Let The Games Begin!
"So you're the FNS reporter?" You said while looking around nervously at the people and the entrance.
A warm smile,"Tar-El. Let's sit in the corner. More privacy.... you're Sylvie Hindorf 2nd Alternate for Earth's Womens gymnastics team?"
A nod. "I'm really not supposed to be here. I left as soon as I knew Caris was out of the dorm. I knew about that back entrance because that's where Svet gets her Gevalian Fudge." Now why did you say that? You just want to answer the questions. That just came out.
"Miss Hindorf, nothing is off the record. To put you at ease, though, you'll be quoted as a source from Earth's team. It's amazing that Earth is one of the favorites for the Women's Gymnastics team Latinum. At the same time there's this controversy..."
You feel at ease, you WANT to tell the whole story. You've never felt this way with a reporter. Everything that happened you wanted to blurt out NOW. Of course, if you related everything, it would probably be traced back to you. The sour grapes loser girl. That would not look good. This is what it's all about for you. "I don't quite know where to start.." you fidget. But of course you do it's on the tip of your tongue ready to come out. This in itself is strange to you. During your Gymnastics career, you were always provided talking points to say how you were for Galactic Peace and how you were happy for your team mates and how honorable your competitors were. Something off the cuff and you were tongue tied.
"I completely understand. You finished 6th in the World, a Pewter medalist. In the past wasn't that an automatic qualification?"
"I didn't win any medals or place in any finals at last years Galactic championships." You say bitterly, "Besides, the Wicked Witch of the West thinks Beam and Vault trump everything else. These are not my favorite events." You're shocked that "Wicked Witch" came out. That is your teammates' private nickname for Caris, the Womens Team Coordinator.
"Interesting. What's that mean..Wicked Witch?" You want to enlighten her.
"There was this ancient movie called "The Wizard of Oz. There was a Wicked Witch character with a green face. Caris is from Vulcan but we think she's a Romulan orphan or something like that. She never screeches like the Wicked Witch but she has that green sallow face." Again something you and your team mates would never tell the press anonymous or not.
"I understand." You feel better. Then there was the need to continue.
"Remember what I said about Svetlana?"
"The lover of Gevalian Fudge?" You feel more confident and encouraged than ever.
"She place 8th, at the World Trials; two places behind me!" You feel vindicated when you say this AND right.
"Last year's Gold Medalist behind Marianne Lennox and Neoli Visi. It was referred to as the Terran Tsunami. I couldn't help thinking that you could be in that group on a given day, Sylvie." She's purring this out to you. You're surprised when she changes her tone.
"I also hear that B'Korat, last years Earth Jr. Champion, was named as a team member."
"Just one bag of tricks after another!" You snap out. You hadn't meant for it to come out that way. This is, you realize, not coming out as you planned. You feel uneasy but, still want to talk.
"Neoli Visi?"
You know of course, her family came from Cardassia with nothing to Earth. Now her family had a chain of restaurants in New Barstow. She was Earth's 3 time Galactic champion on the Uneven Bars and the three time Platinum Medalist in the Galactic All Around. What's not to like; you think. "Very consistent." is all you say with a force of will.
The reporter raises her eyes and you continue with relief. "It's like talking points are hard wired in her brain. Then the Japanese Empress saying how she's a credit to young people everywhere." You roll your eyes. "then there's the holovids of competitions, the cams always panning to Grandma and the Cardie relatives in the 22nd row. Like that's supposed to tug on our heart strings. What's worse you really want to dislike her but you can't." This seems to have a catharic effect on you.
"Why' do you say that?"
"She's a team player in every sense of the word. I was having a hard time on Beam last year and she helped me through it. I got on the team because of her help. A Human gymnast would never have done that. In fact someone like Svetlana Kuchinskaya would have gone out of her way to psych you so you'd fall to pieces. Marianne Lennox would have been nice but, wouldn't do anything. You get the idea about human gymnasts."
"It seems to come back to Svetlana." the reporter says softly to you.
"The World Gymnastics Federation looks the other way with her. She fills arenas and makes every move look like a Wow move." This just came out of you again unbidden. "Of course, she has that famous musician boyfriend and she posed nude for that Bolian sculptor. The statue is in the Metropolitan Museum. It was judged to be a work of art.", you snort. The rest of us would have been kicked off the team!" There you got that off your chest.
"There was last years Galactic Championships..."
You have a flood of happy memories and you want to relate this.
"That was great. We were a close second behind the Vulcans after the first phase. The Vulcans just lost it. It was what we call a snowy day in the Amazon. T'Lun had a fall off the Uneven Bars. Her other team mates fell of the Balance Beam. They ended up off of the podium behind us, the Romulans and the Bajorans. It wasn't a good championships for the Vulcans in general. the Vulcan men finished behind the Romulans." You realize this sounds spiteful. You didn't want this to come out that way. "Of course, we all did our personal best as well."
"So, Sylvie, what about this year?"
"The Vulcans will be ready. I really don't believe it when they say they have no pride or are above all that. Marianne IS ready to defend her All Around Championship."
" I didn't see anything new from her at the Olympic Trials." the reporter said. You feel an overwhelming urge to tell her what's really going on. This time you don't. You've said enough already. When this get on the Newsnets, you're going to look bad.
You say, "I have to get back to the dorm."
"It was good talking to you, Sylvie." There it was again for you the overwhelming urge to sit down and say everything.
The small nervous girl walked quickly out the door. Teral, the Al-Aurian had all the information she needed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hope this is better.
