Practice Makes Perfect (Completed)

Chapter 14

Allison brought her gymnastics bag with her to her first day of ballet training, mostly because she still hadn't told her parents about the switch. Her mom had been the one to first enroll her in gymnastics, and she couldn't imagine how upset she would be to her her daughter quit. Telling her parents would mean confronting the negative sides of her decision, and she wasn't quite ready for that.

She wasn't quite ready for her first training class either, she realized as she walked into the facility. Much of the building was dedicated to classes, and little girls ran around the lobby with no caution and little supervision. It reminded her of her gymnastics gym on Thursdays, when the coaches brought in the beginners and taught them how to do cartwheels, except the little girls here wore tutus instead of leotards.

Not knowing what else to do, Allison navigated her way to the front desk, careful not to run over any of the little girls who ran about. Behind the counter was an old woman with a carefully pulled back bun. Allison missed having a friendly face behind the counter.

"How can I help you ma'am?" the woman asked.

Allison tried to smile. "I'm Allison--"

"The new girl, yes, we've been expecting you. Let me show you to the private lesson room, the coaches are waiting for you." The woman behind the counter abandoned her post and walked Allison down the hallway to a little room at the end.

"Coach, we have your newest student." she called in a sing-song voice as she walked away.

In the open doorway a familiar man appeared, followed by the sharp nosed woman who always seemed to do the talking.

"Ah, Allison, you're here." the woman nodded. "I'm sure you saw it on my card, but I'm Nancy Shroder, and this is coach Dobbs."

Allison quickly shook their hands, trying not prepare herself for whatever the lesson would entail. "It's good to formally be introduced."

"And while we're making introductions, I'd like you to meet the other member of our team. Veronica, could you come here a moment?"

A girl who could be no more than eight ran up to the doorway, in a tutu as pink as the makeup on her cheeks. She smiled widely and stuck out her small hand. "I'm Veronica, your training partner."

Allison glanced at Mrs. Shroder for confirmation, and the woman nodded. "Veronica has been training in ballet for years, and we thought you might benefit from having an expert around."

"She's a little bit..." Allison paused, looking for a polite way to make her point. "Younger than me."

"Veronica's a great dancer, and her youth means she should be able to keep up with the flexibility of a gymnast." Mrs. Shroder explained.

"Plus you can see over my head during training." Veronica added with a smile.

Allison nodded. "Okay, that makes sense. I'm a little new to this, so--"

"Don't worry," Veronica cut her off. "Today we just want to see where you are. There's no pressure."

"That's right darling, we just want to run through a couple of routines to see where your strengths lie." Mrs. Shroder confirmed.

"Okay, I guess." Allison set her gymnastics bag on the floor. "What can we start with?"

"Veronica is going to run through a couple of stretches with you before we start."

"Yep, just come over here to the Barre with me." Veronica led Allison over to a mirrored wall, where a bar was attached just above waist height. "Follow my lead."

Allison did just that as Veronica led her through a series of stretches and excercises. She was surprised by her own ability to keep up. They may only be beginning, but she found the moves hardly a challenge, and nothing like her old routines on the balance beam. At least part of her had expected herself to fail right off the bat.

"Looks like you two are all stretched out," Coach Dobbs commented as they finished their splits. "Care to begin the actual practice?"

Veronica and Allison rose with equal grace, and the smaller of the two seemed impressed. Allison couldn't help but smile at the girls surprise. It seemed they had underestimated the powers of a gymnast.

"Can we run through the basic positions, just for like ten minutes, to see where we're at?" The coach recommended.

Allison nodded, but it took considerable help from Veronica to get into place each time. In total, it took more than an hour for them to run through the basic forms and positions, and Allison was beginning to wonder if she had made a huge mistake.

The coach seemed to agree, as he sighed heavily as they finished. "That was painful. I hesitate to even try putting her on pointe. "

"She's been a cancer for one day. There's no need to rush her."

He shook his head. "I suppose that true. Could you run through some leaps with her then, maybe teach her a couple basic moves. I'm going to have to recalibrate my training plan."

"Sure." Veronica nodded.

The coach disappeared, presumably to reconfigure his original plans for Allison. The girl in question bit her lip and shook her head. None of this was going as planned.

"How about I show you a couple of leaps, and then I'll let you try." Veronica suggested.

"Sure. Sounds great."

Veronica quickly took position, counted off, and started a series of leaps as she traveled across the room. Her motion was fluid and graceful, everything Allison would have expected from a ballerina. Even when she came to a halt, her motions seemed perfect.

"Wanna try?" She asked.

Allison nodded, and moved to take her starting position.

"Point your toe a little more to the left, and keep your body straight. If you start wrong, the jump will be nearly impossible."

Allison adjusted her position, but she still felt uncomfortable.

"Don't worry about the beat for now, just focus of getting the moves. Go ahead whenever your ready."

Allison took a deep breath and leaped forward like she would on the balance beam. Untangling herself from the starting position took some effort, but once she got her feet under her, she was able to replicate the jump without too much trouble. As she leaped across the room, she tried to remember the nuances of Veronicas jumps and replicate them in her own motion. She knew it wasn't perfect, but she felt more comfortable in the air than she did in the clumsy positions they had taken her through.

When she came to a stop, Veronica said nothing, and she worried she had failed magnificently. When she looked up, the girls face was blank, and she feared the worst.

"That was impressive." Veronica finally said. "I almost thought you were a dancer."

Allison beamed. "Really?"

"Absolutely."the girl nodded. "Behind all your ignorance, you really know where your body is, and your landings were basically flawless. Do you want to try a couple harder ones?"

Allison agreed, and Veronica walked her through a few more complex leaps. By the time the coach returned, they were working at least at an intermediate level.

"Is this the same girl who struggled to maintain a proper first position?" He asked as Allison landed yet another leap.

"She's a really good jumper." Veronica confirmed.

The coach shook his head. "Allison, you make no sense. Leaps are far more complex than basic positions, especially the ones you were trying."

"I'm a gymnast, sir," Allison stated somewhat sheepishly. "I've done harder jumps like this on a bar above the ground. I've never had to stand in some postured position for very long."

The coach considered.

"I suppose that makes sense." He finally admitted. "I'll have to revise my plan again, but I can work with that."

"Thank you sir."

"We'll see you back her tomorrow Allison."