Ice and Snow Forum – Gossip and Chatter

[Hot~] Let’s Discuss Crocodile God’s New Coach

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89L

In the post-short program interview, Crocodile clearly stated that he made technical adjustments, and the person who helped him with this was none other than his first coach, Coach Lu.

90L

I already thought he was a genius, and if he hadn’t been knocked down by injuries and physical development, I almost believed he was the protagonist of some shonen manga. But it turns out he’s even more like a protagonist than I imagined! His first coach being a descendant of a patriotic overseas businessman from Southeast Asia is a crazy backstory! [falls over]

91L

The coach is the real protagonist here…

92L

Coming from a wealthy family, almost becoming the U.S. ski jump champion, unbeatable on the ice hockey rink, and being super handsome in his youth… Too bad he ended up gaining weight like Coach Anxi. Lol

93L

Crocodile God’s coaching team is full of good-looking people. Coach Zhang has never dropped from his peak looks. Coach Shen posted on Weibo yesterday about wanting to lose weight, but he was super handsome back when he was active too. Coach Song was known as the most handsome guy for miles around in his younger days. Even the choreographer is gorgeous! We won’t even mention Francis – he’s the prettiest figure skater ever. When I showed my brother an old picture of Madam Mia from when she was a principal dancer, he drooled for ten minutes. When I told him she’s already 60 years old, he nearly cried.

94L

But the most handsome is still our Brother Jue!

95L

Crocodile God came back from his growth spurt looking like he got plastic surgery! Lol

96L

My dream prince! I can only relive those high-lift moments in my dreams now.

Goose Prince: “Little Crocodile, I can’t lift you anymore.”

Bunny Brother: “No problem, I can lift you!”

97L

lol Now we used to find Brother Jue adorable, but now he finds us cute!

 

…

 

After browsing the forum, Chen Sijia sighed, full of regret. Why couldn’t she see Zhang Jie’s skating competition live? Luckily, Francis Miller, Crocodile God’s number one fan, had just opened a Weibo account, so now there was plenty of content about Zhang Jie for everyone to enjoy.

Just then, the phone rang. She glanced down and saw that it was Hou Tianfeng, Zhang Jie’s former deskmate, calling.

She answered: “Hello? What’s up?”

Hou Tianfeng excitedly said: “Turn on the TV quick! J Province TV is live-streaming an interview with figure skaters, and Zhang Jie is on it!”

The night before the free skate competition, Zhang Jie, Mi Yuan Yuan, Huang Ying/Guan Lin, and Mei Chunguo/Hua Taishi were brought into a simply decorated, brightly lit room under Sun Qian’s arrangements.

There were two rows of seats: high stools in the back and a long sofa in the front.

Shen Liu and Francis, holding microphones, conducted a light-hearted and somewhat playful interview.

Anyone paying attention could tell that the skaters interviewed were the top athletes in their respective figure skating categories. Especially Zhang Jie—even after a six-month hiatus, he was still recognized as the number one men’s single skater in the country. This interview would be posted on the official skating association’s Weibo as a prelude to Sochi.

Before the interview started, the young skaters glanced at the host’s script. Shen Liu told them: “Take a look at the questions we’ll ask, so you can prepare yourselves. If there are any questions you don’t want to answer, let us know in advance.”

The other skaters shyly shook their heads, saying they had no issues. Zhang Jie, however, picked up the script and flipped through it.

“I don’t want to answer any questions about where I recovered during my injury period, nor do I want to discuss my academic ranking or mention my family.”

Shen Liu raised an eyebrow: “So no privacy questions at all? That leaves only the process of creating your new routine. Can we at least talk about the ice rink at the mall where you trained during your growth spurt?”

Zhang Jie replied: “Let me ask Coach Lu first. Hold on, I’ll give him a call. It’ll be quick.”

Zhang Jie wasn’t being fussy; as an athlete, his responsibilities were limited to competing well and being a good person. This was a form of self-protection.

Fame at a young age and good looks could bring many things, but also led people to try and profit off him. From the age of 13 until now, Zhang Jie had received numerous offers to earn more money, but out of caution, he rarely talked about his family, except with his uncle, who was also his head coach. Zhang Jie’s social media accounts with actual activity were only accessible via VPN, and even then, he only posted under secret identities on Twitter and Instagram. His Weibo account rarely saw any action.

