pandoras_box
Tuesday, June 29, 2004
temperamental tasha - part 1
yes, i realize this preamble is longer than the story thus far below...
inspired by this past weekend's olympic trials for women's gymnastics--
a typical nbc fluff piece was focused on the "love/hate relationship" between Tasha Schwikert and her coach Cassie Rice.
there was one part where Cassie was talking about how frustrating Tasha could be at times--sometimes she could be the greatest kid in the world and others "you just want to..."
*she pauses and I'M going: 'o.m.g. you just wanna spank her?? come on, say it!"*
...punch her," she continues laughing.
damn it! lol.
also interesting, if you happen to have access to the ny times archives is an article from june 3. if not, just a few quotes of interest:
~...Joy Schwikert said at one of Tasha's workouts last week, there just to reassure the coach that her daughter wouldn't behave badly.
~More than once since the 2000 Olympics, Schwikert has been kicked out of the gym -- one time nearly permanently because her brattiness rose to spectacularly irritating levels.
~"Oh please, God, at least for one day, why, oh, why, can't you give me one of those robotic, respectful, listening girls?" Rice said last week, again exasperated. "The problem is, whatever makes her great also makes her cocky and egotistical. She can be the best kid in the world, but sometimes you'd be appalled."
~on any given day, there are arguments and shouting matches between Tasha and her coach. Sometimes Schwikert dillydallies during her workout by chatting with other gymnasts. Sometimes she shows up late, fails to complete her assignments or decides to amend Rice's workouts without asking.
~Early last year, for example, an on-edge Rice could not just brush off Schwikert's poor attitude and laziness, as she usually did. Instead, she kicked her out of the gym for good. Schwikert stayed away for two weeks before begging Rice's forgiveness.
~I said, 'You can work out here only if you prove you can be a perfect, disciplined
athlete,' and she said she would do it," Rice said. "I knew she had it in her. At times,
she can play the role and be so respectful and sweet."
~~~~~
Tasha sauntered in the door about a quarter after 9.
It was a sunny Saturday morning in Las Vegas, where her teammates were 45 minutes into their morning workout.
The Olympian and 2-time national champ casually shrugged off the little shorts and tank top she wore over the blindingly bright green leo and sat on a mat to begin stretching.
On the other side of gym, coach Cassie didn't turn around or otherwise respond when a few of the girls told her Tasha had arrived.
Not in any rush, Tasha eventually headed over to the beams and began warming up her routine, while chatting with a teammate.
Cassie's first words to Tasha came an hour or so later, as she watched her prized brat goofing off as the team went through the fast-paced tumbling drills.
"GET OUT!" she barked.
The perfect picture of wide-eyed innocence, "What did *I* do?" Tasha cried.
**God help me, if she stamps her foot, I cannot be held responsible for my actions**
Eyes flashing, Cassie repeated, "OUT."
With a dramatic role of her eyes, a pouty "Fine," and a not-so-under-her-breath, "screw you," she stomped to the locker room.
The assistant coach had to physically hold Cassie back when Tasha slammed the door closed behind her.
She came back out 20 minutes later, dressed and w/ full make-up, as practice was winding down.
Pretending just-fine-and-dandy, she was caught completely off-guard when a steely eyed Cassie came to be blocking her path to the front door, w/ a fierce grip on her arm.
At a loss for words for a rare moment, Tasha found herself dragged to the office and left locked in before she even whined a single word.
All too soon, practice over, and she was re-joined by a rather peeved looking Cassie...
yes, i realize this preamble is longer than the story thus far below...
inspired by this past weekend's olympic trials for women's gymnastics--
a typical nbc fluff piece was focused on the "love/hate relationship" between Tasha Schwikert and her coach Cassie Rice.
there was one part where Cassie was talking about how frustrating Tasha could be at times--sometimes she could be the greatest kid in the world and others "you just want to..."
*she pauses and I'M going: 'o.m.g. you just wanna spank her?? come on, say it!"*
...punch her," she continues laughing.
damn it! lol.
also interesting, if you happen to have access to the ny times archives is an article from june 3. if not, just a few quotes of interest:
~...Joy Schwikert said at one of Tasha's workouts last week, there just to reassure the coach that her daughter wouldn't behave badly.
~More than once since the 2000 Olympics, Schwikert has been kicked out of the gym -- one time nearly permanently because her brattiness rose to spectacularly irritating levels.
~"Oh please, God, at least for one day, why, oh, why, can't you give me one of those robotic, respectful, listening girls?" Rice said last week, again exasperated. "The problem is, whatever makes her great also makes her cocky and egotistical. She can be the best kid in the world, but sometimes you'd be appalled."
~on any given day, there are arguments and shouting matches between Tasha and her coach. Sometimes Schwikert dillydallies during her workout by chatting with other gymnasts. Sometimes she shows up late, fails to complete her assignments or decides to amend Rice's workouts without asking.
