The Job Offer - By Eleanor Webb Page 0,80

still needed to be ready to compete. Skating over to the boards, she pushed open the door that would take her to the bench where she could put her neon blue guards on over her blades. She dropped down heavily and worked at catching her breath.

"Very good, Kerri." Coach Baranski's words were thick with the Ukrainian accent she had yet to lose after twenty years in the United States. Petra Baranski had been Kerri's coach for the last five years, and in that time, Kerri's skating had improved enough for her to win several junior national and world championships, a few senior level competitions, and, at almost seventeen, become an alternate to the U.S. Women's Figure Skating Olympic team. Coach Baranski was also the assistant coach for the U.S. Women's Olympic team. "You keep doing it like that, and you may find yourself in the top ten if Shannon is too ill to compete."

Kerri took the towel her coach handed her and wiped the sweat from her forehead and neck. She looked at her coach with nervous excitement, speechless while she worked at being able to talk again over her breathlessness. Coach Baranski raised one of her brown eyebrows and looked down at her with a slight smile that showed Kerri that her coach was proud of how well she did in her practice today. But practice was not competition her look also said. "Your lutz was good today, but you still need work. I don't like the way you transition with your arms. You are still pulling back too soon with your left arm. We finish for the day, though. The Japanese team has the arena booked for the next three hours."

"That was great, Kerri." Kerri's mother said excitedly as she reached them by the bench. Kerri's mother was a medium sized woman in her forties with a pretty heart shaped face that matched Kerri's, light brown hair that she wore in a short bob, and blue eyes lit with excitement and great interest at what Kerri's coach just said. "Coach Baranski, will Kerri be competing? She's worked so hard and it looks like she fixed her problem with the lutz." There was a hopeful look on her face that was mirrored by Kerri.

"Who's to say, Mrs. Sullivan? Coach Taylor said to have Kerri prepared to compete on Monday. I know not if Shannon is over her illness. Come, Dytyna. We discuss your performance now."

"When will we know if I'll be competing?"

"We will not know until Monday when we check in at the Olympic arena. Coach Taylor will know then."

"I'm going back to the hotel to call your father, Kerri. We plan on meeting for lunch then head on over to the hockey arena. Two kids in the Olympics. Whoa. I'll see you later." She leaned down and gave Kerri a hug before kissing her forehead. "Stay out of trouble."

"I can hardly get into any trouble in the Olympic village, Mom." At almost seventeen, Kerri was still able to feel embarrassment over her mother's over protectiveness and counsel. She thought her mother's advice unfounded. The village was closed off, after all, from the rest of Turin, Italy and from the fray of the crowds that converged upon the venues. She stood up and adjusted the strap of the black exercise leotard she wore over her black leggings and picked up the towel and a water bottle sitting on the bench. She and Coach Baranski left the rink and discussed her performance as they walked into the gathering room that would take Kerri to the women's locker room. When they reached the large open room at the top of the corridor, Coach Baranski left Kerri to go to Coach Taylor who stood in conference with an Olympic official by the vending machines.

"You go, Dytyna. I meet you in front of the building in a half hour," Kerri's coach told her before she walked away leaving Kerri to walk down the corridor alone. Used to the constant interruptions and calls on her coach's time now that she was one of the assistant coaches, Kerri said "goodbye" and headed down the corridor.

"That was a great practice, today, Kerri." Kerri looked around to see David Rathbourne, a member of the men's team, standing by the water fountain in the hall that crossed the end of the corridor forming a T. He was dressed in his official team sweats right now but had practiced earlier that morning. Kerri was the last to practice with