance or not.
"Tomorrow's free dance will be my first official free dance competition after being promoted to the next group." Ji Tiantian looked into the team doctor's eyes and said seriously, "The experience of this competition is very important to me. And I think I can finish it." After she said that, she looked at Xu Chi and Tang Yi who were standing beside her.
"Then give it a try. If you don't warm up well tomorrow, don't compete." Xu Chi pondered for a moment and said to Ji Tiantian, "Don't do the five-week twist for now." This season they had pre-choreographed a free dance version with only four weeks of synchronized twists, just to deal with this kind of emergency.
"Okay, you guys manage it yourself. Have a good rest today." The team doctor handed the cold compress to Ji Tiantian. Tang Yi took it and applied cold compress to Ji Tiantian's injured area.
"Tiantian, was that a mistake just now?" Xu Chi was silent for a moment and asked Ji Tiantian.
"Well, I'm faster." Ji Tiantian lowered her eyes and spoke. She was also constantly reflecting on the reasons for her mistakes.
She was too focused on the pattern dance and wanted to score every key point. She didn't want to skate too slowly and make a mistake in the beat, so she slightly increased her skating speed, which resulted in a mistake.
"It was a mistake, so don't think too much about it and keep calm." Xu Chi stroked Ji Tiantian's head gently, "It will be better next time."
"Yeah." Ji Tian nodded.
The two coaches gave Ji Tiantian some more advice, telling her not to take the mistake to heart, and then they walked away with the team doctor to discuss Ji Tiantian's injury.
"Thank you for your hard work." Ji Tiantian glanced at Tang Yi who was applying medical treatment on her wound and spoke softly.
"It's okay." Tang Yi nodded, "I fell in my previous life too. And it was at the World Championships."
"I know about that time." Ji Tiantian nodded. Tang Yi fell down while lifting and hit his head, leaving sequelae. Not long after that, he retired. Compared with Tang Yi, her fall was relatively light.
But even if she knew this, it still couldn't change the fact that she had already fallen. Ji Tiantian couldn't be happy quickly.
"Don't take it to heart." Tang Yi said to Ji Tiantian. Ji Tiantian nodded and said nothing more.
Soon the ice dance short dance competition was over.
The top five rankings are shown on the display:
First place: Daria Nikolay of Russia 75.21
2nd place: Judy Jayne of Canada 66.81
3rd place: Katerin Ilyich of Russia 65.04
4th place: Wei Xiaochang of China, 56.21
5th place: Ji Tiantian Tang Yi from China 54.01
The first three steps were all above level 3. The first one made a mistake in one key point, and the other two groups made two mistakes.
Wei Xiao and Chang Yu made mistakes in three key points of the pattern, and the connecting step was level two, and the twist and lift were also level 4.
"Big Goose's score... is too scary." Everyone in the audience couldn't help but sigh as they looked at the short dance result. "Is this the strength of a top contestant? This short dance result is comparable to other free dances!"
"This is the power of Finnish quickstep... As expected, a short dance can make a big difference."
"Hey, this is Tiantian's first time competing at home, and that's it..."
"Don't say that. The contestants must feel more uncomfortable when they fall than we do."
"I know. I just feel bad for her."
…
Ji Tiantian applied cold compresses to her injured area for a while at the competition venue and then prepared to go home to recuperate. She and Zhang Lilian lived not far from the venue.
Seeing Ji Tiantian like this, Zhang Lilian felt distressed, but she didn't say much and helped Ji Tiantian to get a taxi.
When they left, many relatives, friends and fans came to express their condolences.
"Sister Tiantian, we all know that it's not easy for you, don't feel any psychological burden, just keep calm." Ni Chuan said to Ji Tiantian. The ice fans and Feifei standing by nodded continuously.
Ji Tiantian thanked gratefully and went home with her mother.
The next day, the free dance competition began.
The muscle strain made it impossible to use her full strength, and the impact on many delicate steps in ice dancing was far more profound than Ji Tiantian had imagined. She and Tang Yi's step sequence could not reach level 3, and although other movements were rated level 4, their execution scores were affected. Fortunately, they were all completed smoothly.
Their technical score was 42.21, their program content score was 41.00, and their final score was 83.21.
Other contestants also finished their free dances. Wei Xiao and Chang Yu scored 81.94 in their free dances. Their movements were graded the same as Ji Tang's, with other movements at level 4 and the connecting steps at level 2. In terms of performance, they were still slightly inferior to Ji Tang.