"So you're the FNS reporter?" You said while looking around nervously at the people and the entrance.
A warm smile,"Tar-El. Let's sit in the corner. More privacy.... you're Sylvie Hindorf 2nd Alternate for Earth's Womens gymnastics team?"
A nod. "I'm really not supposed to be here. I left as soon as I knew Caris was out of the dorm. I knew about that back entrance because that's where Svet gets her Gevalian Fudge." Now why did you say that? You just want to answer the questions. That just came out.
"Miss Hindorf, nothing is off the record. To put you at ease, though, you'll be quoted as a source from Earth's team. It's amazing that Earth is one of the favorites for the Women's Gymnastics team Latinum. At the same time there's this controversy..."
You feel at ease, you WANT to tell the whole story. You've never felt this way with a reporter. Everything that happened you wanted to blurt out NOW. Of course, if you related everything, it would probably be traced back to you. The sour grapes loser girl. That would not look good. This is what it's all about for you. "I don't quite know where to start.." you fidget. But of course you do it's on the tip of your tongue ready to come out. This in itself is strange to you. During your Gymnastics career, you were always provided talking points to say how you were for Galactic Peace and how you were happy for your team mates and how honorable your competitors were. Something off the cuff and you were tongue tied.
"I completely understand. You finished 6th in the World, a Pewter medalist. In the past wasn't that an automatic qualification?"
"I didn't win any medals or place in any finals at last years Galactic championships." You say bitterly, "Besides, the Wicked Witch of the West thinks Beam and Vault trump everything else. These are not my favorite events." You're shocked that "Wicked Witch" came out. That is your teammates' private nickname for Caris, the Womens Team Coordinator.
"Interesting. What's that mean..Wicked Witch?" You want to enlighten her.
"There was this ancient movie called "The Wizard of Oz. There was a Wicked Witch character with a green face. Caris is from Vulcan but we think she's a Romulan orphan or something like that. She never screeches like the Wicked Witch but she has that green sallow face." Again something you and your team mates would never tell the press anonymous or not.
"I understand." You feel better. Then there was the need to continue.
"Remember what I said about Svetlana?"
"The lover of Gevalian Fudge?" You feel more confident and encouraged than ever.
"She place 8th, at the World Trials; two places behind me!" You feel vindicated when you say this AND right.
"Last year's Gold Medalist behind Marianne Lennox and Neoli Visi. It was referred to as the Terran Tsunami. I couldn't help thinking that you could be in that group on a given day, Sylvie." She's purring this out to you. You're surprised when she changes her tone.
"I also hear that B'Korat, last years Earth Jr. Champion, was named as a team member."
"Just one bag of tricks after another!" You snap out. You hadn't meant for it to come out that way. This is, you realize, not coming out as you planned. You feel uneasy but, still want to talk.
"Neoli Visi?"
You know of course, her family came from Cardassia with nothing to Earth. Now her family had a chain of restaurants in New Barstow. She was Earth's 3 time Galactic champion on the Uneven Bars and the three time Platinum Medalist in the Galactic All Around. What's not to like; you think. "Very consistent." is all you say with a force of will.
The reporter raises her eyes and you continue with relief. "It's like talking points are hard wired in her brain. Then the Japanese Empress saying how she's a credit to young people everywhere." You roll your eyes. "then there's the holovids of competitions, the cams always panning to Grandma and the Cardie relatives in the 22nd row. Like that's supposed to tug on our heart strings. What's worse you really want to dislike her but you can't." This seems to have a catharic effect on you.
"Why' do you say that?"
"She's a team player in every sense of the word. I was having a hard time on Beam last year and she helped me through it. I got on the team because of her help. A Human gymnast would never have done that. In fact someone like Svetlana Kuchinskaya would have gone out of her way to psych you so you'd fall to pieces. Marianne Lennox would have been nice but, wouldn't do anything. You get the idea about human gymnasts."
"It seems to come back to Svetlana." the reporter says softly to you.
"The World Gymnastics Federation looks the other way with her. She fills arenas and makes every move look like a Wow move." This just came out of you again unbidden. "Of course, she has that famous musician boyfriend and she posed nude for that Bolian sculptor. The statue is in the Metropolitan Museum. It was judged to be a work of art.", you snort. The rest of us would have been kicked off the team!" There you got that off your chest.
"There was last years Galactic Championships..."
You have a flood of happy memories and you want to relate this.
"That was great. We were a close second behind the Vulcans after the first phase. The Vulcans just lost it. It was what we call a snowy day in the Amazon. T'Lun had a fall off the Uneven Bars. Her other team mates fell of the Balance Beam. They ended up off of the podium behind us, the Romulans and the Bajorans. It wasn't a good championships for the Vulcans in general. the Vulcan men finished behind the Romulans." You realize this sounds spiteful. You didn't want this to come out that way. "Of course, we all did our personal best as well."
"So, Sylvie, what about this year?"
"The Vulcans will be ready. I really don't believe it when they say they have no pride or are above all that. Marianne IS ready to defend her All Around Championship."
" I didn't see anything new from her at the Olympic Trials." the reporter said. You feel an overwhelming urge to tell her what's really going on. This time you don't. You've said enough already. When this get on the Newsnets, you're going to look bad.
You say, "I have to get back to the dorm."
"It was good talking to you, Sylvie." There it was again for you the overwhelming urge to sit down and say everything.
The small nervous girl walked quickly out the door. Teral, the Al-Aurian had all the information she needed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hope this is better.
of approval.
