Dreams Realized

Note: The sequel to "Ice Princess". Casey Carlisle makes her name known in the National Skating Competition and moves on to training for Torino (2006 Winter Olympics). She wins the silver metal and returns to training and competitions for a time. Between training and college (she was accepted into Harvard after all) she finds herself competing in a Physics competition. However, a leg injury might impede her from getting the trophy…or will it ?

Chapter 1—Casey's Daily Challenges

Casey Carlisle hadn't had much time to keep updated with her daily journal, but she had been able to document her achievements in her latest notebook during her leisure time. She found herself in a place she didn't know, but she loved every moment of her stay in a foreign country. Her mother, Joan, her trainer, Tina and her friends Gen and Teddy had followed her to Torino as well. She would be competing soon and she had been training hard. She also wanted to apply to Harvard again when she returned, but that would have to wait for another time. There would be other opportunities and she could share her research with the scientific community but for the time being, she had to prepare herself for the upcoming Olympics each and every day. She could feel the excitement welling up within her. Of course she was a little nervous and anxious about the competition to come. Although she wouldn't be able to truly "enjoy" Italy as she had initially planned, she hoped that she would have that chance later, especially with her boyfriend Teddy who was always there to cheer her on whether it was on the ice or wherever she happened to be.

That night, Casey went to practice and nailed all of her jumps, twirls and landings without a single mistake. Of course, she had to continue practicing to make certain that her flawless performance was nothing more than a fluke. Tina and her daughter were coaching her from the stands while Teddy watched. Usually, Teddy would have provided a distraction but she was so incredibly focused and he was glad for her. She needed to be at one with the ice and forget about everything else. She had already begun to master this, but she almost had forgotten about the time until her mother called for her.

"Case ! It's time for dinner !", Joan yelled at last gaining her daughter's attention.

"Fantastic, I'm famished !", Casey replied.

The entire group gathered their duffle bags and bundled up for the chilly weather outside. Even though they would be traveling in a swank SUV, they would still have to be protected against the frigid air. Despite all of the weather conditions and the rough training, they would be warm and cozy and would sleep easily thanks to the warm meal they were about to eat.

Later on that night, Gen and Casey had enjoyed a long soak in the 5-star hotel's hot tubs and emerged refreshed and renewed. Both were exhausted and flopped on their beds.

"So, are you nervous about the upcoming days ?", Gen questioned.

"Of course I am, aren't you ?", Casey responded, looking directly at her friend from the opposite bed.

"To tell you the truth, I am. But, I know you'll be fine, Case. We believe in you. Just go out there and give it your all. Harvard would be foolish not to accept you into their ranks the coming year.", Gen said, reassuringly.

"I can't really think about Harvard at this point, but maybe you're right. Currently, I have one goal on my mind, but Harvard isn't too far from my heart.", Casey said, covering herself up and nestling snugly into bed. Gen did the same as well.

"That's what I like to hear. Don't forget, I'll be cheering for you. Look for me in the front row, and inhale and exhale deeply. We're all behind you, Case. Good luck !", Gen said, grinning dazzlingly from the opposite bed. Casey thanked her friend and turned out the light and Gen did the same.

Chapter 2—2005 Winter Olympics

The next day was full of activity in Torino. Fortunately, the event that Casey was involved with was inside a warm arena and wouldn't have to brave the chilly elements for too long. Fortunately, the people were as warm and inviting as the arena was and Casey didn't feel so homesick as she originally thought she would. She was impressed at how immense the arena was and then by the number of people that were attending to see athletes from all over the world competing for victory (and their names written in the annals of history for all time).

She remembered the words that her best friend Gen had left her with and the reassurance that her mother, trainer and boyfriend would be there in the arena watching her in the stands. However, she would have to be cautious. She couldn't allow herself to become lax or too carefree. She had to remain serious if she wanted to win. Even if she didn't, she would be able to tell the faculty at Harvard that she had been able to make her theory gain some credence to the world of sports and hopefully in time, the scientific world. Media influence had already gotten wind of Casey's formula and wanted to see it in action. If she was fortunate, Harvard might get word of it somehow. Yet, this optimistic thought had to be undermined. The object of real importance was the gold medal. Casey would do her utmost to obtain it, no matter what.

The program went by flawlessly and Casey waited for her results with her trainer, mother and her best friend Gen. Gen hadn't been able to be in the competition, but she had gotten plenty of trophies in the past and she didn't need trophies anymore. She had Casey by her side and that's all that really mattered to her.

They felt like they were burning up from the inside out as the scores were being read. Sadly, Casey had fallen behind one of the Chinese skaters who had initially won the gold medal, but Casey had won the silver. Her mother and trainer were bowled over by this news. No one who had just entered into the realm of skating had even gotten close to getting a medal. Casey's name would be immortalized in skating history for years to come. Of course, the clamoring media had asked her about her recent victory if she was going to continue skating.

