Addison Brae

⛸ Women’s figure skating is on Olympic ice this week… and I still get chills thinking about Docia’s first step onto the world’s biggest stage in Off Edge.

Before the scandal.
Before the medal was taken.
Before everything unraveled.

Excerpt, chapter 2...
Then the monitor waves me over. I’m next.

My body tingles as I make my way to the wooden boards that create the wall surrounding the rink. The official calls my name and I remove my guards and hand them to Lena. I step onto the ice, close my eyes, and fill my lungs with air to help me focus. Lena holds my hands over her heart like she always does before I skate.

“I’ll do those jumping passes my way. Not Dad’s. Just the way I practiced.”

“Good idea. Skate like I know you can, my little Docia.”

I reach for my pendant after her final instructions, then skate over the patterns the last five skaters made in the ice. The row of judges peers at me over their computers. Gaping camera lenses line both ends of the rink to capture every mistake for the world to see. I hope they can’t see me shake.

“Representing the United States of America, Docia Sikorsky.” The announcer’s voice booms over the speakers in Russian and then in English.

Each stroke around the rink picks up the energy I felt in yesterday’s short program. It flows up through my feet to my lungs and covers my skin with a blanket of confidence as I skate to the center of the ice. Cameras flash around the stands like twinkling stars scattered across the night sky. The roar from the crowd engulfs me.

I stop in my opening pose at the top of the five Olympic rings.

My Olympic rings.

If you’re watching the Olympic performances and feeling the nerves, the pressure, the electricity of the ice — this story is for you. Chapter 3 continues with Docia's experience performing her program.

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