assessments, my name is kicktoria

so that was tonight.  I remembered this afternoon that, hey, there's a written part of the assessment, too! and maybe I should study.  So I did that.

So I get to the rink. I'm assessing with Syn and Candi, who are both jammers.

Everything's going groovy until it comes to the rock star fall.  First time, I don't get up in two seconds.   Okay, no problem.  I want to ace everything, I want to be the Queen.

Second time, I trip and fall.

Fuck.

Now I'm all scattershot and upset and crying and I can't concentrate.  The coach who's assessing me kinda pulls me aside, calms me down.  She tells me out of everyone, I'm her dream skater, because I'm not afraid to try anything.

I nail the rock star next try.

Everything else goes fine, whips and pushes and checks and pace lines.  Jumps, fine (the coach tells me I didn't need to jump *that* high).

So it all comes down to the big one. 25 laps in 5 minutes.  Coach tells me she will yell out my laps as I do them, and at the minute marks, she'll tell me if I need to speed up.  Okay.  Groovy.  We're told the record to beat is 3:57. 

Whistle, and we're off.

My wheels absolutely fucking suck.  I am sliding all over the goddamn place.  After two laps Coach tells me to speed it up a little.  That is not what I needed to hear so early in the trial.  My leg is aching (not the tendonitis, though, thank God for small favors).  I'm skitting around, praying I don't fall.  If I fall, it's game fucking over.  Syn passes me, and then I think she laps me.  Candi and I trade places a few times, but she was out for a large part of last year with back issues.

Skate, skate and more skating.  I hear people say I'm doing fine, Coach tells me I'm at a good pace.  I'm still gasping (remember all that Sprinty McSprintenheimer stuff? IT FAILED ME), and I'm swearing at my stupid wheels.  I lose my crossover rhythm.  I contemplate quitting and retrying this portion with my old wheels, but I don't want to be known as the skater who didn't pass the 25 in 5 on her first try.  My left leg feels like it weighs eleventy billion pounds.

Finally, finally, FINALLY I cross the line on lap 25.  My leg falls off and my heart explodes, and I puke all over the place.*

4:24.

Go me.

And I threw my hat into the travel team tryout ring.  But I think I'll go back to my old wheels for that.
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*Not really.