I Woke Up 306 by M.P. Arsent
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Coach was there to check in just a few minutes later, and I soon crashed out.
Friday morning and I was showered and ready for breakfast with the team. After, we all grabbed our bags and headed for the bus.
We got to the venue without any problem and went to the viewing area, as we were in the afternoon session.
Shortly it was time for the teams to take to the floor. The program did list Aldean as being in the morning session. Teams were introduced as they took to the floor. When it came time for Aldean to come out I did pay attention, but the announcer skipped right over them. I saw more than one face among the team get a questioning look on their faces, Coach Warren among them.
Coach Warren made his way out of the gallery. The rest of us sat there and waited, even as the rotations started.
My phone vibrated at that point.
Where's Aldean?
Hell if I know. Coach checking I think.
Makes you guys favorite to win?
I guess.
Go pay attention.
Going to try.
I could see other phones in use around the gallery and wondered just what was being said. Coach Warren came back a few minutes later and gathered us around.
"Aldean never showed up. Seems they all came down with the flu or something while they were in the dorm waiting to come here. This doesn't change a thing. We go at it as hard as we can this afternoon. Having said that, use your triples judiciously today. If you think you can save them for the individuals, or even for next year if you think you can get there without them. Now go watch so you can make an informed decision."
So, it was back to watching the morning session. Once again everybody seemed pretty good. Triples were being thrown, with varying degrees of success. Just before the break, my phone buzzed again.
Competition still looks tough without Aldean.
Yeah some good rotations this morning.
Aldean?
They all got sick
Not good
Nope. Have to get it in gear
Good luck!
We gave the morning session the chance to clear out of the locker room and then we were in, changed, and to the warm-up gym along with all of the other teams.
There was little said, except to maybe mutual acquaintances, and then it was time to go to the floor.
I had been keeping my eyes open for Chet Manning as I hadn't seen him in the morning session. I did finally lay eyes on him and knew that he was probably again going to be my toughest competition in the individuals and the all around. His team, though, didn't seem to be ranked that high for the season.
Now it was time to get down to it.
As always I was only paying attention to what was going on right in front of me. Coach Warren was right there with us so there was no need to go looking to him. He could flat-out tell us if he wanted us to use our triples, regardless of his prior advice.
We started our day at the pommel horse. Everyone worked their routines well here, and when it came time I did remember to point my toes. Then it was on to the vault. I had seen a few good triples here this morning, but even at that I gave coach a look and he nodded yes. I took a deep breath and made my run up and I was up and over, through my first and then the second somersault and well into my third. I spotted my landing and came down with a slight wobble. There was a good deal of noise generated for that effort. I took my time and calmed myself down and waited for my second attempt.
I again made my run-up. I was up and over the vault and into my third somersault and spotted my landing. This time I "stuck" it, and the crowd certainly let me know they had seen it. The rest of the guys who had a triple here saved them for the individuals.
We moved on to the parallel bars. Everyone seemed to be spot on to me here as well.
We were next on to the high bar and I didn't even bother looking to coach. I did my routine and did the triple dismount and once again I stuck my landing. This one didn't get as much attention, as people had been landing triples off the high bar all day. Greg and Josh did have triples here but apparently had decided to save them for later.
Now it was on to the rings. Nobody that I had seen all morning had a triple here. I knew a couple of our guys, other than myself, had a triple dismount that they could land. Coach came over to me at that point.
"Dennis, I didn't see a triple here all morning. I'm thinking you should hold yours for the individuals."
"The thought had occured to me, coach. Are you going to have any of the other guys throw theirs?"
"I've given them the same advice I just gave you. It's up to them if they want to go for it."
I made up my mind not to throw the triple dismount today and to save it.
I watched as the rest of the guys did their routines here and it looked like everybody was going to wait on the triple.
I got up and did my routine keeping in mind control along with performance and did manage to stick my landing once again.
That left us only with the floor exercises to be done. Once again I watched our guys go through their routines. When it came time for mine I stepped up and worked it for all I was worth and at the end of the last tumbling run I did throw the triple and landed it solidly and then finished my last few moves. I could now look at the scoreboard.
There were a few rotations still going on but even at that it looked like it was going to be damn close. So we waited and watched. It seemed like those last few rotations were taking forever, but they were, in fact, proceeding at a normal pace.
The last move had been done and again we waited. Once the final scores had been posted it didn't take us long to figure out we had taken the gold for the team competition by only a couple of points.
Once the medals had been passed out we all made our way back to the locker room for the testing, which seemed to be closely monitored this year, before we got showered up and out of there.
Needless to say, we had to go through the whole press rigamarole with the whole team, and then the "informal" pictures with friends and family. Karl and his family were right there for that. I saw Daniel and his family off to the side and motioned them on into the mix.
Drake and Doug seemed damned surprised that I called them in, but Daniel got a rather large smile across his face.
"You didn't have to do this Dennis."
"I sure as hell did Daniel. You guys are all family now too and don't you forget it."
Alex and Patrick even got over to see me tonight.
"Damn boss, I thought Alex was doing some stuff."
"Well, he'll get to show his stuff tomorrow, right Alex?"
"Damn right I will, but I have to get into the team supper now."
"I'll catch you at home if not sooner."
Karl had known from last year that I wasn't likely to have time for dinner before bedcheck and shoved a bag into my hand as I had to finally head upstairs for said bedcheck.
Once I was in my room I ate the sandwich which Karl had gotten me and my phone rang.
"Hell of a day lover."
"Ain't that the truth."
"Going to watch the individuals tomorrow?"
"You know I wouldn't miss it, especially as it is going to be Alex's first time."
"Think the kid has a chance?"
"They all have a chance lover, just a question of how good a one. I offered to have him come over to Edgeton with me all summer."
"Sounds like you made the decision Den."
"Guess I have. You see Gordon and Aiden before I do you can tell them. I'll call Dean Evans when we get home unless I happen to see him when I go pick up the car."
"Yeah if it's anything like last year, that's likely to take you a couple of hours."
"Hey, if it gets too late I'll crash at the apartment rather than risking driving tired."
"I'd rather see that than you getting here exhausted."
"Might throw a wrench into the media works though."
"To hell with the media, they'll get over it or just show up the following day."
"Yeah, I suppose. Well, let me crash out lover and I'll try and catch you tomorrow night before the team dinner."
"Sleep well, lover."
Coach came by not long after that and I was then crashed for the night.
Morning got there soon enough and I was up and showered, down for a quick breakfast, and then out to the bus.
Today would show just how far Alex had come this year.
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