Old Dr. Quinn waved his hand: "That's Emily's Russian nickname, just something we call him at home for fun. If you have nothing else, put your things down and get lost. Little Grace said she's taking Paige Parker to practice skating. Go take a look, don't let the kid be unsupervised and twist his just-healed foot again."

Jack Bolton immediately became concerned when he heard this. He asked Chris Bolton where he had gone, then hurriedly ran out of the complex and jumped into his own second-hand Jinbei van.

Chris Bolton took Emily Quinn to the commercial ice rink he used to frequent most often, built in the middle of a shopping mall, surrounded by all kinds of shops. Each skating session cost just a few dozen yuan, which was affordable.

When Jack Bolton arrived, he saw quite a few people gathered around the rink. No one was making a fuss, but everyone was focused on one spot. Looking closely, he saw Chris Bolton practicing the swallow glide in the center of the rink.

The swallow glide refers to the performer gliding on one foot, with the other leg (called the floating leg) lifted and raised above the hip. The basic swallow glide is with the floating leg extended backward, and during the glide, the performer's arms are spread open, just like a bird in flight—very graceful.

In addition, there are variations such as the "reverse swallow," where the floating leg is lifted forward, and side leg lifts.

In short, the swallow glide is one of the signature moves in figure skating. Every figure skater practices this move; it's considered fundamental.

Those who can make the basic moves look absolutely beautiful are truly skilled.

Jack Bolton stood at the edge of the rink, watching the young boy glide for a while, then lift his floating leg backward. His upper body barely leaned forward, and the floating leg was still higher than the hip, showing off his excellent flexibility.

His upper limbs naturally extended during the movement, left arm open, right hand sweeping upward as if caressing the airflow felt while gliding. The whole posture was fluid and elegant, with an ethereal grace.

The boy, with his jet-black hair and snow-white skin, was already a pleasure to look at, and his skating was as swift as the wind. As Chris Bolton glided across nearly half the rink in the swallow pose, the onlookers couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow—!"

It was a scene beautiful enough to be unforgettable.

When Chris Bolton stopped, Jack Bolton finally noticed that his destination was Emily Quinn. Little Quinn was clearly wearing rental skates, and at this stage, he could only skate steadily while holding onto something; without support, he would stumble and falter. But his expression was calm, and he didn't look particularly flustered.

"Very impressive skating ability, and very fast. Others can glide maybe one meter with a single push, but he can go six or seven meters with one stride."

Hearing a familiar voice, Jack Bolton turned around and saw a young man with a stubbly face—it was the provincial team skating coach, Julia Miller.

He shrugged, "That's my nephew. From now on, he'll be training with me."

Julia Miller couldn't help but laugh, "Don't worry, no one's going to steal your nephew. I was just giving a compliment. Young skaters these days all focus on jumps. It's been a long time since I've seen such smooth skating."

Although Chris Bolton's skating wasn't perfect yet, both his use of small joints when changing edges and his ability to maintain posture were visibly excellent.

Jack Bolton looked proud: "Skating is the foundation of all technical moves in figure skating. Those who skate well can jump farther, so I'm very strict with Little Grace's skating."

"He's really a great talent."

Julia Miller sighed again, "Your nephew's birthday is in June, right? That's perfect—he'll turn 13 just before July, so he can enter the junior group next season."

Hearing this, the lightness in Jack Bolton's expression faded a bit, and he shrugged, pretending to be relaxed.

"Yeah, if he were even a year older, the national sports bureau wouldn't have to worry about not having anyone to send to the World Junior Championships."

Julia Miller picked up on something and frowned, "Is Ethan Ford's injury that serious?"

"Severe ligament tear. Families who can afford figure skating are usually well-off, and her parents are heartbroken, refusing to let her continue. I checked with the coach from the neighboring provincial team—Ethan Ford is already going through the withdrawal process."

In other words, this promising talent was already lost.

Julia Miller was silent for a moment, then comforted Jack Bolton: "Things will get better. With your nephew's talent, as long as he doesn't give up, making the world top six in the future is totally possible. Plus, Liam Sullivan has also made a successful comeback. I heard his form is improving fast—maybe he'll break into the top ten at this Vancouver event."

Jack Bolton wasn't so optimistic about his junior's condition. An athlete's form is closely tied to competition, and Liam Sullivan hadn't competed for half a season. Plus, his ankle was a hidden danger—no telling when it might give out and cause chaos.

But he still spoke with hope: "If Liam Sullivan can make the top ten, when he comes back, I'll personally cook goose for him."

It's a bit sad, really. Both of them were veteran skaters, yet neither dared hope their men's singles could win a medal at the Olympics.

Japan's women's singles took gold at the 2006 Turin Olympics, China's pairs had a shot at gold at this Winter Olympics, but Asian men's singles had always been suppressed by the North American and Russian skaters, never rising to the top.

Just then, another round of exclamations came from the rinkside. Jack Bolton turned his head, and as he watched, his eyes grew wider and wider.

Chris Bolton first performed a set of basic swallow spins. From Jack Bolton's perspective as a former national team member, there were plenty of flaws in this set of spins.