Chapter 89: Competing

Skate Canada was Sophia and Warren's first event in the Grand Prix series. It was the last week in October, in Edmonton. They arrived on a Tuesday, and would compete Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

"HEY!" They heard from behind them as the walked into the hotel lobby. It was Liz Cushman.

"Hey, Liz, what's up?" Warren asked.

"Not much. You guys ready for the season?"

"No!" Sophia laughed. "We're still using last year's free dance, because the new one isn't ready yet!"

"Oh," Liz said. "Is there a problem with it?"

"Not difficult enough," Warren told her. "We're getting there, though. If we can get the difficulty, it's going to be a very special program. Might have to wait for Nationals to unveil it, though."

"So, how's Rich?" Sophia asked her with a smile.

"Rich is just fantastic," Liz said. "Unfortunately, he couldn't make it here, but things between us are wonderful."

"Glad to hear it," Warren said.

Their main competitors at Skate Canada would be the home country favorites, Canadian dancers Renee Damphier and Christian Gaudler. Warren and Sophia were watching them practice Wednesday morning.

"I really, really like their free dance," Sophia said to Warren. Renee and Christian were dancing to a funky mix of various soul songs.

"Yeah, they got da funk, don't they?" Warren laughed. "Their OD isn't as good as ours is, though, I don't think."

"True, but that free is something else. I love dancers that dance. They're not just dancing, they're shaking that thing."

Just then Renee and Christian came off the ice. "Hey, Warren, Sophia! How you guys doing?"

"Great," Sophia told them. "That's some free."

"Glad you like it," Renee said. "What you guys got up your sleeves?"

"Well, the OD will rock your world," Warren told them with a grin, "but the free is Sinatra again. The new one's not ready."

"Will it be?" Christian asked.

"Oh yeah. Nationals, if not sooner."

It was a fun competition. Warren and Sophia finished second in the compulsories, won the original dance, and finished second in the free. A silver medal, behind Renee and Christian, which was fine with them. They knew they were competing with an old free dance, which would hinder them.

They had decided to choreograph a number of exhibitions, and the one they did for the fall competitions was a number by Patti Scialfa called "As Long As I Can Be With You." It was poppy, with nice loud guitars, and a fine romantic sentiment in the lyrics.

Liz won the ladies' competition, and Warren and Sophia were impressed with her skating. She seemed much freer on the ice than in the past couple of years.

The new Canadian pairs team, Jennie Sellers and Denis Poulin, won the pairs competition.

Three weeks later, they were in Moscow for Cup of Russia. This time, their main competition was the world champions, Olga Bradochkina and Nikolai Zhargov. Warren and Sophia finished second in all three phases of the competition, and won another silver medal. Two second-place finishes was enough to make them one of the five teams that qualified for the Grand Prix final, which was their goal.

In between their two competitions, Warren had a less pleasant duty to take care of. The four guys that had beat him up went on trial. He was called to testify.

The prosecutor, John Komack, started the questioning about what he was doing that night.

"Well, Sophia and I had practiced, and then I had gone to study, so I hadn't gotten supper. I had walked to the deli on Curtis Ave to get a sandwich. I was walking back, past Thompson Hall, when it happened."

"What happened?"

"These four guys approached me, and asked if I was 'that figure skater' that went to school here."

"Can you identify the four men?"

"Yes, the defendants."

"OK, what happened next?"

"I confirmed I was a figure skater. They went on to ask me if all figure skaters were gay. I told them, no, some, but not all. They got more belligerent in insisting that all skaters were gay. I told them to believe what they liked, and asked if I could get by. They told me no, because I was a figure skater, which means I must be a fag, and Reverend Watson told them what to do about fags. That's when the first punch hit my face."

"Who threw the first punch?"

"I honestly don't know. It wasn't long before I was getting hit from all sides. Then they dragged me behind Thompson Hall and really went to town."