by Dana Burkey
“Nitro, huh?”
The sudden voice startled me, causing me to spin my body around and sink under the water before I could recover. I quickly came up out of the water for a breath of air, laughing at myself even as I coughed. Kicking my legs to propel me to the side of the pool, I grabbed onto the ladder and looked up to see extremely familiar dark tan skin, light green eyes, and super curly brown hair that could only belong to Peter. He was standing on the deck with a sheepish smile on his face as he held out a hand to help me out of the pool. His grip, combined with the easily seven inches of height he had on me, allowed him to almost lift me out of the water without use of the ladder. Thanks to my quick exit from the pool, I got sprinkles of water on his khaki cargo shorts and faded black t-shirt, although I was sure Peter didn’t mind too much.
“Sorry,” he said between his laughter. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” I nodded, still doing a mixture of laughing and coughing.
“I saw your snap,” Peter said as I walked over to grab my towel. “So, you made Nitro?”
“Hopefully,” I replied, brushing wet hair off my forehead.
“What do you mean?”
Peter sat on one of the deck chairs and I instantly sat in the chair next to him before answering. “There are a few people that will still get cut from the team I think, so hopefully I’ll still be there once we get down to 20 people.”
It wasn’t something I had thought about much or even told anyone, but it was something I noticed when our team photo was posted online. We had more than Nitro’s allotted 20 athletes, meaning a few people were likely going to get cut before competition season rolled around. I waited for Peter to ask more questions or say something encouraging, but instead he simply laughed. I found myself upset for a second, but it was clear he wasn’t laughing at me to be rude. Most people might not be able to tell the difference, but after almost 4 years I knew him well. Every facial expression he made and every tone his voice took on was easy for me to read. It came with spending almost every day with him and his younger brother Kyle since I arrived in Texas and moved into the house next door to them. They often felt more like brothers to me than just friends, so I knew instantly Peter was laughing because the idea of me getting kicked off Nitro was just a joke to him.
“Hey, it could happen,” I tried, although my voice didn’t even convince myself.
“And I could be a cheerleader one day too,” Peter challenged.
“That could also happen.” My response only made Peter laugh louder. “I feel pretty confident and all, but I don’t want to let my head get too big just to get disappointed a few weeks from now.”
“If they cut you from Nitro, it would only be to move to Detonators or Bomb Squad,” he said evenly, shocking me that he could name all of the other level 5 teams so easily. “Don’t look so surprised. I went to enough of your competitions last year to know all the teams at the gym.”
“Prove it,” I instantly challenged him.
“Okay.” Peter rubbed his hands together as if he was getting ready for something much more serious than naming squads at the TNT Force gym. “Flame is the junior 2, Blast is junior 3, and Sparkler is level 4. Then the senior teams are-”
You already messed up,” I announced, stopping him. “It’s not sparkler. It’s Spark.”
“Close enough and you know it.”
I tried to think of something to say, but couldn’t think of a good reply. Peter really did know the competition teams at the gym, and likely knew how good each team was as well. That meant that when he assured me I was going to stay on a level 5 team, he truly believed just what he said.
“Either way, I’m on Nitro for now and it feels awesome.”
We sat and talked a little more about my summer team schedule, all the new teal gear I had already gotten, and Peter’s upcoming family vacation to California. The conversation was light and easy, like all of my conversations with Peter. Or at least most of them. Right after I got my haircut the week before I headed to Summit, it was like he couldn’t be around me. Or at least not without just silently staring at me with this strange look on his face. Thankfully it only lasted for a few days, and after that everything was back to normal.
“You staying for dinner, Peter?” my dad asked, standing in the open patio doorway.
“Only if it’s pizza,” Peter replied with a grin.
“I’ll get a plate out for you then.”
“So when do you start practice with Nitro?” Peter asked after sending a text to his parents that he was staying for dinner. It happened often enough that I was certain they weren’t even a little surprised.
“Monday,” I said, instantly feeling nervous excitement building at the thought of it.
“Well, just try not to show off and make the other cheerleaders feel too inferior on the first day,” Peter suggested with a grin.
In reply I simply rolled my eyes then stood up to head inside. I wanted to change before dinner, so it was a good excuse to not answer Peter in the moment. He was trying to act like I was super important to the team, but I knew that wasn’t the case. Or rather, it couldn’t be the case. As a new flier to a level 5 team, I knew there was likely many people better at conditioning and the overall skills compared to me. There was a chance that by the end of the season I might be a ‘top’ member of the team. But, walking in from last season’s level 3 and 4 teams, I knew I would have to work hard to keep a spot on Nitro. No matter what Peter or anyone else thought.
“Slow down Max, you’re going to make the rest of us look bad,” Matthew gasped Monday afternoon as we ran laps around the block of the TNT gym.
“Sorry,” I shrugged, while slowing my pace only a little. “I figure the sooner I get done the sooner I can sit down and stop running.”
“Well, try to make it look like it’s at least a little hard for you, for my sake,” he tried again. He was now practically matching my pace. I slowed a little to help.