Katerin Ilyich scored 93.67 in the free dance. The adult group had more difficult movements than the youth group, and they performed steadily and stepped up to level 3, so they got this score.
Canadian Judy Jayne scored 96.91 in the free dance, with level 3 steps and level 4 other movements, and a high bonus for program content.
Russia's Dariya Nikolay scored 112.31 in the free dance. As the only two groups of world-class players and the benchmark of ice dance, the score of Big Goose No. 1 will naturally not be low.
The final top five total scores are shown on the display.
First place: Daria Nikolay of Russia 187.52
2nd place: Judy Jayne of Canada 163.72
3rd place: Katerin Ilyich of Russia 158.71
Fourth place: Wei Xiaochang of China 138.15
Fifth place: China’s Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi with 137.22.
"Fifth place..." Chen Yusheng looked at the score display screen with some worry, "I hope Tiantian can get better soon."
"Tiantang had a rough start this season." Other viewers also started talking.
"But they don't have a smooth start to every season, but they should be able to overcome it later."
"Oh, I think it's hard to say this time... the difficulty of the quickstep is too high."
"Could it be... that this wasn't a mistake, but a reflection of their true strength? Maybe in the next game... they will still perform like this?"
"I'm looking forward to the ice dancing at this Winter Olympics. Oh, what should we do if our two pairs of contestants keep getting the same results..."
There was uneasiness in everyone's voice.
With the help of Tang Yi, Ji Tiantian went to the information desk to get her own score sheet, and also took a look at the first place score sheet.
Probably because of the strictness at the beginning of the season, the big goose red and gold duo Dalia and Nikolay, who ranked second in the World Championships and currently won first place in the China Cup, only got level 3 in the free dance transition this time. They did not get the level 4 transition and full technical movement rating that they had obtained last season.
However, they are world-class athletes after all, and their GOE scores for technical execution and program content are close to full marks. In other words, the nine judges who participated in the scoring gave almost all of their technical moves the highest execution level, +3.
The program content is divided into five sub-items, almost all of which are worth 10 points.
Ji Tiantian didn’t feel anything before, but now looking at the scoreboard of the world’s top players, she finds it incredible.
The nearly full marks for GOE and program content were beyond imagination. No wonder Coach Feng from the Smiling Face group had to remind them before that the world of the adult group was a completely different world.
Asian players have no advantage in program content scores, or in other words, it takes longer for them to get high program content scores than European and American players. They need to keep improving and keep gaining recognition. This is what Ji Tiantian deeply felt when she was in the youth group. In the past, Ji Tiantian wanted to move up the rankings mainly by improving the difficulty of her technical movements.
However, the top players in the adult group have already reached the full-grade level in terms of technical movements. Coupled with such program content points, it is simply insurmountable.
I have to work harder. Ji Tiantian looked at her score sheet and frowned slightly.
"Asian ice dancing is really not that good. Both groups of contestants can only perform like this in their own home." The voice of Judy from the Canadian group came from not far away. She was still chatting with Dalia from the Big Goose group.
"It's great that we can achieve this." Dalia smiled at Judy, maintaining a nearly neutral attitude.
"Yeah." Judy nodded, "I don't know how I got such good luck to win the World Youth Gold Medal."
"Ignore them." At this time, Wei Xiao came with Chang Yu. Wei Xiao said to Ji Tiantian: "At the World Championships, I heard Judy often complain about you, saying that they have never won the World Youth Championship."
"I know." Ji Tiantian nodded and gave Wei Xiao a grateful smile.
Wei Xiao looked at Ji Tiantian with mixed feelings. Domestically, they were rivals, but internationally, they were comrades in the same boat.
She thought about it for a long time, but still didn't say much. She hugged Ji Tiantian gently, told her to have a good rest, and then left.
Katerin and Ilyich also came over and hugged Ji Tiantian, then left the stadium with Daria Nikolay.
After changing his clothes, Ji Tang walked out of the competition venue with the coaches.
Xu Chi was silent for most of the journey, then suddenly said, "Let's not go to the Japan station."
Ji Tiantian subconsciously slowed down her pace.
Just like the Grand Prix for the Youth Group, Ji Tang also signed up for two adult groups this time. One is the China Cup and the other is the NHK Cup in Japan. The NHK Cup will be held in five days.
She finished fifth in the race and basically had no chance of qualifying for the year-end finals, but Ji Tiantian didn't want to give up.
