Skating Star
During dinner that night I told my little-house family all about Jillian. I told them about the cups of hot chocolate and the perfect figure eight. I could not stop talking about meeting her.
“She must have very little free time,” Seth said. “It is hard to compete in skating.”
“She must really love the sport,” Mommy added.
“I love skating too,” I said. When I finished my meal, I was supposed to do my homework. But I was too excited. I wanted to call the Musketeers and tell them that I met the star skater at the ice arena.
No one was home at Hannie’s house, so I called Nancy next. Nancy clicked over from another call. She was on the other line — with Ian.
I almost said, “Tell Ian that I spoke to Jillian!” But I stopped myself. That would give Ian’s secret away. Nancy would know that he was taking skating lessons with me. And I had promised not to tell.
“Karen, can I call you back?” Nancy said. “Ian and I are working on some homework.”
“Sure,” I said. “Tell Ian that I said hi.” I figured that was safe. I, Karen Brewer, can keep an important secret.
Then I decided to call my big sister, Kristy. I figured she would be very impressed that I had a new friend who was a skating star. As it turned out, Kristy knew Jillian! They used to be in the same class at Stoneybrook Elementary School.
“I haven’t seen Jillian in a long time,” Kristy said. “She left school to train full-time, and now she has tutors for her schoolwork.”
“Jillian had my teacher when she was my age. I want to be just like her,” I told Kristy.
“Karen,” Kristy said, “Jillian has had to make a lot of sacrifices. That means she had to give up things to get where she is now. She works very hard at her skating. She does not have a lot of time to hang out with her friends. It is a tough life.”
“I am her friend,” I said. “She had time to hang out with me today.” I was not sure what Kristy meant about sacrifices. Did she mean missing school? That did not seem so bad for someone who had a chance to win at the Olympics. Jillian loved being a skating star. She did not mention giving up things to me.
“I think that it is nice that you are friends with Jillian, Karen,” Kristy said. “She probably would appreciate having a friend like you.”
When I hung up the phone, I smiled. I was proud and happy. Jillian Earhart, the skating star, was my friend.
My New Friend
During Friday’s warm-up skate, I skated by the red cones and waved to Jillian. She was talking to Coach Brown, so I did not think she saw me. He was moving her arms in different directions and making her do the same move again and again.
Then Mrs. Harris called our class together in the blue-cone area. She showed us how to do forward crossovers. Ian and I knew how to do those already. We had been doing them all week. So while Mrs. Harris was helping the other kids in the class, Ian and I practiced skating backward.
I told Ian about meeting Jillian. “She is so nice. And she had Mrs. Harris as a teacher, just like us,” I said.
Ian thought that was cool. He said that he had seen Jillian on television the month before, and she had won a big competition. “She was much, much better than everybody else,” he added. “But I wish someone like Michael Phaneuf trained here.”
I wondered if Ian said that because he would rather meet a boy skater.
“Nice skating, Karen and Ian!” Mrs. Harris called to us.
We smiled. But we were still wondering when Mrs. Harris would tell us that we could move up to another class.
I tried to help Kelly and Alyse with their crossovers, but it was hard to show them when they would not let go of the wall.
Soon it was time for the free skate. Ian was leaving early to go to his grandmother’s house. I was sorry that he had to leave. But I was happy that I could stay and practice. I could watch Jillian too. I did not expect to talk to her again, but I knew I could learn by copying what she did on the ice.
I skated near the red cones and watched out of the corner of my eye. Coach Brown was not there anymore, but Jillian was practicing her sit spins. She waved at me when she finished one.
“Hi, Karen!” she said.
“Hi, Jillian!” I called back proudly. I wished Ian were there to see this.
Jillian skated over to the red cone where I was standing. I could not believe it. She wanted to talk to me again.
“How was your lesson?” Jillian asked.
I told her about the crossovers. I even told her that Mrs. Harris’s class was easy, because I knew how to do the moves already.