When Monday rolled around I was excited to head to the gym for my first Nitro team practice. Since it was still before my dad got off work, I biked to the gym wearing my teal shorts, new bow with my name on it, and a tank top covering the bedazzled sports bra. The idea of wearing even less clothing while I was being lifted into the air or tumbling was not something I was eager to try. I assumed others would feel the same way. But, when I arrived to TNT Force I was a little shocked to see how many of the girls at the gym were wearing just the sports bra. Or at least I was shocked until I realized what they likely already knew. Summer conditioning was no joke.
The first big time chunk was spent going over the schedule for the next few weeks, allowing each person to introduce themselves and share a few things so we could all get to know each other. I was happy to see there were a lot of other new members to Nitro, many of whom had also moved up from either level 3 and 4 teams like myself. Learning more about TJ was also great, since I began to see how fun he was going to be. Nicole was always stern and serious in the gym, but from stories I heard from Connor as well as what I saw from him at competitions, it was clear that TJ was a super fun coach. Not only was he always laughing and joking with people, he took team spirit to the next level with his hair. It was dyed teal, something I soon learned was a start of season tradition everyone always looked forward to.
The hair might not have looked great on other people, but it worked on TJ. He was tall and thin, although still muscular from years of cheerleading. He had a super angular face, and eyes that perfectly matched his teal hair, although it was naturally a dirty blonde. TJ’s new hair, combined with his teal TNT Force shirt complete with the same rhinestones that were decorating the shirts of all the athletes on Nitro, made his overall look a lot to take in. His fun personality simply shone for everyone to see, although once we ‘got to work’ it was hard to remember the less serious side of him. That was in large part due to his plan for conditioning even the returning members of the team weren’t quite ready for.
“Look, we’re almost d
one,” I told Michael, picking up my pace once again as I turned the corner. It was the fifth lap, bringing the start of practice running total to 3 miles. “Wanna race?”
“Not even a little,” Matthew managed, slowing down even more as he pushed his sweat soaked white blond hair out of his face. When I didn’t slow down as well and instead began to pull ahead he simply called after me, “Show off.”
“Of course you’re back first,” TJ laughed, handing me a frozen otter pop as I walked back into the gym.
“Thanks,” I said taking the treat. “What’s next?”
“A break,” he replied. “It’s going to be a little while until everyone else is back.”
With a shrug, I sat down on the blue mat and enjoyed the orange pop I was holding. I was joined by Matthew within a few minutes, and then others slowly began to trickle in. Unlike when I arrived, they all but threw themselves onto the floor and gobbled down their icy treat like it was all that was keeping them alive. Thankfully, after sitting and resting, everyone caught their breath and began to talk.
“Why are we going so hard on day one?” Connor asked, taking a long drink from his teal TNT water bottle before continuing. “I feel like last season we actually built up to stuff like this.”
“It wasn’t that hard,” I shrugged, then instantly regretted it.
“We didn’t all spend the weeks off training,” Leanne replied, overhearing my comment as she was walking past. It was accompanied with an eye roll, something I was beyond used to seeing from her.
“Really? You guys weren't training even knowing assessments were coming?” This was said only to my friends sitting on the mat around me, since Leanne was thankfully no longer within earshot.
“TJ knows what we're capable of, so if we miss a pass or don’t quite perform at our best at assessments then we know we’ll still make the team,” Matthew explained. “It’s good to still stay more or less in shape, but after Worlds is the one month out of the whole year that we don’t have to be constantly training.”
“Not that we think you training is a bad thing really,” Connor quickly same to my defense.
“Speak for yourself,” Matthew laughed. “I’m a good runner, and she totally smoked me. I have a rep to protect and if I let little Max here beat me I’m going to be made a fool of fast!”
“I think you do enough of that on your own,” Emma, Matthew’s girlfriend, quickly interjected.
The two of them began their usual flirt-fighting as Lexi called it, so I took the time to stretch. It felt good after the run, and I knew it would help me once we got started on skills. Although, I didn't know exactly what those skills would entail for the first day of practice. Either way I wanted to be ready no matter what.
“Two minutes people,” TJ called out.
“I think your enthusiasm is great,” Connor said, leaning in closer to me while Matthew and Emma went back to their conversation.
“Thanks,” I grinned, glad to have Connor by my side.
Aside from Lexi and Halley, he was my best friend at the gym, so knowing I was on the same squad as him was nice. Being on a team with Lexi and Halley would have been better, but I was hoping it wouldn’t be too long before I got to know more people on Nitro. Having our names on our bows helped with that allowing me to feel like I knew people a little the first time meeting them. That was exactly the case when a gift with poker straight black hair and tan freckles skin sat down next to me. After taking in her blue green eyes and nose ring I saw from her bow that her name was Jade.
“So, Max, are you ready for some real level 5 skills?” Jade asked.
“Totally,” I nodded. “It’s just not the same trying things in classes, so I’m really excited.”
“Well, we won’t quite get to the real stuff today,” Jade added with a frown. “We have to build up to that while we find out stunt groups and partner stunts and everything.”
