Baby May

Career Highlight

Sorry for the short filler chapter

February 2010

Even after getting silver in the 2006 Winter Olympics, Alyssia never thought she'd be in the Winter Olympic finals again.

The 2010 Winter Olympics are in Vancouver, Canada. Alyssia has been in Vancouver for the past two weeks with Toby, Anita, Brian and Roger.

No matter what happens today, this will be Alyssia's last competition so she's savouring every moment of it. Like always it's been a tough competition, but Alyssia is ready for her final skate of the competition.

After her performance in the semi-finals, she is currently sitting in third place. The difference between third, second and first is quite close so that gold medal could be any of there's at this point.

Alyssia is the second to last skater, as long as her skate goes to plan she should move up to silver, but she needs to be spot on with every move to get gold.

As always she steps out onto the ice to stand on her mark, waiting for the music. She can hear her family cheering for her.

The routine goes extremely well, she made a point of not glancing at the scoreboard during her routine and it pays off. It's perhaps the best skate of her career and after skating off of the ice to stand with Katie, she watches her score appear on the screen and nearly cries.

She's moved into first place with an almost perfect score, something that not many skaters achieve. The last skater performs her routine but it's not enough, Alyssia stays in first place.

She's won gold at the Winter Olympics, she can't stop her tears, hugging Katie with so much appreciation, "Thank you for being my trainer."

Katie cries as well, until Alyssia and Victoria she never had a student get a medal at the Olympics let alone gold, "You deserve this, I've never had a harder working student."

While they set up the podium, she does a quick interview with the BBC reporter and a union jack flag wrapped around her shoulders, "How does it feel to win gold for Team GB at the Olympics?"

"Incredible, I'm over the moon."

"Did you ever think you would get gold?"

"No, I hoped but I never thought I'd get it."

"How will you celebrate?"

"With my family," Alyssia grins, spying her family approaching, "And by performing at the Gala tomorrow. I have a fun routine planned."

The report spots Brian and gets him to join them, "Brian, you must be proud of her?"

Brian is beaming he wraps an arm around his daughter, "I cannot tell you how much I'm bursting with pride right now. Alyssia has worked so hard for this."

The report then backs off leaving only the BBC cameraman in the area to film her celebrating but they ignore it. Brian picks her up in the tightest hug, "So so proud of you," He mutters near her ear.

"See," Roger interrupts the moment once Brian puts her down, "I told you you'd be a gold medallist one day. Congratulations, Lissy," He hugs her.

"Thanks for doing my hair and make-up," Alyssia thanks her mum and hugs her.

"I don't care how much of a professional skater you are," Anita holds her daughter, "I'll always do your hair and make-up if you ask me too. Well done, love."

With just a moment before the medal ceremony, she shares a sweet kiss with Toby, "You really are an ice princess now," He chuckles, "You sure about this being the last?"

"Yeah, I want to work on my next dream of starting a family with you. I'm also really looking forward to working on Downton Abbey, I've reached my ultimate skating dream and that is enough."

Alyssia's family stand back out of the way for the skaters to get in position third, second and then first skate out to the podium one at a time in that order, taking a bow and stepping onto the podium.

They're awarded their medals and a small bouquet of flowers, they then stand on ceremony for the British national anthem. Alyssia can't stop the tears sliding down her cheeks again while the flag raises, she did that, that is because of her and it's a moment she'll never forget.

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The following day is the Gala Exhibition, which takes place at the end of every Winter Olympic Games for all ice and figure skaters to perform. It's a bit of fun and an Olympic tradition.

Alyssia took place in it last time but doing a duet with Victoria, this time she's doing a solo and goes entirely different with the costume, hair and make-up.

She's pulled together a fun routine and is waiting at the side of the ice to go on, there's currently a pair skating. As they finish their routine Alyssia skates to the centre and their music goes seamlessly into hers.

It's probably the most fun she's ever had performing a routine and considering it's probably her last, she's glad it's a fun one. The audience seems to enjoy it too.

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Like last time, she is flooded with interviews when she returns to the UK, she does an interview with BBC Radio 1, one with Lorraine and also she returned to This Morning for an interview.

In the month following the Winter Olympics, Alyssia's focus turned to her script for Downton Abbey. Learning what lines she can, researching the era and practising her upper-class British accent ready for filming.

At the beginning of March, she travels to Highclere Castle in Yorkshire for the location filming, which will last two weeks if all goes to plan.

Once they finish in Yorkshire, filming is moved closer to home for Alyssia, over the next month she travels around London, Oxford and Brampton discovering places she never knew existed.

Best of all she gets to work with some incredible actors and actresses, her top favourites being Hugh Bonneville, Maggie Smith and her on-screen love interest, Allen Leech.

With information on where their character's relationship is likely to go, they know to expect a lot of scenes together, which is fine for Alyssia has she gets on well with Allen.

But before she knows it, they've been filming for two months and the director calls a wrap on filming. All they have to do now is wait until November for its release and hope they'll be back for another series next year.