skaterellery

[skaterellery]

“hmm,” she tilted her head, looking up at the ceiling as she glides along, as though trying to divine something in the rafters of the arena. finally she tugs herself closer, the space between their skates a perfect puzzle. “i guess there was winning that medal…and...” she could almost lean in to give away the obvious, the frost of their breath melded as he pulls her even closer. but, they’re still teasing. maybe it was the space, the childhood of running in the bleachers and flipping on the overhead lights that kept her light with her words. the disbelief of good luck, hard work.

her mouth drops open, the elaborate oh! of hurt before it dissolved back into a smile. despite the amount of stress she put on herself, she knew it had hardly resulted in gray hairs. she’d thrived on creating her future, a legacy and a security intertwined with unending support. “and now i have all of this practice.”

even now, her heart relaxes as the feel of his kiss, an ease of tension in her shoulders as she curves away to properly skate. “they never look ready.” her skates always stood out, the pops of color she preferred in her outfits, the brashness of her music choices. even now, the heart haphazardly painted on the side of her right skate stuck out against the ice.

“you’re going for figure skating?” she’s never considered a partner, the solo routine had attracted her quickly. all of the eyes on her, making sure she executed each step perfectly, no one else to be distracted by. “i’d put together a great routine for us.” she turns a quick half circle, listening to the ice carve under her feet, “lots of lifts.”

She had all the confidence in the world, as she should, and Ash could only chuckle with a pride that exuded from his smile, "what changed? You sure nothing's changed?" He echoed back the question as if dared asking what changed in those four years. Their relationship first and foremost, but yet at the same time, it also felt like nothing had changed between them. To have known someone practically your entire life, them had felt as easy as breathing.

And perhaps winning golds had also changed their lives, but the first thing was more important. He pulled Ruth closer to him, close enough to share each others breaths to tease as he ran a hand through her hair to cradle a side of her cheek, "..is that a gray hair I see?" He chortled with a bad joke, not an ounce of gray in sight, yet he was tutting away, knowing his continued words were partially true, "med school must be mistreating you so badly, you poor thing."

The boyish grin softened into something more genuine, lifting their joint hands for him to brush his lips over her knuckles, "then we'll get you a new pair of skates." He only then let her go for them to properly warm up laps around, he had been plenty warm from teaching the kids but he'd never say no to extra laps. "I can already hear your coach saying they don't look Olympic ready so we might as well get ahead of the curve." They skated in tandem side by side, as they always have in their own time, chit chatting away in its own intimate form, "but a pair of skates won't stop you. Ooh, or how about putting your hat in the ring for the pair skating this year then?"

[skaterellery]

lacing up her skates was natural, her fingers moving without thought. she'd taken a quiet approach, letting ashton do the final goodbyes for the children that had come in for today's lesson. her own bag was weighted with textbooks, trying to keep up with the expectations of the two careers she's found herself in.

she remembers all the times she biked over to his house before the sun broke. the fog of her breath in the air, her cheeks pinched red, as she woke him up so she could have the keys to this very center. and now, their names were forever enshrined on the plaque in the front vestibule.

"of course." she allows herself to be pulled forward, her muscles stretching back into familiar positions as she warmed up into familiar patterns. she'd never not been okay, a destine that had somehow found her despite odds. "four years and what's changed?" the question is mostly a joke. the obvious has continued to assert itself into her life, a ryder through and through. "i'm better than ever."

"but..." her breath comes easy, her teasing never changing shape. she takes the lap with ease, her muscles starting to stretch and relax into familiar shapes. "i wouldn't say no to a new pair of skates."

//int. skating rink training center, minnesota - night. @skaterellery

"Are your skates even still competition ready?" Ashton laughed as the two of them hopped into the ice rink after all the kids he was teaching today finished their training, leaving the two athletes to enjoy the entire rink to themselves before he locked up for the day. Life often tries to pull them apart during various busy times of the year, competition seasons, finals, Ruth with pre-med and Ashton with NHL seasons, but they've always made it work, and found time in the summer to stay home as much as possible. And once every four years, everything gets put aside for the experience of a lifetime together in any athlete's career. The last one definitely changed their lives.

Ash held out his hand for her as she stepped into the rink, "or maybe it's time we get you new skates, there's enough time to break them in before the real training starts," he hummed, lacing their fingers together, leading them to warm up for a few laps around. "Can't believe it's been four years already.." Ash turned to skate backwards to face his love, sometimes (all the time) still in awe of her, blues glazing over with a genuine check in, "you feeling okay for the season?"

[skaterellery]

ruth ellery, figure skater

born in sweet springs, missouri, it seemed at first ruth was not destined for a life in the spotlight. the trailer park she spent the first years of her life in did not breed the athletic and talented, it did not mentor geniuses of any kind. her mother struggled to put food on the table for her only daughter, a situation exacerbated by the need for continual medications, and finally an in-patient hospital stay.

what saved her from a life of perpetual struggle was one small diversion in this universe's plan. her paternal grandparents reached out. they knew what happened, they knew she existed. and at four years old she was moved from missouri to taylor falls, minnesota. they couldn't imagine leaving their only grandchild to fend for herself, not when they had a guest room, a quiet neighborhood, and little to do in their retirement with their own children having moved away.

she was put into skating classes as all young children in minnesota are, an outlet for all her boundless energy. over the years it turned into a strive for perfection. she could be the best, conversations paused as she practiced her routine, her coach made sure she stayed for extra practices. this was something to strive for, through the bruised limbs and numb finger tips.

throughout high school, her academics maintained the same high standards. she couldn't waste the opportunity that had been given to her in her move to minnesota. she was her class valedictorian, graduating a year early, all to her grandparent's applause and admiration. it was the only thank you she could think of, the best way to show how much it all meant to her.

in college she was one of a small few to receive a figure-skating scholarship, adding a double major of biology and chemistry to her plate. although she was good at skating, her grandparents reminded her time and time again that it couldn't be her whole life. she would need to support herself. college resulted in plenty of sleepless nights, but she managed to get through it all with her reputation and her continued penchant for perfection in tact.

she is now finishing her degree with the mayo clinic in rochester, a phd in biomedical research, that will hopefully parlay into the career that she needs once her time in the icy spotlight has ended. but, it's taking a little longer than expected, what with the olympics coming up and all.

[skaterellery]

MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING 1997, dir. P.J. Hogan

[skaterellery]