“Well, maybe I can teach you something trickier. Do you know how to do a waltz jump?” Jillian said.
I did not know. So Jillian showed me. She leaped up and turned gracefully. Jillian showed me how to bend my knees going into the jump and to hold my arms. “And remember to keep your head up,” she added.
As we skated in the red-cone area, I felt very special. Especially when I looked up and saw Kelly and Alyse watching.
I did another waltz jump and Jillian clapped. She was a great teacher.
“Your class will probably learn this in a few weeks,” Jillian said. “I loved doing these when I was your age.”
Jillian was teaching me some of her favorite moves!
The free skate was almost over. I could not believe how much time Jillian had spent with me. Maybe Kristy was right and Jillian really needed a friend. She probably did not see many kids. I could be her friend. After all, I was going to be a star skater just like her.
Gold Medal Dreams
The next day was Saturday, and I was back at the rink.
I saw Ian on the benches lacing up his skates. I sat down next to him to say that Jillian had showed me how to do a waltz jump. “I will show you how to do it during the free skate,” I said. I did not want him to feel left out.
“The rest of the kids in our class will not learn how to do the jump for a few weeks,” I said. “They are not as advanced as we are.”
When the free skate started, I did the waltz jump for Ian. Then I tried to be a good teacher like Jillian. But Ian got a little mad when I told him to keep his head up.
“You don’t have to be so bossy, Karen,” he said. “I am just going to practice my backward crossovers.”
Well, boo and bullfrogs. I was only trying to help. Maybe Ian did not want to learn from a girl skater. I skated the length of the rink and passed the red-cone area. I was careful to make all my crossovers very clean in case Jillian was watching.
“Hi, Karen!” Jillian said as she waved to me. “Come here. I would like you to meet somebody very special.”
I was going inside the red-cone area again! I skated to where Jillian and her coach were standing.
“Jeremy, this is Karen Brewer, the girl I was telling you about,” Jillian said.
Coach Brown was tall and had a nice, friendly smile. He shook my hand and then put his hand on my shoulder. “Jillian says that you are a great skater.”
An Olympic coach had heard that I was a great skater! I could not say anything (which is not at all like me). All I could do was smile.
“Karen is in Mrs. Harris’s class, just like I was when I was little,” Jillian said.
Coach Brown smiled again. “How are the lessons going, Karen?” he asked.
“Oh, I love skating,” I replied, and smiled at Jillian. “Jillian showed me how to do a waltz jump. Most of the kids in my class are not ready to learn how to do that yet.”
Coach Brown smiled at Jillian. “Karen, have you ever been to a skating competition?”
“No,” I said.
“Jillian has a competition this Friday night. Would you like to come see her perform?”
Goody, goody, goody! “Oh, yes!” I said.
Jillian laughed, and so did Coach Brown.
“I will get you some backstage passes,” Coach Brown said.
“I will have to ask my mommy,” I said. “But I’m sure that it wil
l be okay with her.”
“Just have your mother call me here at the rink and we will set everything up.” Coach Brown was so nice. I bet he was this nice to Jillian all the time. Jillian was a lucky skater to have such a great coach!
I thanked Coach Brown and Jillian and left the red-cone area. I did another few turns on the rink, making perfect crossovers. I hoped Coach Brown was watching. I did not need Mrs. Harris anymore. She was a teacher for little kids. An Olympic hopeful needed a real coach, like Jeremy Brown.
Now that I was friends with Jillian and her coach, I could see my whole skating career coming together. I would train with Coach Brown and prepare for big competitions just like the one I was about to see. I would skate a perfect routine at the Olympics. I would have a spangly outfit with lots of sequins. Everyone would comment on how great I looked out on the rink. When my perfect routine was over, the sold-out crowd would jump to their feet, applaud very loudly, and shout my name. Then I would stand on the platform with loads of flowers as the National Anthem played throughout the large arena. The judge would walk toward me and I would bend my head for her to award me with a gold medal.
