Last Shot at Redemption

As Leanna walked into the lodge with her sister, she was suddenly very nervous.

She found her coach at a table near the front. Her hands shook as she gave him a hug. She had never once been this nervous in her entire life. And she somehow had to make it through dinner and a couple speeches before in she would know if she had made it. it was almost cruel and unusual punishment.

She sat down in between Paulie and her coach, needing the support that both of them lent to her just by being there. They were her rocks, really. Both of them lent different things, though. Paulie lent her love and supreme faith. There was probably no one that had as much faith in her as Paulie did. Jamie came in a close second, but there was something special about being sisters. Her coach lent her the confidence that she needed. And, if she didn’t make it, he would lend her his strength until they made it out of the lodge. She had her own determination to make it, so that wasn’t an issue at all. But it didn’t make her any less nervous. She just wanted to know if she she had done.

“Would you chill out, Leanna? Damn,” Paulie said, laughing at her sister as she almost knocked over the water that was brought to her. She looked to find her coach laughing at her as well.

“I just can’t handle all of this. Can we skip dinner and the speeches and let them tell us who’s in,” She said, her cheeks flashing red as she slammed her hand on the table lightly. Every now and then, she would revert to childlike antics just like everyone else did.

She didn’t look or act her 21 years of age very often. But tonight, in the dress she had picked out specifically for this event and everything perfect from her hair to her toes thanks to her best friend, she felt like a princess. She sort of loved it, but she was not one to dress like that very often. And she would not trade in her skinny jeans and t-shirts for this anytime soon. But for this moment, she loved it. she was beyond happy in it.

“I wish we could. But they would frown on that. So we’ll have to deal with it,” Paulie told her, patting her sister’s arm sympathetically. Leanna sighed but settled into her chair as the first speaker of the night appeared right along with dinner. The seats at the table that were empty quickly filled by girls that Anna didn’t know. The one reminded her of someone who was sponsored but she couldn’t place her or openly recognize her. Not that she really cared much. She was far too nervous to care who was at the same table as her other than her coach and her sister.

She only barely registered the plates being cleaned and the next speaker before the President got up on stage. As he took his place behind the podium, Leanna couldn’t stop her hands from shaking once again.

“I congratulate each of you ladies on a fantastic Olympic trial. If we could send all of you, we would. But the other countries would not enjoy that very much. So we could only pick three women who will represent our country in Vancouver at the beginning of next year. We have the utmost confidence in them, that they will be competitive in what is always a hard fought competition. This year we are proud to have one veteran Olympian and two newcomers, who have turned out some of the best runs in the area for a long time,” He said, pausing to grab a drink of water before a smile lit up on his serious face.

By this point, Leanna was almost to the point of sweating because she was so damn nervous. Paulie had her own shaking hands laced together on the table, trying to take deep breaths to calm herself down. She was probably just as nervous as her sister.

“I am pleased to announce that Torah Bright will be our veteran Olympian,” He told the audience. Leanna didn’t even turn to see Torah’s face. Most people there knew Torah would make it of course. She was one of the most known of the snowboarders who had come out of Australia.

What Leanna was now concerned about was that, with Torah’s name, there were only two slots remaining for the team. She didn’t even recognize the second name the President called out. Her heart was starting to break as he began to speak again.

“And the last woman who will represent out fine country in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada will be Leanna Miles.”

And, as cliché as it sounds, Leanna’s world stopped spinning. She didn’t hear whatever the President said before he got off stage, but as soon as he got down, her sister was hugging her and she could pick out Jamie trying to run across the room to her, but the crowds of people were slowing her down.

The smile finally broke out on her face as it finally sunk it. She had done it. She was going to the Olympics.

She let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding in a laugh as she stood up to accept and return that hugs that Jamie and her sister held her in. Her coach came around the table as they released her into a fatherly hug of his own.

“So…we did it,” She told him later after taking in congratulations from around the room. He just nodded. Paulie had her arm around Leanna’s shoulders and they had all been nothing but smiles since the announcement.

“We did. What do we do now? It’s almost summer and you need to be practicing,” He said, obviously racking his brain for a solution. A solution that Leanna already had.

“Um…I kind of thought we could go to the States for a while. I have plenty of money for a couple of months of rent. I mean, it’ll be the perfect opportunity to work out and train,” Leanna said nervously, afraid of how her sister would react to what she was saying. But Paulie didn’t even seem fazed. She actually seemed kind of excited about it.

“That’s an awesome idea. I’ll take care of Sonny for you if you promise to tell me all about the cities you visit,” She said, surprising her older sister.

“That’s not a bad idea. Why don’t you start looking for a training facility?” Her coach said, making her smile. She was really going to do it. She was going to the United States and then she was going to compete in the Olympics.

And the most awesome thing is that the Olympic committee in Australia would pay for hers and her coach’s flight to the U.S.

Leanna was more than excited for the next few months to come. She only had one wish, though. And that was that her dad was there to see everything.