way the flood lights lit the mountain up for the night-time events. The icy pipe glistened and the blue definition lines made the whole thing look like it had a light blue hue. It was beautiful. She took her place next to the medic team at the base of the pipe close to the media. She was surprised to see the thousands of people next to her and behind her. Super Pipe had more spectators than any of other Winter X Games sport, except maybe the up and coming snowmobile events.
***
Adler stood in the warming tent at the top of the pipe with most of the other female competitors. Amy was next to her talking to one of the other riders. She looked down at the crowd at the base of the pipe. She knew they would go crazy cheering when it was her turn to ride. It was kind of cool being the hometown girl. She thought about the face in the back of her mind and wondered where she would be. She knew she was there, somewhere.
“This is it. Throw down or go home.” Amy said as she high-fived her. She was the number one qualifier and deserved it. She was damn good and Adler considered her to be her toughest competition. They always teased each other a little to try and one-up the other. It actually pushed them harder.
“I feel you.” Adler grinned. “You just bring it.”
Adler qualified fourth so she was at the bottom of the list of twelve girls. When her turn came up she said a silent prayer to herself while sitting in the snow. When she got the green light she stood up and angled the board down the mountain towards the pipe. She always dropped in on the backside wall which was technically on her right and the front side wall was on her left. She hit the frontside and flew into a cab nine, then a backside nine on the opposite wall. She carved across again to the front side wall with major air out of the pipe she pulled a cab seven-twenty followed by a switch-backside-five-forty and a backside air to fakie to finish her run. She was stoked.
The smile on her face faded quickly when she searched the crowd for the face in her mind and her eyes landed on Kevin. She unsnapped her boots and grabbed her helmet in goggles in one hand and her board in the other. Amy and Gordy both congratulated her. The score board said she qualified third. She couldn’t be excited, the very thing she tried so hard to push from her mind was standing five feet away.
“That was awesome babe.” He said when she walked past him.
She turned and raised an eyebrow. “You really want to do this here? All the media and everything Kevin, really?” She began walking again through the crowd of fans and media cameras. He was hot on her heels.
“I tried to call you like a hundred times.”
She spun around again and tossed her equipment in the snow. “You lying, cheating piece of shit. Did you think I didn’t hear you talking to her, pleading for her to get back in the shower with you? You disgust me!” She yelled.
“Look, Adler it’s not like that okay. It was a one-time thing. I didn’t mean for it to happen.” He pleaded as more spectators gathered around.
“I am so not doing this here Kevin.” She grabbed her equipment from the snow and walked through the crowd as it began parting like the red sea for her. She had to go back to the top for her second run and now she had an enormous amount of stress on her shoulders.
She finally saw the face she was looking for when she climbed onto the back of the snowboard to ride back up the mountain to the top of the pipe. She felt a tiny bit of the tension in her body release. She wondered how much of that she’d heard. Hell, most of the people standing anywhere near them heard their conversation. She was sure her dirty laundry was about to air on ESPN when the event aired. Thankfully, at least it wasn’t live.
***
Cason raised her eyebrows and stepped a little closer like the rest of the crowd. Adler was yelling at a tall guy in a dark blue ski jacket and matching cap. From the words she
***
Adler stood in the warming tent at the top of the pipe with most of the other female competitors. Amy was next to her talking to one of the other riders. She looked down at the crowd at the base of the pipe. She knew they would go crazy cheering when it was her turn to ride. It was kind of cool being the hometown girl. She thought about the face in the back of her mind and wondered where she would be. She knew she was there, somewhere.
“This is it. Throw down or go home.” Amy said as she high-fived her. She was the number one qualifier and deserved it. She was damn good and Adler considered her to be her toughest competition. They always teased each other a little to try and one-up the other. It actually pushed them harder.
“I feel you.” Adler grinned. “You just bring it.”
Adler qualified fourth so she was at the bottom of the list of twelve girls. When her turn came up she said a silent prayer to herself while sitting in the snow. When she got the green light she stood up and angled the board down the mountain towards the pipe. She always dropped in on the backside wall which was technically on her right and the front side wall was on her left. She hit the frontside and flew into a cab nine, then a backside nine on the opposite wall. She carved across again to the front side wall with major air out of the pipe she pulled a cab seven-twenty followed by a switch-backside-five-forty and a backside air to fakie to finish her run. She was stoked.
The smile on her face faded quickly when she searched the crowd for the face in her mind and her eyes landed on Kevin. She unsnapped her boots and grabbed her helmet in goggles in one hand and her board in the other. Amy and Gordy both congratulated her. The score board said she qualified third. She couldn’t be excited, the very thing she tried so hard to push from her mind was standing five feet away.
“That was awesome babe.” He said when she walked past him.
She turned and raised an eyebrow. “You really want to do this here? All the media and everything Kevin, really?” She began walking again through the crowd of fans and media cameras. He was hot on her heels.
“I tried to call you like a hundred times.”
She spun around again and tossed her equipment in the snow. “You lying, cheating piece of shit. Did you think I didn’t hear you talking to her, pleading for her to get back in the shower with you? You disgust me!” She yelled.
“Look, Adler it’s not like that okay. It was a one-time thing. I didn’t mean for it to happen.” He pleaded as more spectators gathered around.
“I am so not doing this here Kevin.” She grabbed her equipment from the snow and walked through the crowd as it began parting like the red sea for her. She had to go back to the top for her second run and now she had an enormous amount of stress on her shoulders.
She finally saw the face she was looking for when she climbed onto the back of the snowboard to ride back up the mountain to the top of the pipe. She felt a tiny bit of the tension in her body release. She wondered how much of that she’d heard. Hell, most of the people standing anywhere near them heard their conversation. She was sure her dirty laundry was about to air on ESPN when the event aired. Thankfully, at least it wasn’t live.
***
Cason raised her eyebrows and stepped a little closer like the rest of the crowd. Adler was yelling at a tall guy in a dark blue ski jacket and matching cap. From the words she
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