School was fun. We had a party and read our valentines. Ian gave me one that said:
I gave him one too. I wrote:
Our show was to take place the very next day. At the rink red-and-pink hearts and balloons were everywhere. There was even a red spotlight on the rink!
Mrs. Harris started our music, and Ian and I began our routine. We counted together and did everything perfectly.
“Well done!” Mrs. Harris said. “I think you are ready for the show tomorrow night.”
“I think we are too,” Ian said. We skated to the side of the rink and stepped off the ice. We were about to take off our skates when Jillian walked into the arena. She was wearing a red sweater. And she was walking with a boy! Maybe he was Jillian’s valentine. He was very cute.
“Hi, Karen! Hi, Ian!” Jillian said. She brought the boy to where we were sitting.
Ian’s face burst into a huge grin. “You’re Roman Legedza!”
Jillian and Roman laughed. “Yes, that is right,” the boy said. “I am Roman Legedza.”
Jillian introduced us to Roman.
“Wow,” Ian said. “You are, like, the best male skater in the whole world!”
“Thank you,” Roman said. “That is a huge compliment.”
Jillian told us that Roman won the gold medal in the last Olympics and that he was training in a nearby town. She said they had been friends for a long time.
“Are you skating in tomorrow’s show?” Roman asked.
“Yes,” Ian and I said together.
“Could I see you do one of those flips that you did last month at the Nationals?” Ian asked Roman.
Roman smiled. “Sure, but why don’t you show me one of your moves first?”
Roman and Ian went out on the ice. I turned to Jillian. I was not sure what to say to her. How could I tell her that I had decided not to be a star skater like she was? I bet she noticed that I did not recognize Roman Legedza. I wondered if Jillian knew that I wanted to quit skating. I still wanted to be her friend. Would she be mad at me?
Push and Glide
I was playing with the strap on my skate bag as I watched Ian and Roman skate. I was trying hard not to look at Jillian. I did not want to tell her that I was finished with skating lessons.
“Karen,” Jillian said. “You know, you can love the sport of skating without making it your career. It is hard work and it is not for everyone.”
I wondered how she had known just what to say. I finally looked up at her. “I really wanted to be just like you,” I said. “But I do not think that I can. I did not realize how hard it was going to be.”
Jillian smiled and gave me a hug. “You are a great skater, Karen. And tomorrow you and Ian will have a chance to perform in front of lots of people.”
“I know. But I did not want to disappoint you.”
“You have not disappointed me. You helped me to remember how much I love skating and how much I love this sport.” Jillian smiled at me. “And you also made me realize how lucky I am. I have a wonderful coach and very good friends … like you.”
“I did all that?” I said.
Jillian laughed. “Yes, silly. You did.”
I was glad that Jillian was not mad at me. But there was one more thing that I needed to ask her.
“Jillian, I know that I will never be as good as you. But could you just help me to make one real figure eight?”
“Sure,” Jillian said. She laced up her skates, and we stepped onto the ice. The ice had just been cleaned, so there were no blade marks. The surface was smooth and clear. Perfect for making eights, Jillian told me.
I got into position. I tried to remember everything Jillian had done.
“Push and glide,” she coached. I glided around and made a wobbly loop. I switched my foot at the top and pushed off to form the bottom loop of the eight.
“Great job!” Jillian said. I looked down at the ice. There on the shiny surface was an eight! I had made a figure eight!
I gave Jillian a hug. “Thank you!” I said.
“You did it all yourself,” Jillian said. “Karen Brewer, you are a star!”
Festival on Ice
When I woke up on Saturday, I was excited. The ice show was that night. I called the big house to make sure that everyone there was coming to see my show. Elizabeth answered the phone and said that the whole family would be there. She said that they would all see me after the show.
I waited all day, until Mommy finally said that it was time to go to the arena.
I got ready in the locker room at the arena. I loved my beautiful pink spangly outfit. Mommy even put my hair up in a fancy way. “This is a special occasion,” she said.
I looked in the mirror outside the locker room. I looked like a princess. A real skating star.
“Hey, Karen!” Ian said. I turned to look at my partner. Ian’s outfit was blue. “Do you like my costume?” he asked.
“You look great, Ian,” I said.
“After Roman told me about the outfit that he had to wear at his first performance, I did not think this was so bad. Roman had to wear a costume with feathers, and he sneezed through his whole routine!”
Ian and I laughed as we thought about Roman in a feathered costume.
Soon it was time for the show to begin. Ian and I waited for the pairs part of the program. When it was our turn, we skated out to the center of the ice. I was a little scared. The arena was very dark. Looking out into the audience, it was impossible to see faces. We just heard lots of cheering. I knew that my family and everyone in Ms. Colman’s class were there cheering for us. We just could not see them.
As soon as the music started, I felt better. The familiar count started in my head, and Ian and I began to skate. We did everything perfectly. Our waltz jumps were done at the same time and I even held my leg extension straight. The crowd was cheering, and Ian and I were both smiling. When the music ended, Ian and I skated to the center of the rink. We bowed and then skated off the ice holding hands. We had done it!
Mrs. Harris gave us each a huge hug and told us that we had been perfect. Back in the locker room we saw our friends and families. Ms. Colman was there too. Ian and I each got flowers, stuffed animals, and chocolate! (Nannie made Ian and me chocolate ice skates.)
Mrs. Harris told us that we should go up to the sky box to watch the next performers. “It is a special treat,” she said.
We all sat in the large box overlooking the rink. The lights dimmed, and the first few notes of Swan Lake played throughout the arena.
“It’s Jillian and Roman!” Ian said.
We watched the couple glide across the ice. I was so proud that they were my friends. I smiled at Ian. I knew he was feeling as proud as I was about the skating pair.
When they finished skating, the crowd roared with applause. People even threw flowers on the ice and Jillian and Roman skated around to sweep them up.
“Wow, I would love to be just like Jillian,” Nancy said to me. “She makes skating look so easy.”
I smiled at Nancy. “She works very hard,” I said. “But that is because she really loves to skate and to perform.”
I watched my friend out on the ice. Jillian raised her hand that was full of flowers and waved at me. I jumped up and waved at Jillian, a true star skater.
About the Author
ANN M. MARTIN is the acclaimed and bestselling author of a number of novels and series, including Belle Teal, A Corner of the Universe (a Newbery Honor book), A Dog’s Life, Here Today, P.S. Longer Letter Later (written with Paula Danziger), the Family Tree series, the Doll People series (written with Laura Godwin), the Main Street series, and the generation-defining series The Baby-sitters Club. She lives in New York.
Copyright © 2000 by Ann M. Martin
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
First edition, 2000
e-ISBN 978-1-338-06292-2
Ann M. Martin, Karen's Figure Eight
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