I would wave to my family and all my friends. I would be Karen Brewer, gold-medal skating star!
A Big Break
All day Wednesday I waited for school to be over. In the afternoon, Nancy, Hannie, Natalie, Ian, Chris, and I worked on our Abraham Lincoln poster for Presidents’ Day. It was a life-size picture. Ms. Colman was going to hang it in the classroom. I was busy coloring in Lincoln’s hat, but I kept looking at the clock above the door. I love school, but I wanted to get to the rink to tell Jillian that I was allowed to go to her competition! Even Ms. Colman asked me why I was so eager for the final bell to ring. (She knows that I usually love school.)
I saw Jillian as soon as I entered the arena. A very pretty woman was showing her different hand motions. I waved, but Jillian did not see me. I would have to tell her about the competition later.
As Ian and I were getting ready to step on the ice, Mrs. Harris sat down next to us.
“Hi, you two,” she said. “I want to talk to you about something.”
I could not believe it. Was Mrs. Harris going to ask me if I wanted to work with Coach Brown? Did she have the same Olympic dream for me too?
“A week from Saturday, we are having the Festival on Ice here at the arena,” she said. “The festival is where the best skaters from all age levels perform. I would love it if you both would skate in the show.”
Ian and I looked at each other. We grinned. I did not know what Ian was thinking. But I was thinking this could be my big break!
Finally Mrs. Harris was noticing my talent (and Ian’s).
“You will be representing our class at the show,” she added.
“Will we get to wear fancy costumes?” I asked.
“Of course,” Mrs. Harris said with a smile.
“How many other kids are skating?” Ian asked.
“Oh, let me see. Probably about twenty. This is our biggest festival yet.”
“What music will I skate to?” Ian asked.
“Well, I was hoping that you and Karen would skate as a pair,” Mrs. Harris said. “We have not chosen the music yet, though.”
I had not thought about skating with a partner. I looked at Ian. He did not seem very happy about that idea.
Mrs. Harris smiled. “I think that you and Karen will make an excellent skating pair. But it will take lots of hard work to prepare for the show. You will have to practice many hours.”
I knew that skating was hard work. I was ready for it. After all, this could be my big chance. Maybe Mrs. Harris was doing this as a test for us before we could move into an advanced class. I was ready to pass with flying colors.
But Ian shrugged his shoulders. He was not worried about the hard work, it turned out. He was worried about skating with me. “Um, do we have to hold hands while we skate?”
Well, for goodness’ sake!
Mrs. Harris smiled and put her hand on Ian’s shoulder. “Not the whole time, but you will have to hold Karen’s hand some of the time.” She looked at Ian and then at me. “But you are good friends, right?”
I watched Ian. I hoped he would nod yes. I really wanted to skate in the Festival on Ice.
“It will be fun, Ian,” I said.
Ian slowly nodded. He agreed. It was all set. Ian and I were going to skate in the Festival on Ice!
During the free skate I told Jillian my news. I told her about the festival and that I could go to her competition.
“Great, Karen!” she said. “I will see you Friday night at the competition.”
I skated away feeling very happy. I was finally on my way to becoming the next Jillian Earhart!
Skating Show
On Friday after school Mommy took me to the florist to get a bouquet of flowers for Jillian. We also got her a teddy bear with a T-shirt that said #1. I could not wait to go to my first real skating competition.
Seth drove Mommy, Andrew, and me to Lawrenceville Rink, where the competition was being held. There were lots of cars in the parking lot. This was a big event.
Coach Brown had gotten us great seats. I was so close to the ice! I loved seeing all the lights and hearing the music play. Every seat was taken. The crowd was very excited and so was I.
I looked at the program of skaters. Lots of boys were skating. (I would be sure to tell Ian that the next day.) But the first skater was a girl named Caroline Jones. She did all her jumps perfectly and the crowd roared with applause. I opened the program again and counted the skaters. There were three more before Jillian’s turn.
