EXT. VAIL MOUNTAIN - DAY
Cory stands at the top of the mountain where the wind is biting. He looks downhill and shakes the snow off the top of his skis.
He crouches down. He runs his hand over his knee. He squeezes his poles and then takes off down the mountain.
His legs carve through the snow. The wind whips across him, challenging his ability to stay upright. He picks up speed and slices through the cold air with his sharp turns. He hits a small bump and takes some air. He comes back down hard and stays upright.
Cory takes his time with the rest of the course.
At the bottom, Martin waits for him. Cory skis up to Martin and showers him from head to toe with snow with a snowplow stop.
CORY
Never gets old.
Cory laughs as Martin shakes off the snow and leans down and feels Cory's knee. Martin looks serious as he evaluates Cory's stance.
CORY (CONT'D)
It's definitely stiff. I felt a slight twinge about halfway through but I think it's fine.
MARTIN
Hmm. I don't like hearing about a twinge. You looked like you were favoring your other leg a bit. Maybe we should give it another couple of weeks.
CORY
Absolutely not. I can't just stay indoors, working out in the gym. I need the cold air and the snow.
Martin stands.
MARTIN
Alright, but let's not push it. You've done a run. Let's get you back and give you an anti- inflammatory, just in case. And let's ice it tonight. We'll come back out in a couple of days.
CORY
Tomorrow. We'll come back out tomorrow.
MARTIN
I know you're anxious but I want your knee to heal properly.
CORY
You're killing me.
MARTIN
No, I'm saving you.
INT. HOMETOWN ICE ARENA - MORNING
Lainey shows up at the rink and finds Nate her, wearing figure skates.
LAINEY
You skate?
NATE
A little. You mind if I join you this morning?
LAINEY
Not at all.
Lainey laces up her skates and they both head out on the ice. She notices Nate's ease and grace on the ice.
LAINEY (CONT'D)
You skate more than a little don't you?
NATE
Maybe. Can I show you something?
LAINEY
By all means.
Nate takes off and warms up quickly. He's obviously a pro. He skates with immense power and he gets incredible height as he jumps up into a triple axel. And he lands it perfectly.
Lainey bursts out laughing with joy and claps at his amazing jump.
LAINEY (CONT'D)
That was incredible!
NATE
I think we should work on your triple axel. It needs more height.
LAINEY
We?
NATE
It's obvious you need a coach.
LAINEY
What credentials do you have to be my coach?
NATE
How about an Olympic gold?
LAINEY
Really? How? When?
Lainey's wracking her brain.
NATE
I'll tell you all about it--after practice. Let's go. Try to keep up.
With that, Nate speeds off skating circles around Lainey. She spends the morning trying to catch up to him.
INT. COFFEE SHOP - MORNING
Nate and Lainey order coffees.
NATE
Would you like something to eat?
LAINEY
I'm not hungry. (a beat) Actually, I'll have a banana and some oatmeal.
Nate nods. He grabs two bananas and two oatmeals and pays for them and the coffees.
INT. COFFEE SHOP - MOMENTS LATER
Lainey and Nate sit in a quiet corner of the shop.
LAINEY
You want to work on my triple axel. Why not the quad?
NATE
In order to do a quad, skaters need to stay small. No curves. They do this by not eating. A skater can last a year or two at that level and then they retire. We stick to the triple axel. You'll have longer career and be healthier.
LAINEY
I'd just like to retire with dignity. I can't leave competition with that Olympic performance as my last.
NATE
I understand.
LAINEY
Tell me about your career.
NATE
Well, I was born and raised in a small village in Russia. Everyone played hockey but I had found an old pair of figure skates amongst my mother's things. Behind my father's back, my mother took me to a nearby rink where she convinced a coach to take me on. I worked very hard in the Russian system to near exhaustion. I was a robot. I hated the rink. And then one day, a young, talented skater in Moscow needed a partner and that's when I met Maria--a beautiful skater who looked like an angel on the ice. She taught me to love skating again. It was during the Olympic ceremony when gold medals were placed around our necks that I asked her to marry me.
LAINEY
Nate and Maria Volkov? Yes! You were an incredible team. But then you never competed again. What happened?
NATE
I defected and at the last minute, she decided that she didn't want to join me. I moved to Detroit and started coaching. I kept a low profile. This was all before your time.
LAINEY
I think it's the gray beard that threw me. Why have I never seen you at competitions?
NATE
I never found the talented skater I could believe in. And maybe I was scared to put myself out there.
LAINEY
Does that mean you believe in me?
NATE
I believe in you and what you want from skating. You do it for the love of the sport. One thing age has taught me is that the journey is just as good as the medal you earn.
He gives Lainey a smirk and a bond is formed between them.
INT. GOODWIN HOME - LAINEY'S BEDROOM - MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT
In a bra and underwear, Lainey puts on a pair of leggings and goes to pull out a shirt when she comes across her journal buried in her drawer. She pulls it out and opens it.
The first thing she sees is "FAT DON'T FLY." She tears the page out and crumples it and throws it in the trash.
She finds a thin long sleeve shirt and puts it on.
She opens her jewelry box, where she reaches for a hair band. Her eyes settle on the black box from Cory.
She grabs a hair band and as she's putting her hair up, she looks at the box. She tightens her hair band and then reaches for the gift box. Her hands shake as she picks it up.
She pulls the box toward her and slowly opens it. Resting inside is a beautiful gold half-heart. She turns the pendant around and it's engraved: A Piece of My Heart – Cory.
Lainey sits down on her bed. She unclasps the necklace and raises the pendant in front of her. Finally, she places it around her neck. She drops it down inside her shirt and grabs her skates and heads out.
YOU ARE READING
Olympic Conquest
Romance"You already are the person I want you to be. I see so much more in you that you won't allow yourself to see." Lainey is on her way to her first and probably only Olympics. At twenty-two, she has finally made the U.S. Figure Skating Team after yea...