Before I could ask more, TJ launched back into practice. It began with all of us finding a spot on the mat, lining up on the tape that held the seconds of the mat flush together. TJ instructed the shortest people to stay near the front of the lines, so everyone could see over the people behind them. It was similar to the way we would line up on Fuze and Blast, so I stayed near the front as everyone else shuffled around. I knew I was short, although it wasn’t until we were all in place that I saw just how short I was.
Looking around, I saw that Matthew, Connor, and all of the taller bases were in the back. In front of them were a lot of more averaged height people, including both Emma, Jade, and Juleah who had been in my stunt team while I was on Fuze the year before. Then, closest to me were other girls that were considered short by all standards. In fact, I realized as I was looking at the other four girls in the front line with me, I was the shortest by a few inches. Leanne was next in height, although it was hard to tell just how much taller than me she was. This was mostly since her hair was teased and piled so high on her head around her bow, it made her look taller than even the girl behind her. Either way, I was the shortest of the short girls, and more than likely the youngest person on the squad as well. I was used to it thanks to my time on Fuze, but it was still a little strange after a whole season on Blast where I was surrounded by a lot of other short and younger athletes as well.
“Okay everyone,” TJ called out once we were all in place. “We’re doing 10 reps in each set, and doing 5 sets of each. Jumping jacks, sidekicks, and front kicks. After that we’re moving on to pushups, planks, crunches, squats, and then some standing jumps.”
As others around me let out a groan I tried to stay positive. The run was long, but not too difficult. Conditioning would likely be the same. Or at least that was the hope I held onto through the beginning exercises. Much like on Blast and Fuze they were sharp and angular versions of motions most people were used to. So, they were easy enough while still challenging athletes to flex their muscles and “lock their core,” as Nicole always used to say when I first joined the gym.
“I hope you’re not tired yet,” TJ commented as we finally got ready to move into the pushups, planks, and more. Around me, I could see a few people looked pretty tired; sweat was already dripping off of them. I was basically doing okay, although the heat was a lot to overcome, even with the large gym fans running. My only hope was that we were almost finished for the day. As if reading my mind, TJ added, “I hope no one is tired yet. We’re just getting started people.”
Although I believed TJ when he hinted at how hard the practice was about to become, it in no way prepared me for how true the statement actually was. We went through a series of conditioning exercises that were difficult for everyone, to say the least. We did bear crawls around the mat, we crab walked from one side of the floor to the other, we did lengthy wall sits, and we even did candlestick back tucks. Adding in the extra movements before the back tuck made it extra hard, not to mention it was after all the other drills. It made landing the basic flip much more strenuous than usual. What really got me feeling bummed, however, was that thanks to the conditioning we never got around to working on flying or even running tumbling.
“I don’t get it,” I said to my friends the next morning as we sat around my pool. Halley and Lexi had come over to swim for a while before they had their first Spark practice at the gym. “Why would we start doing things that hard and not even do any real cheerleading?”
“Sounds like TJ’s already getting ready for Worlds,” Halley commented, while Lexi nodded in agreement.
“But Worlds is almost a whole year away,” I reminded them. “We won’t even have a shot to quality until at least December.”
“True,” Lexi nodded. “But if you work hard enough now, when you get more into the season you will have a lot of stamina. The Worlds teams do it every year, just maybe not to this level.”
“Yeah,” Halley went on. “This intense conditioning is kind of normal Nitro. Just a little bit more sooner than most years.
“So you mean we’re going to have to do t
hat stuff all the time?” I groaned.
“Aren’t you so glad you’re on Nitro now?” Halley teased.
As much as I wanted to agree that it was nothing but a bummer, I knew it wasn’t true. The hard work would get easier eventually. I hoped it was sooner rather than later, but until then I could at least be happy with the fact that I survived. Especially since there were a few athletes that didn’t make it through the hard conditioning without throwing up. Not to mention the number of people that had been on Nitro the year before were admitting just how exhausted they were compared to in seasons past. It was a small consolation to know I fared pretty well compared to some of the other athletes on my new team. But, then again, if I wasn’t better than at least a few of them, then I had no shot at staying on Nitro in the long run.
“Matthew said you and Connor hung out after practice was over,” Lexi stated, although it sounded more like a question.
“Yeah, he walked home with me since it’s on his way,” I explained easily. “I didn’t get to ride my bike, but he helped wheel it for most of the way so that was nice.”
“He lives 20 minutes away,” Halley corrected me. “On the opposite side of town. After he walked you home he still had to go back to the gym and wait for his mom to pick him up.”
“Maybe he was worried I was too tired to make it home on my own,” I guessed. “Or had extra time to kill.”
“Maybe,” Lexi nodded, then began giggling along with Halley.
Since they often reacted that way when Connor was brought up, I got up off the deck chair I was lounging on and walked to the edge of the pool. Their response to anything I said about him was strange, and at that moment I decided to focus on jumping into the pool to cool off. It was early in the summer, but it was already extremely hot for the second week of June. Diving into the deep end, however, I was at least thankful I didn’t have to head to the gym like my friends. The only thing on my schedule all day was swimming and more swimming.