Zhang Jie was far from a lone wolf. Deep down, he was a responsible adult man. Before doing anything, he would first consider whether it would affect his family, and he couldn’t make decisions about whether the people around him were willing to appear in the media. He had to ask them.

So Zhang Jie got up to make a call, leaving the others looking at each other. After a while, Huang Ying timidly asked: “Can I call my uncle to ask if I can mention his ice rink?”

Shen Liu nodded: “Go ahead.”

The young skaters gradually went to ask the adults for permission. Sun Qian chuckled, turning to Jiang Chaosheng and saying: “Zhang Jie is still as thoughtful as ever.”

The top athletes in each category are not just expected to perform well; they also need to be careful and upright to establish a good public image. Scandals, such as inappropriate relationships, falling out with coaches, or being rude in competition, are absolutely unacceptable.

Zhang Jie had a strong sense of responsibility and moral integrity. He was determined, yet open-minded, able to handle crucial moments, and never let his team down. He even managed to build good relationships with athletes from other countries, leaving foreign fans with the impression that “this country’s figure skaters have great technique and character.”

In terms of personality alone, there was no one better suited to be the top men’s single skater in the country than Zhang Jie.

Jiang Chaosheng agreed: “True, even though he can be a bit blunt at times, you never have to worry about him crossing any lines.”

Zhang Jie was famously direct. At the age of 13, he publicly stated: “Victim-blaming is wrong,” standing up for Yin Meijing and Liu Mengcheng, which got him attention for the first time. The whole world soon knew that this young skater didn’t hold back.

In recent years, Zhang Jie had criticized certain competitors’ 3Lz and 3F jumps for using a flat edge, making it hard to distinguish between them, and pointed out that another competitor’s second jump in a 3-3 combination was under-rotated and should only count as 3+2.

The only reason this kid hadn’t been chewed out yet was that he looked too cute at the time, and he used his age as a shield. But a lot of skaters with sloppy technique were afraid to perform in front of him, for fear of being called out.

Sun Qian and Jiang Chaosheng sighed in unison: “If we’d known his English fluency would lead to this kind of personality, maybe we shouldn’t have let Shen Liu tutor him.”

Fifteen minutes later, the skaters were all seated again.

Zhang Jie remained the most composed during the interview. While he didn’t maintain a polite smile throughout, his expression was serious when looking at the host, and he thought for a few seconds before answering questions in a relaxed, natural tone.

He even joked: “Honestly, before I turned 14, I didn’t like Flames of Paris very much. I mean, ever since I could perform the men’s solo, my teacher kept making me dance it. You get tired of it after a while.”

Shen Liu asked: “Why did your coach like to make you skate this program?”

Zhang Jue shrugged and replied: “Because I skated it the best. Later, I thought about it and realized it was probably because my personality matched the program. Then this year, after spending three months unable to skate or dance, I reflected on many things and ultimately realized that there are still a lot of things I haven’t perfected.”

“I used to rely on my natural talent to perform ‘The Flames of Paris’ at a passable level, but I never really dug into the story behind the dance, nor did I put enough emotion into it. I never successfully interpreted my own version of ‘The Flames of Paris.’ Even my performance at this year’s Nationals didn’t satisfy me or my choreographer.”

As he said this, the other young skaters beside him all had expressions of disbelief, as if thinking: “You skated so well, and you’re still not satisfied?”

With a determined tone, he continued: “I’m really happy to be back on the ice, and I’m grateful that I overcame the injury and growth issues. Moving forward, I’ll maintain a mindset of never being satisfied and will constantly seek to improve, bringing even better programs to everyone.”

Shen Liu noticed one thing: during the entire interview, Zhang Jue hadn’t said a single cliché.

He was sincerely and earnestly expressing his drive as an athlete to reach greater heights. His tone carried a quiet confidence, as if he truly believed he could achieve that.

Sigh. With world-class talent and such a strong mindset, who else could be the champion if not him?

