[ open | july post ]

[bringbackgold]

who: Otabek + open
what: Catchall for July. Currently - at the rink. Will update if needed! :)
when: Through July ; Mid day.
where: The Rink
warnings: Nothing to worry about.

ooc note - feel free to send me a message here or on agalio if needed




At the rink; Afternoon

Every second, every movement, every step. It was all a show. Regardless as to whether or not he had an audience, Otabek treated each practice seriously. He treated it like he would be performing to win that gold and bring it back to Kazakhstan. He worked himself hard over the few hours he had at the rink every day. This day was not different. He arrived there shortly before one. He walked towards the edge of the rink and sat on a bench near the door. The ice was always freshly cleaned with the Zamboni at 12:45, so when he arrived, they were always finishing. He could step on fresh ice and enjoy the feel of it beneath his blades. He took of his shoes, sliding on his skates. He tugged the laces tight, and slid the guards off of the blades. He dropped his jacket on the half-wall by the rink, checking the music on his phone, and putting in earbuds before hitting the ice.

The songs that played help keep him focused. He moved smoothly on the ice, warming up. He started with some step sequences, first. Feet moving easily over the ice. The movements came easier as time passed. And as he got more comfortable with the step sequences, he moved onto jumps. Singles - first. He was sure to pause and just skate for a few moments between jumps. He didn't want to wear himself out too quickly. Pacing, his coach would remind him, pacing was important.

As he progressed, he finally moved onto quads. He went through the Quad Salchow first. The move that he remembered learning from someone who was his friend once. His expression shifted for only a moment thinking about the fact that they had shared a lot then. After a brief moment, he returned to his serious, concentrated expression. He tried for a Quad Flip, and flopped. It didn't go well - the first several temps resulted in him hitting the ice or touching down. He'd get up, move, and work on a step sequence between each attempt.

It felt so quiet out here, even with the sound of the music in his ears. And then, he looked up towards the edge of the ice and saw someone, so he made his way over to them, tugging the earbuds out of his ears. "Here to skate?" he asked.

Comments

[carrotkeeper]

When a man appeared on the network offering ice skating lessons, Iris' curiosity was piqued. She's adventurous by nature, taking every opportunity she can to learn anything new, and this definitely fell under that category. Excited as she is, Iris arrives early one afternoon, bustling with energy to learn the tools of this very unique trade. That is, if she can manage to lace up these shoes first. Balancing is a struggle from the get go and she tries to move closer to the rink, eyes down to watch every slow step she makes.

After practice with that, she's confident enough to take her eyes off her own feet and when she glances up, she sees a guy gliding across the ice. She's never met him in person, only knowing him by his text from the network, but the way he moves makes it very clear this is the teacher. It's amazing, honestly, the way he slides around the rink with grace and even when he falls on the ground, she cheers him on. It's obvious he doesn't hear her exuberant yells, but it doesn't dissuade her. Though it becomes apparent why he didn't notice her when he pulls out his earbuds and she waves to him, smiling from ear to ear.

"You bet!" She points down to her skating shoes and takes one cautious step towards the rink as she continues speaking. "I've never done this before. Think you can give me a couple tips?"

[bringbackgold]

He hadn't seen her before, so she wasn't necessarily a guest that he had been expecting to see. He approached the opening in the half-wall where she could enter easily onto the ice. He didn't consider himself much of a teacher, but he supposed his offer made him seem like one. Still, he thought he'd enjoy showing people things here and there. Or at least maybe convincing them to have fun on the ice like he did.

He just wanted to share what he liked with people who were interested. He was glad someone unfamiliar showed up. That meant that there was someone here who was interested in it, even if it was because of his offer. His movements are easy there, and he knows it can take some adjusting to even get used walking on the thin blades. Then stepping onto ice afterwards? Even more difficult.

She seemed to have a pretty good grip on walking on the blades, so it was just translating that skill the shift to the ice that would help. "You have a good center," he noted. Her balance seemed solid enough to maintain it while she was standing there. "It's why you can stand there or walk on them." Finding that, and then getting to the ice would probably help protect her from falling.

He glided slightly away from the opening in the wall, standing nearby. "A lot of people keep their knees bent a little when they step onto the ice to keep their center of gravity lower, and hang near the wall. But..." He hoped the advice was good, he never really tried to share it. "It's similar to how you managed to find your balance when you walked over here. Also...not being afraid to fall helps. Just don't try and catch yourself."