"Coach, I want to go." Ji Tiantian grabbed Xu Chi's arm and spoke anxiously, "I can recover well before the game, but I will be in pain for the next two days. I've been in pain before, I know it!"
Xu Chi sighed and looked at Ji Tiantian with deep worry in his eyes.
"Coach Xu, please believe me. I will definitely perform well next time and will not let everyone down!" Ji Tiantian looked into Xu Chi's eyes with determination in her eyes.
It was difficult for her to describe how she felt. She did feel disappointed because of the low score, but at the same time, she also felt incredibly relieved.
Before this, she was always worried about what would happen if she fell during a competition.
But now she knows that it is not that bad. Everyone understands her and encourages her, so she also wants to move forward with everyone's strength.
It was as if a sword that had been hanging over her head had finally fallen. After the loss, she felt her heart filled with endless courage.
No one is immune to falling, what matters is the journey after getting up.
"Tang Yi." Seeing that Xu Chi and Jiang Lin had not spoken, Ji Tiantian turned around and held Tang Yi's hand, hoping that he would say a few more words for her.
However, Tang Yi just frowned and looked at her.
"You asked me to pay attention to my injuries, but what about yourself?" Tang Yi looked at her with a hoarse voice.
Ji Tiantian was stunned for a moment, then immediately defended herself: "My injury is not serious! It's just... it just hurts a little now. It will be healed in five days. Please accompany me to Japan, okay?" She softened her tone and spoke in an almost pleading tone.
Before the crucial National Championships and Winter Olympics, there is only one official competition in Japan where she can hone her performance, and she doesn't want to miss it.
Tang Yi looked at Ji Tiantian and couldn't help but clench his fists. He was not unfamiliar with this kind of scene.
She had begged him before the Grand Prix, asking him to do a five-week twist. He could still feel the two forces tearing violently in his body.
One force is saying, no, no. Another force is saying, listen to her, listen to her no matter what.
"Tang Yi." Ji Tiantian continued to look at Tang Yi, holding his hand, and spoke softly, "I really want to go to the next station. Do you understand me?"
Tang Yi looked at Ji Tiantian, his chest heaving.
Yes, he understood her.
When he stepped on the ice skates, he felt an innate sense of mission.
She couldn't give up and had to move forward, and he knew she felt the same way.
Unconsciously, they walked outside the venue. Zhang Lilian, who had been waiting here for a long time, came over and helped Ji Tiantian to take a car home with her.
"Mom, wait a moment, I have something to talk to the coach." Ji Tiantian said.
Zhang Lilian looked at Xu Chi in confusion.
"Tiantian wants to go to the next race no matter what." Xu Chi sighed silently, "It's only five days away, so short."
"Mom, I can do it." Ji Tiantian looked into Zhang Lilian's eyes and spoke firmly.
Zhang Lilian looked at Ji Tiantian and didn't speak for a long time.
Ji Tiantian also looked into her mother's eyes. She suddenly thought of something that happened a long time ago.
At that time, she had just entered the dance school, and the school wanted to select people to participate in the national dance competition. After a period of deliberation, the teacher and the principal did not choose her.
Ji Tiantian stayed at home for the entire weekend and had no mood to eat.
"Tiantian, I'll tell you the truth. Your instep isn't particularly beautiful, so you can't win over those with better physiques." Zhang Lilian touched Ji Tiantian's head and spoke to her softly, "But, I still think you're great. Your performance and your enthusiasm are very rare talents. As long as you keep working hard, you'll always be an excellent dancer."
"But I've been preparing for a long time... I don't want to lose." Ji Tiantian said sullenly, "Then there is no dance... no competition that doesn't look at the instep?"
"Mom doesn't know about such a competition." Zhang Lilian saw that Ji Tiantian was very depressed, and couldn't help but touch her head with a smile, "But, mom thinks you will encounter it! If that happens, you must go all out!"
"Mom, I want to go." Ji Tiantian came back to her senses from her memories and looked at Zhang Lilian with a pair of bright eyes, "I think I can do it!"
Zhang Lilian looked at Ji Tiantian, tears of sadness and understanding in her eyes.
"Please... take her there." Zhang Lilian reached out and held Xu Chi's hand tightly.
After a while, she stretched out her other hand and held Tang Yi, "Please take good care of Tiantian... Thank you for your hard work."
Tang Yi's chest was still heaving violently. After a long time, he slowly held Zhang Lilian's hand.
"I'll try my best," he whispered, giving a firm promise.
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