Chapter 23: The Waves Before and After
Lin Xiaoman's worries were not groundless. "Do you know how much impact 3A has on the knees and ankles? Don't rush and injure yourself!"
He Hui was silent.
She certainly knew that the impact that figure skaters bear when they land after each jump is several times their body weight, and that their ankles can be sprained or even suffer from bursitis or Achilles tendinitis.
Lin Xiaoman sighed, "You have a long career ahead of you. Let's first compete in the National Winter Games to see how you perform and then increase the difficulty level little by little, okay?"
Perhaps because she had seen too many players whose careers were ended by injuries, Lin Xiaoman was very afraid that He Hui would follow in their footsteps.
Feeling Lin Xiaoman's concern, He Hui nodded to show his understanding.
Lin Xiaoman continued to instruct: "This time in the 12th Winter Games, you will be representing the adult group of Province B, but don't be too nervous, just think of it as accumulating some experience for the World Youth Games."
He Hui nodded and asked curiously, "Is there anyone else going to Province B?"
"Tan Ling, and Kong Ziqiu."
Tan Ling's attendance was not surprising, but He Hui did not expect that Kong Ziqiu also got a spot.
"Will Kong Ziqiu compete in the junior group next year?" He Hui asked, "It seems that he didn't get a place this year."
Lin Xiaoman nodded. "She is actually the same age as you, but she just graduated this year, so she didn't get a place in the competition before. But Zhu Jianyong thinks she has performed well in the past six months. Several women's singles players in the provincial team's adult group have declined in their development, so she stepped up."
After some explanation, He Hui also understood the current difficult situation of women's singles skating in China.
"So you understand why Zhu Jianyong cares so much about you, right?" Lin Xiaoman said, holding up her head. "If I took you to another team, he would probably come to my doorstep to block me."
Chinese singles skating has been stuck in a stagnation period in recent years, with both men's and women's singles failing to make the podium for years. One quota in major world competitions is the norm, and two quotas is a fluke.
According to ice fans, this is not called a lack of transition, but rather calling for help from heaven and earth but getting no response.
He Hui's consecutive championships in the youth sub-races and the grand final were like green trees that suddenly sprang up in the dry desert, making her a shining new star like a savior.
Of course, He Hui himself may not know how he is gradually sparking a figure skating craze.
*
On the first day of training with the Province B provincial team after returning from Quebec, He Hui arrived at the ice rink early. The familiar place made her tense nerves relax a lot.
She carefully completed a series of warm-ups on land and tied her ice skates carefully before unbolting the door and opening the baffle door to get on the ice.
There was still more than half an hour before the official training started, and there were only a few players on the field.
Whoosh, a thin girl passed by.
It’s Kong Ziqiu.
He Hui was not surprised when he saw Kong Ziqiu. After all, people who can make rapid progress in a short period of time are either gifted, hardworking, or a combination of both.
But when she looked to the other side, she was suddenly startled by a familiar yet unfamiliar figure.
"Talk, talk about spirits?" He Hui muttered to himself.
She pushed off the ice and slid closer to him in an instant, "It's really you! Long time no see!"
Tan Ling's tone was a little depressed. She forced a smile and said to He Hui, "I haven't congratulated you on winning the finals yet."
This depressed tone was completely different from the enthusiastic and cheerful girl that He Hui had in mind.
Although he was a little slow to react, He Hui also realized that something was wrong at the moment.
Logically speaking, since Tan Ling was promoted to the national team, her daily practice has been arranged by the national team. Now she suddenly appears in the provincial team. Could it be that... Tan Ling was demoted from the national team to the provincial team? !
After realizing this, He Hui suddenly didn't know what to say to Tan Ling.
She opened her mouth, then pursed it awkwardly. Her belated concern at this time seemed a bit hypocritical.
He Hui touched her earlobe awkwardly.
Tan Ling laughed at herself, looking relaxed, and comforted He Hui, "It's actually no big deal. If your grades are not good, you just have to accept the reality."
He Hui felt uncomfortable when she thought of how Lin Xiaoman apologized for Tan Ling's poor grades in her previous life.
But she didn't know how to rewrite the ending.