"Of course I will. I probably won't be involved in as many competitions as I had been in the past, but it's become a passion of mine. Although it's rough, it's extremely rewarding. If it weren't for ice-skating I probably would've never met Gen…or Teddy.", Casey said, beginning to blush a little. They had asked more about Teddy but she preferred not to comment. She didn't want the media getting involved with her personal life. She was able to give them enough information to satisfy them as they left her and began talking to the Chinese woman, Helen Ching about her victory.

Chapter 3—A Little Help From Her Friends

As they left Torino, they took their memories and souvenirs with them. When they returned to their rural home in Idaho, everyone welcomed them back with open arms. There were processions and parties everywhere and the local news was abuzz with the incredible news and the little miracle that had occurred. Casey was a bit overwhelmed, but she was glad that everyone from her hometown was being so supportive. A lot of peers from school had shown up, instantly wanting to be a part of Casey's instant popularity. Of course, she had tactfully declined that because she had everything she could've wanted in her midst.

After a day of much-needed spa time and rest, Casey and Gen resumed practicing. After a long afternoon out at the local ice-skating rink they returned to their homes and spent some time with their families. Casey and her mother Joan watched TV together while eating dinner and suddenly they were interrupted by a phone call. Of course, Casey answered the phone, thinking Teddy wanted to talk to her during the weekend like he usually did. This time, it was the people at Harvard that wished to speak to her. Her subject had been selected for their Physics competition and she wanted to enter right away. If she won, she could have a full-ride scholarship and really impress the scientific community, but a misfortune was about to challenge her.

Casey had entered the contest and she had begun writing her report. She had to split the time in writing the report and practice, but the contest was nearing its deadline and Casey had a lot of burden upon her shoulders. This was what made her work even harder but her friends thought she was pushing herself too hard because she was often exhausted when the day was through and she woke up in the morning with bags under her eyes. Even her repertoire was becoming shaky and unfortunately she had a terrible spill during her recent practice. Sadly, she had hurt herself really badly and she was confined to wear a cast and stay in her room for a week. Casey had never been off of her feet for longer than one day when she had been sick in the past, so this had been a horrible shock to her. What made this even worse was the fact that the contest was going to be held the coming weekend. Even though she wasn't certain she would have the strength to make her report she would really have to push herself if she would even have a snowball's chance of winning the prize money.

Chapter 4—Fighting Spirit

Using all of the strength she had left, Casey had been able to start walking on her own with the use of crutches and the drive to continue reaching for her dreams. As soon as she healed she would be able to skate again, but she would have to be careful. She would have to take it easy from now on. Luckily she had been able to get herself to Harvard (with help from her mother) and had given her speech. There were plenty of other applicants that were also competing for the prize of $10,000. This amount of money was more than enough for a lot of the participants who were involved. Most of them had never seen that much money in the short time they had been living. The only irritating factor was the wait while the judges made their decision.

It seemed like an eternity that Casey had been waiting and fiddling with her pencil drawing up formulas and algorithms on scratch paper to keep her from becoming too bored. At this time, the judges had made their decision.

"Our winner is the writer of the essay The Physics of Ice Skating, by Casey Carlisle. If you would approach the podium please we will present you with your well-earned reward.", the eldest judge said, her smile illuminating the room. Casey approached and was so overwhelmed she almost forgot to use her crutches to inch her way to the podium. The others that hadn't gotten the award but there were consolation prizes that weren't so large as the initial cash winnings and full ride scholarship that Casey had won. They had congratulated her on her victory and stated she had deserved it. She had really put her experience and research into words, illustration and media that others could grasp and understand. This formula that she had developed, which would be later named the Carlisle Method and it would possibly change the way that skaters thought about skating. Hopefully it would be used for an athlete's benefit rather than for a detriment. Skating would have to come second now since she would be accepted to Harvard. She would also be in the Physics Club and probably be their leader. Dating as well would also come second, but Teddy was even more supportive of her. Casey had proven to everyone that even in a tragic time and injury, all these obstacles could be overcome and goals could be obtained. She had been through so much but her parents and friends had been with her the entire time and she was about to meet and make more friends as she continued to blossom as a student at Harvard.

Epilogue

Casey was fitting in well at Harvard and she had become a role model for other younger girls who were interested in science, technology and math. She had proven that women could do anything they put their minds to and believe in themselves. She still had 3 more years to go until she reached her goal of becoming a researcher to assist other physicists in the future. Her friends and her mother couldn't be more proud of her. Her friend, Gen, had gone to a different college but the two remained in close contact as they had in the past. If it hadn't been for Gen's encouragement, she would've never have gone down the glorious but harsh road of ice-skating.

She had her to thank and she would never forget her for that. No matter what, the two friends always backed one another up when matters became rough. Besides, that's what being best of friends was all about.

The End