~Early last year, for example, an on-edge Rice could not just brush off Schwikert's poor attitude and laziness, as she usually did. Instead, she kicked her out of the gym for good. Schwikert stayed away for two weeks before begging Rice's forgiveness.
~I said, 'You can work out here only if you prove you can be a perfect, disciplined
athlete,' and she said she would do it," Rice said. "I knew she had it in her. At times,
she can play the role and be so respectful and sweet."
~~~~~
Tasha sauntered in the door about a quarter after 9.
It was a sunny Saturday morning in Las Vegas, where her teammates were 45 minutes into their morning workout.
The Olympian and 2-time national champ casually shrugged off the little shorts and tank top she wore over the blindingly bright green leo and sat on a mat to begin stretching.
On the other side of gym, coach Cassie didn't turn around or otherwise respond when a few of the girls told her Tasha had arrived.
Not in any rush, Tasha eventually headed over to the beams and began warming up her routine, while chatting with a teammate.
Cassie's first words to Tasha came an hour or so later, as she watched her prized brat goofing off as the team went through the fast-paced tumbling drills.
"GET OUT!" she barked.
The perfect picture of wide-eyed innocence, "What did *I* do?" Tasha cried.
**God help me, if she stamps her foot, I cannot be held responsible for my actions**
Eyes flashing, Cassie repeated, "OUT."
With a dramatic role of her eyes, a pouty "Fine," and a not-so-under-her-breath, "screw you," she stomped to the locker room.
The assistant coach had to physically hold Cassie back when Tasha slammed the door closed behind her.
She came back out 20 minutes later, dressed and w/ full make-up, as practice was winding down.
Pretending just-fine-and-dandy, she was caught completely off-guard when a steely eyed Cassie came to be blocking her path to the front door, w/ a fierce grip on her arm.
At a loss for words for a rare moment, Tasha found herself dragged to the office and left locked in before she even whined a single word.
All too soon, practice over, and she was re-joined by a rather peeved looking Cassie...
making things right part 1 ~ a zara story
note added 8/25:
this is something of a follow-up to "SO intense."
(never mind i wrote this one 1st.)
and similar in my inability to ever write the actual spanking--what is that ABOUT?!?
i dunno.
well, you have been warned...
~~~~~~~~~~
...this one is an "expression" i guess of present r/l for me...
speaks of usual typical and tedious self-destructive tendencies
this is part 1 as noted, but i'm slow and easily distracted, so...
refrain from waving your hairbrushes at me, pwease?
~~~~~
"hey," i said, taking a seat next to her.
"hey baby," she replied, looking up w/ a smile.
closing her book, and putting it on the table to her right, jax then turned back, and shifted her position so she was sitting sideways on the couch and facing me.
"how was your day, kiddo?"
"um, alright," i answered, "had a good practice."
i was trying to sound and appear typically casual, just regular-ole-me after a regular-ole-day.
but i could sense that jax already sensed something was up.
i was just so no good at masking shit anymore.
"yeah? good...the rest of your day ok?"
"fine."
oh shit, monosyllabic answers are a dead giveaway.
the lack of any verbal response from jax was proof positive of that.
forcing myself to adjust my position so i was now face-to-face, i started,
"so...i wanted to, um, talk to you about something..."
making eye contact for a moment, i could see the amused gleam at my stating the obvious.
"sure, z. whats up lovey?"
"oh, just something that came up with abby today."
jax waits.
"um, you remember a bunch of months ago, when i, uh, ordered those pills online?...and issac accidentally opened the box..." i trailed off.
"as if i could forget. my hand is *still* sore from that night," jax teased.
yeah, 9 months later--you're sooo funny.
"what about it?", she prompted, more seriously.
"well, um, it kinda randomly came up today..."
jax waits as i take a moment to will my voice not to shake.
"so, ya know, abby had asked me back then if the pills had been thrown out..."
*deep breath*
"and i told her yes."
"right, i threw them out myself the next day," jax responded, with a hint of confusion.
i took a gulp of my diet soda.
became momentarily fascinated playing with the can tab.
drank some more.
still looking downward.
i could now feel 2 eyes boring into my forehead.
biting my lip, i mumbled "not exactly."
"not exactly, did you say, zara michaela?"
hearing the first erosion of patience in her tone, and bored myself w/ this same old dance around,
"i got up during the night, and found them and switched the pills in the bottles with like aspirin and stuff."
i could feel my face flushing with shame, and my eyes becoming moist.
i waited for a response, any response.
i was terrified to look up at her, of what i might see on her face, in her eyes.
but as the silent seconds continued to tick, i slowly glanced up.
i don't even know what kind of look i was expecting to see, but whatever it was, i didn't see it.
only the same calm, caring, concerned expression that bewilders me still.
jax put her hand on my thigh, giving me a gentle squeeze, and softly said, "go on."
i suddenly felt much calmer and steadier myself.
maybe b/c the rest didn't quite so directly involve jax...