He Hui was silent for a moment, then asked, "Have you ever thought about changing your technique?"
"Change, how can I change?" Tan Ling still smiled bitterly, "I feel like even drinking water makes me fatter. I have no strength if I don't eat, and I can't jump after eating. It's an eternal vicious cycle."
Tan Ling's mental state was severely tortured by this dilemma, and she was completely out of energy.
He Hui suggested: "How about building muscle? I heard that when male athletes suddenly grow taller, they will use this method."
He Hui really wants to change her fate. She always feels that every different ending from the previous life brings her one step closer to her ultimate dream of figure skating.
Tan Ling frowned, "I've thought about it, but the physical conditions of boys and girls are different. I've never been a power type, and it's difficult for me to press the outside edge of my hook shot..."
He Hui was in distress.
"It's okay, I won't give up on retirement just like that. Just let me struggle a little longer." Tan Ling said this with an inexplicable sense of tragedy.
"I believe you can do it!" He Hui cheered Tan Ling up with sparkling eyes, "There is no creation without destruction, try a new method, maybe it will work wonders."
Later, He Hui searched for relevant discussions on social media and gained a general understanding of Tan Ling’s current configuration.
She completely lost her advanced 3-3 move, and her success rate of the simplest 3T+3T also dropped significantly. In most cases, she could only do 3-2. Her edge problem of hook shot became more serious. She was marked as e in every game. Not only did her bv get a discount, but her goe was also not good. But the most fatal thing was her instability caused by her lack of physical strength. She could only clean the surface a few times.
This was not a good omen, and He Hui was worried.
Soon, the players arrived at the ice rink one after another.
They immediately noticed Tan Ling's figure, and considering the gossip that had been spread before, several male team members began to whisper about her.
"Did Tan Ling get rejected by the national team?"
"Yeah, that's miserable."
"If I were so embarrassed by her, I wouldn't even come to practice."
"They just have a good attitude. You should learn from them. Otherwise, you won't be able to skate better than the girls on the team."
"You!! Your 3A is not even as good as He Hui's!"
The topic ended with the two of them arguing with each other.
*
On the other side of the ice rink, Kong Ziqiu was doing a 3Lz+3T high-level jump combo. His three attempts were smooth and stable, and there was no problem with the number of rotations. In He Hui's opinion, this was a world of difference from the stumbling two weeks ago.
Kong Ziqiu seems to be still trying the triple jump and double double jump with his hands raised, and he is very ambitious.
He Hui withdrew his gaze and saw that Zhu Jianyong was already gathering everyone for the daily routine lecture.
The content of the training was always boring. Most of the team members were slacking off, and some of the bolder ones were even whispering to each other.
"The twelfth winter is coming soon, look at what you have become!" Zhu Jianyong was so angry when he saw this, "Some of you haven't even got a place yet, and you're just laughing here every day. Can you train more seriously?"
It immediately became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
"Let's do a circle warm-up first." Zhu Jianyong calmed down a little and blew a whistle. Everyone immediately lined up in tacit understanding and dared not slack off again.
During the individual jumping practice time, Lin Xiaoman set a number of 3A challenges for He Hui, "Please, Miss, can you be nicer to your ankles and knees?"
He Hui was amused by his coach's slightly helpless tone. He raised his right hand and pointed three fingers to the sky, "Definitely!"
He Hui did not focus too much on 3A.
Since winning the Junior Grand Prix Finals, she has gradually mastered the key and skills, and her success rate has been rising. But even the triple-T jump is not very stable, sometimes working and sometimes not.
But He Hui's real ambition is to upgrade the advanced three-three.
In this finals, she witnessed the magic of Lian 3Lo with her own eyes and was a little envious of this skill.
At that time, the BV of 3Lz+3T was 10.1 points, and the BV of 3Lz+3Lo was 11.1 points, a full point higher. Without quadruple jumps or triple axels, the difference in the women's singles podium might be just a few millimeters away.
This deal is a good deal no matter how you look at it.
So, under Lin Xiaoman's scorching gaze, He Hui secretly changed 3Lz+3T to 3Lz+3Lo on the court.