When Jillian skated out to the center of the rink, I could hardly breathe! Jillian looked glamorous. She was wearing a lavender dress, and her hair was tied with purple flowers. A bright-blue spotlight focused on her. (I decided that I would want that for the beginning of my skating performance too.) The crowd cheered, and then her music began. It was the “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” from The Nutcracker.
“She is perfect,” I said to Mommy as Jillian started to skate. She landed two double toe loops in a row. Everyone cheered.
The music sped up and Jillian did her first triple axel jump. I had seen her do these in practice. She was really good at jumps. She twirled up in the air and rotated around three times. But on her landing, her foot wobbled and she fell.
The crowd all sighed, “Ooh!”
Poor Jillian. I leaned forward in my seat to see what would happen next. She got up right away and continued with her program. She even had a huge smile on her face. I was sure the judges would give her credit for getting up after a fall. After all, Jillian had the courage to keep going with her program. As the final chord of the music played, Jillian was back in the center of the rink with her hands high up over her head. She smiled and waved at the crowd. Then she skated to the side of the rink, hugged Coach Brown, and disappeared. Mommy pointed to the large board in the center of the rink, where the judges’ scores would appear.
I watched the board. I squeezed Jillian’s bear and crossed my fingers for good luck. “Oh, please. Oh, please,” I said over and over, hoping for Jillian’s scores to be good.
The bright-red numbers of the first score made the crowd boo. It was a low score. And so was the next one. And the next one. I could not believe it. Jillian finished the competition in fifth place.
Flowers and Teddy Bears
The lights dimmed in the large arena for the award ceremony. I could not believe that Jillian was not the girl on the center platform receiving flowers from the judge. Caroline Jones, the first skater, was the winner. She waved and smiled at the crowd.
When the ceremony was over, Mommy and Seth said that we should go backstage to give Jillian her gifts. I was excited about going behind the scenes. I thought I would find lots of people with cameras and microphones. Maybe a television reporter would want to ask me a few questions, since I was a friend of Jillian’s.
When we walked backstage,
I looked for Jillian. But I did not see her anywhere. Finally Mommy asked someone where we could find her, and we headed for a little room in the back.
Jillian was sitting on a bench with an ice pack on her ankle. She was wearing her warm-up sweats. There were no reporters or cameras around her. She was just sitting quietly with Coach Brown. I thought that Jillian might be crying. If I fell during my program, I would cry. But Jillian did not look as though she had been crying.
“Hi, Jillian,” I said. I handed her the flowers and the teddy bear. She smiled. (I think that she really liked the bear.) I introduced Mommy, Seth, and Andrew to Jillian and Coach Brown.
“You had a difficult program,” Mommy said. “You are a terrific skater.”
“Thank you,” Jillian replied. She shifted her foot and winced a little. She must have hurt her foot during the routine.
“Is your ankle okay?” Andrew asked. He was staring at the large blue ice pack.
“It will be fine,” Jillian said. “I just twisted it.” Jillian looked up at Coach Brown and he gave her a hug. “This was not my best performance.” She sighed.
“Jillian is a champion,” Coach Brown said. “But sometimes even champions have bad days.”
“I knew that my landing was not perfect. I felt it. But these things happen,” Jillian explained.
I could not believe how brave Jillian was being. She was so calm, even though she had made such a big mistake.
“Jillian never gives up on her positive thinking. That is what makes her a star,” Coach Brown said. “Every skater falls down sometimes. The true test of a champion is whether she gets up.”
We all wished Jillian well and headed out of the arena. I was a little disappointed. I had expected to see the television crews and groups of fans. The scene behind the competition was not what I thought it would be.
On the way home I looked out the window and thought about the Festival on Ice. I hoped that my own performance the next week would go better than Jillian’s today. Mrs. Harris said that Ian and I had to practice. Well, I was going to practice every day! I did not want to fall in front of all those people. I was not sure I could pick myself up and keep skating. I was not sure I would want to do that either.