Hotch On Ice

by Skater3

Fate, destiny, call it what you will - It shows up unexpectedly and sometimes the results are – Incredible! Or – How Hotch learned to love getting cold feet.

70. Chapter 70

As Blake told the story later, she was never quite sure exactly how it all began. One afternoon, as she was strolling across campus waiting until it was time to meet James for an early dinner, she suddenly realized that she was walking past the ice arena and that she had never been inside. After pulling open the heavy weather-tight doors and walking inside, she found herself standing in the lobby, inhaling the damp, musty air that seemed to be the hallmark of every ice rink she had ever been in. At the counter in front of her, she noticed that spirited discussion seemed to be taking place.

As she stood watching, Blake suddenly realized that the student involved was deaf and that she was having difficulty making herself understood by the ice rink's staff. Without hesitating, Blake walked over and offered to interpret. Her offer was gratefully accepted, the student's questions were quickly answered, and she left the rink with a smile on her face.

"Thank you so much," the woman behind the counter told Blake. "I really appreciate your help with that."

"My pleasure," Blake replied. "A friend's daughter competes in figure skating so I'm familiar with some of the jargon."

"You know," the woman continued. "We are hosting a competition here in a couple of weeks. It's nothing big, just an opportunity for skaters from several of the local colleges to get together and compete. We can always use some volunteers."

"Well – I don't know - ," Blake began thoughtfully. However, before she realized it, she was signed up to help out during the competition.

One competition led to another and, as soon as the rinks in the area realized that Blake was an experienced interpreter, she was being asked to assist at competitions which included skaters from other countries. Eventually, she was contacted by the United Skates Figure Skating Association to see if she would be available to help out at their yearly Skate America Competition and so, Dr. Alexandra Blake, Linguist, was on her way to a new career which would take her to skating rinks all over the world.