The second jump was as cool as it was cool when it took off, and as embarrassing as it was when it fell.
But He Hui refused to believe in evil, and tried again when she failed the first time. She would get up immediately after falling flat on her face. She fell seven or eight times in a row, and she would immediately brush off the ice and prepare to continue.
"He, Hui." A deep female voice entered He Hui's eardrum.
Oh no, Lin Xiaoman seems a little angry.
He Hui slid over to Lin Xiaoman with a wry smile and lied clumsily, "I was just trying it out."
"Do you think I believe it?" Lin Xiaoman also smiled, and with the bright red lipstick, she looked a little scary.
"I... really didn't practice 3A much." He Hui touched the tip of his nose, trying to argue.
"And then you just kept silent and performed the 3Lo operation for me, right?" Lin Xiaoman laughed out of anger, "You really gave me a big surprise!"
Well, this expression doesn’t look like surprise, but rather like shock.
He Hui put forward his own idea, "3Lo is very useful. If I can have both 3Lo and 3A, it will be useless no matter how much the referee lowers my score, right? My difficulty level is not the same as others'."
"But you have to discuss it with me in advance, right?" Lin Xiaoman sighed deeply.
"I'm not saying that I don't want you to increase your difficulty, but everything should be done step by step. You have been increasing your intensity this season, but if you get injured, it may not just be a matter of being out for the next season. Yes, Sochi is still two years away, but can you guarantee that you will be 100% recovered after the injury?"
What Lin Xiaoman said actually made sense. But He Hui was used to being a CEO in her previous life, and it seemed that she was responsible for everything. Even if she lost millions in business, she could still swallow it with a calm face.
This made her subconsciously choose to face the challenge alone, and she completely forgot to discuss the matter with Lin Xiaoman.
After hearing this, He Hui lowered his head and remained silent.
"Okay, don't feel wronged." Lin Xiaoman's temper came and went quickly, "It's just 20 minutes, go and draw the pattern on time later."
When He Hui heard that Lin Xiaoman agreed to let her try the new technology, her eyes lit up.
Sure enough, Coach Lin Xiaoman has a sharp tongue but a soft heart!
He Hui wiped his frozen nose, took a long breath, and after two or three steps of pushing off the ice, he confidently reached the open space again.
She iced again and again to complete 3Lz, and tried her best to maintain the speed to connect 3Lo.
At the beginning, I fell several times as usual. After falling too many times, people will instinctively feel fear and hesitate before taking off. In figure skating, once you hesitate, it is very likely that you will make a false jump.
After missing twice in a row, He Hui felt a little angry with himself and stood aside to adjust his breathing.
"You can do it, He Hui." She whispered to herself to encourage herself.
The law of attraction came into play here. Gradually, He Hui's 3Lo was able to stand up. Although he could turn over and hold the ice, his condition of falling on the ice was getting better little by little.
With extreme concentration, 20 minutes passed in the blink of an eye.
By the last attempt, He Hui was even able to stand steadily.
Although, the slide out is completely absent and the goe estimate is negative.
He Hui panted and slid to Lin Xiaoman. "It seems like it's almost done?"
"We'll talk about that tomorrow." Lin Xiaoman forced He Hui to leave work, "Go skate."
To the team members who were silently observing from the surroundings, this conversation between master and disciple was a bit too Versailles!
"So it's possible to quickly master 3Lz+3Lo from scratch in 20 minutes, right?" Team member A had a dazed look on his face.
"He Hui is so strong. It feels like the wave behind is about to push the wave in front onto the beach." Another team member B raised his chin and motioned his friend to look in the direction of Tan Ling.
Tan Ling was doing advanced level 33 rehabilitation all by herself. Her flying height was now almost half of what it was a year ago, and she fell heavily when she spun in the air.
Eight times out of ten, Tan Ling fell to the ground on the second jump, with ice chips all over her body.
Tan Ling's coach had some other youth team members under him. He occasionally looked at the fallen Tan Ling, but never said a word, and quickly turned around to continue coaching the more promising younger generation.
"Alas, what a pity." Team member A sighed, "It feels like Kong Ziqiu is about to surpass her."
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