"well, i had told abby about it at the time--"
"so she was asking if *you* had thrown them out. the real ones." jax cut in.
i could practically hear the click in her head.
"yeah."
"sorry...go on."
"right, well, she had obviously, err, "suggested" that i do so."
"and when she asked the next time i saw her, i said that i did throw them out...
"but i didn't."
"what *did* you do with them?"
"nothing."
*the eye-brow raise*
"nothing?"
"i never took 'em. any. not once."
jax looked, hmmm, intrigued maybe?
"i just put them way back in my closet and didn't even touch them for months."
"then what happened?"
"i threw them out for real."
"when?"
"a few weeks ago."
i met her gaze directly.
"the night after..."
"come here," jax said, holding her arms open.
and i was in them.
like yesterday...
note added 8/25:
this is something of a follow-up to "SO intense."
(never mind i wrote this one 1st.)
and similar in my inability to ever write the actual spanking--what is that ABOUT?!?
i dunno.
well, you have been warned...
~~~~~~~~~~
...this one is an "expression" i guess of present r/l for me...
speaks of usual typical and tedious self-destructive tendencies
this is part 1 as noted, but i'm slow and easily distracted, so...
refrain from waving your hairbrushes at me, pwease?
~~~~~
"hey," i said, taking a seat next to her.
"hey baby," she replied, looking up w/ a smile.
closing her book, and putting it on the table to her right, jax then turned back, and shifted her position so she was sitting sideways on the couch and facing me.
"how was your day, kiddo?"
"um, alright," i answered, "had a good practice."
i was trying to sound and appear typically casual, just regular-ole-me after a regular-ole-day.
but i could sense that jax already sensed something was up.
i was just so no good at masking shit anymore.
"yeah? good...the rest of your day ok?"
"fine."
oh shit, monosyllabic answers are a dead giveaway.
the lack of any verbal response from jax was proof positive of that.
forcing myself to adjust my position so i was now face-to-face, i started,
"so...i wanted to, um, talk to you about something..."
making eye contact for a moment, i could see the amused gleam at my stating the obvious.
"sure, z. whats up lovey?"
"oh, just something that came up with abby today."
jax waits.
"um, you remember a bunch of months ago, when i, uh, ordered those pills online?...and issac accidentally opened the box..." i trailed off.
"as if i could forget. my hand is *still* sore from that night," jax teased.
yeah, 9 months later--you're sooo funny.
"what about it?", she prompted, more seriously.
"well, um, it kinda randomly came up today..."
jax waits as i take a moment to will my voice not to shake.
"so, ya know, abby had asked me back then if the pills had been thrown out..."
*deep breath*
"and i told her yes."
"right, i threw them out myself the next day," jax responded, with a hint of confusion.
i took a gulp of my diet soda.
became momentarily fascinated playing with the can tab.
drank some more.
still looking downward.
i could now feel 2 eyes boring into my forehead.
biting my lip, i mumbled "not exactly."
"not exactly, did you say, zara michaela?"
hearing the first erosion of patience in her tone, and bored myself w/ this same old dance around,
"i got up during the night, and found them and switched the pills in the bottles with like aspirin and stuff."
i could feel my face flushing with shame, and my eyes becoming moist.
i waited for a response, any response.
i was terrified to look up at her, of what i might see on her face, in her eyes.
but as the silent seconds continued to tick, i slowly glanced up.
i don't even know what kind of look i was expecting to see, but whatever it was, i didn't see it.
only the same calm, caring, concerned expression that bewilders me still.
jax put her hand on my thigh, giving me a gentle squeeze, and softly said, "go on."
i suddenly felt much calmer and steadier myself.
maybe b/c the rest didn't quite so directly involve jax...
"well, i had told abby about it at the time--"
"so she was asking if *you* had thrown them out. the real ones." jax cut in.
i could practically hear the click in her head.
"yeah."
"sorry...go on."
"right, well, she had obviously, err, "suggested" that i do so."
"and when she asked the next time i saw her, i said that i did throw them out...
"but i didn't."
"what *did* you do with them?"
"nothing."
*the eye-brow raise*
"nothing?"
"i never took 'em. any. not once."
jax looked, hmmm, intrigued maybe?
"i just put them way back in my closet and didn't even touch them for months."
"then what happened?"
"i threw them out for real."
"when?"
"a few weeks ago."
i met her gaze directly.
"the night after..."
"come here," jax said, holding her arms open.
and i was in them.
like yesterday...
oh no don't you put me in that box you know what you can do with those locks bet your life i'll come crawling out again you'll have to deal with me then you'll hear me in the wind...

