An undeveloped body is not only quick to recover, but also very light. After getting used to it for a while, Chris Bolton stood with his feet turned out and began to try jumping.

Jack Bolton watched from the side as the slender boy suddenly took off with a very standard posture, leaped into the air, spun 720 degrees (two rotations), and landed. Although his landing on the ice wasn’t very stable, he didn’t fall, which made Jack Bolton pleasantly surprised.

“Not bad, that’s a 2S (double Salchow). Have you really not trained for four years?”

Chris Bolton replied, “Yeah, I haven’t trained, but I still go skating for fun sometimes.”

Jack Bolton’s eyes lit up: “Can you do any other double jumps? Show me one.”

Chris Bolton tried a 2lo and a 2A. He still looked quite unstable, but both his technique and the number of rotations in the air were spot on.

Especially that 2A—it really shocked Jack Bolton.

The Axel jump (A jump) is the only jump that takes off forward, and it requires 180 degrees more rotation in the air than other jumps, meaning an extra half rotation. The takeoff technique is different, and the rotation is more difficult, making it the hardest of the six jumps to master.

That’s why the Axel is called the king of jumps.

On the international stage, top male singles skaters use the quadruple jump as their main weapon, but there are plenty who can land quads but can’t do a good 3A.

Jack Bolton: “Anything else?”

Chris Bolton: “That’s it.”

Jack Bolton couldn’t believe it: “How can that be? What about 2T? That’s the easiest one, right?”

Chris Bolton silently tried it. He knew the technique and could complete the rotations, but his axis was unstable, so he’d fall and roll on the landing.

He looked a bit embarrassed at Uncle: “After not practicing for years, it’s normal to lose some skills.”

Actually, if he really were only 12, he probably wouldn’t have lost his double jumps, but he just hadn’t adapted to his body yet.

Jack Bolton was silent for a moment, then opened his notebook and made a note: “The 2S, 2lo, and 2A you can do are all edge jumps. Edge jumps require good coordination. You’ve lost all your toe jumps. That’s a pretty obvious weakness.”

Everyone’s physique is different, and so are their athletic talents—it’s all in the genes. Athletes are the same. For example, Chris Bolton is the endurance type. Even after days of injury recovery, he can still complete the warm-up routine Jack Bolton gives him and get on the ice to jump, but his explosive power is just average.

The toe jumps Jack Bolton mentioned are 2T, 2F, and 2lz. These three jumps all require using the toe pick at the front of the skate to push off the ice, which demands more strength.

But Chris Bolton has a solid foundation. After practicing all afternoon, he managed to get his 2T back under Jack Bolton’s guidance.

Uncle patted his notebook: “You can already do a 2A, so the other jumps shouldn’t be a problem. Keep practicing and you’ll get all your skills back soon.”

Chris Bolton was panting, holding his knees: “Uncle, I used to be able to do 3T and 3S. Do you think I can get those back too?”

Triple jumps and double jumps are not the same. If an adult starts figure skating and can get to the level of double jumps, triples are only possible with a solid foundation from childhood.

But Jack Bolton seemed very optimistic: “Looking at you, not only will you get your 3T and 3S back, you can work on the other triples too. Alright, don’t stop exercising all of a sudden—it’s not good for your body. Keep skating for a bit to cool down, it’s okay to go slow.”

Chris Bolton obediently went off, while Jack Bolton stood at the rinkside watching his nephew’s small figure, a trace of excitement in his eyes.

The provincial team’s skating coach, Julia Miller, leaned against the rink barrier and asked him,

“Old Bolton, where’s this kid from? Great body proportions, good-looking, very standard technique—he’s got real potential.”

Jack Bolton replied proudly, “He’s my nephew. Not only does he look good and have a solid foundation, he also takes ballet classes every week. Didn’t you notice how beautiful his upper body posture is when he skates?”

Ballet emphasizes turnout, extension, straightness, and posture, and it greatly enhances one’s poise, bearing, and the beauty of movement.

Julia Miller watched for a while and then laughed: “Yeah, he does have that vibe. Coach Song has been worried that there aren’t any promising young men in the youth group. Are you planning to bring him into the provincial team?”

Jack Bolton answered casually, “This kid’s lost some skills. I’ll help him get his triples back first, then see how it goes. He’s also doing well in ballet—he’s won city awards before and is competing again this year.”

To say Jack Bolton isn’t envious of his nephew’s talent would be a lie. You know, Chris Bolton landed his first triple jump at just 8 years old! The men’s singles champion at the 2006 Winter Olympics also landed his first triple at 8!

Now that Chris Bolton has come back to train in skating, of course Jack Bolton is thinking about it, but whether this talent will ultimately go to ballet or figure skating is still up in the air.

Chris Bolton was drenched in sweat, changed clothes, slung his bag over his shoulder, and came back, only to hear Uncle calling him.

“Xiaoyu, let’s go! Uncle’s taking you to eat!”

Jack Bolton took Chris Bolton to the cafeteria and set a nutritious meal in front of him. On the plate were wild lotus root, smashed cucumber, chicken breast, shrimp, multigrain rice with oats, a serving of purple sweet potato mash, Hami melon, and soy milk.

Because there was such a variety, the plate was packed full, and Chris Bolton couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of his eye.