In any case, whether it was due to his appearance or his excellent performance in the interview, before the start of the men’s free skate at Nationals, Zhang Jue’s Weibo account, which had less than 10 posts, gained 880,000 new followers—roughly five times more than anyone else in the interview. He also became the first figure skater in China, a sport with very little popularity, to surpass 2 million followers on Weibo.

Early the next morning, Bai Suqing, the director in charge of business negotiations for the Ice Sports Center, received several calls. She realized they were all from companies wanting to talk to Zhang Jue about endorsements and commercials.

She clicked her tongue and remarked: “Wow, all these people are here to place their bets, huh?”

Back when the famous track-and-field hurdler was preparing for the Athens Olympics, Nike, Qianlima, and Coca-Cola signed him for a low price. After he won the gold medal, all three brands made huge profits, becoming a classic example of brands placing the right bet on an athlete before the Olympics.

It was said that even before this hurdler competed, these three companies had prepared marketing plans. Whether he won gold, silver, or bronze, they had strategies in place, and in the end, he delivered a record-breaking performance.

Although Zhang Jue had struggled with injury and growth for half a year, and only landed a 3A in the short program at Nationals, barely halfway back to form, he wasn’t exactly the best athlete to bet on.

However, he had one major advantage: he was handsome.

Among the athletes potentially going to the Winter Olympics, Zhang Jue was the most handsome. Just by looking at his face, anyone could tell he had significant commercial value.

Most importantly, before his setbacks, Zhang Jue had already beaten several world champion-level skaters, including Maquen, whom he had defeated twice.

On the Ice and Snow Forum, whenever someone claimed Maquen was the strongest, a Maquen detractor would immediately bring up Zhang Jue.

If this kid managed to fully recover his competitive edge before the Winter Olympics, many would be willing to bet big on him. Even though the Winter Olympics isn’t as popular as the Summer Olympics, it’s still the Olympics, and figure skating is known as the crown jewel of the Winter Games. Brands were definitely paying attention.

So, as Zhang Jue warmed up, several brand representatives were present, watching him to gauge his popularity and skill.

When Zhang Jue finally took the ice, a fangirl screamed: “I love you, little brother!”

Zhang Jue turned around and gave her a stern look before making a shushing gesture. Although the fangirl’s heart skipped a beat at being “scolded,” she also felt a bit upset about being told off by him. The girl next to her quickly handed over a piece of paper.

“There are still athletes competing right now. Please follow proper rink etiquette! If you love our little brother, don’t attract negative attention to him!”

The fangirl looked down at the paper, which was a printed guide to figure skating rink etiquette.

When it came time for Zhang Jue’s group to skate, as soon as he took off his jacket, the fans screamed again. One of the brand representatives noticed that this time, Zhang Jue didn’t scold the fans but instead waved at them before landing a beautiful 3A in practice.

The representative noted down: “This athlete is not arrogant, well-mannered, but also knows how to show appreciation for his fans.”

After the six-minute warmup ended, the athletes left the ice, leaving Dong Xiaolong, who had finished sixth in the short program, as the first to skate in the final group of the free skate.

He was a veteran, riddled with injuries, and aside from his consistency, had no other major advantages. He wasn’t the best-looking either, and the crowd’s reaction to him was lukewarm. Zhang Jue glanced at Song Cheng and noticed the worry in his eyes, probably concerned about the student he had once coached. Zhang Jue immediately took a deep breath, gathered his energy, and cupped his hands around his mouth to shout.

“Go for it, Brother Dong!”

For context, Zhang Jue had some opera training and knew how to project his voice well. If needed, he could sing a song in a thousand-seat hall without a microphone, and everyone would still hear him clearly.

So, when he yelled, half the rink heard him.

In the next moment, the fans burst into applause, cheering and shouting encouragement.

Dong Xiaolong couldn’t help but smile as he assumed his starting pose.

With three Winter Olympic spots available, Zhang Jue was bound to take one. But there were still two more up for grabs…

Dong Xiaolong had skated for so many years, and this was the first time he had encountered such a large number of spots for competition.

If he didn’t seize this opportunity, there might not be a next time.

This veteran, who had once held down the fort when the senior men’s singles figure skating field was barren, now wore a look of determination.

Even though he was older, the dream of the Olympics still burned brightly in his heart.

 

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