Page 37 of Wake Up, Nat & Darcy

Raquel hadn’t made Natalie and Darcy wear the ski jumping suits. It turned out they were both wildly expensive and too customized to make sense for a ten-minute segment. Instead, Natalie and Darcy were decked out in Wake Up, USA –branded workout gear and sneakers.

Samira and Jeff, the two ski jumpers who were going to teach them to jump, agreed that it made sense to give the tutorial inside, in one of the training gyms on the Olympic campus.

“The first thing you have to be able to do is get into the tuck position we use to glide down the ramp before takeoff,” Samira said as she demonstrated how to get into a low crouch. She squatted down and kept her chest long and over her knees.

Jeff gestured to Samira’s position. “In this position she can zoom down the ramp and then explode out of the stance for the takeoff.” Samira jumped out of the position as he said this, her feet coming several feet off the ground.

“Wow, you’re really quick!” Darcy said when Samira landed.

Samira grinned. “It’s all about getting the timing right so you really launch yourself off the end of the ramp.”

They gave Darcy and Natalie tips as they crouched, gently adjusting their positions.

“We look ridiculous, don’t we?” Natalie asked, shaking her head. “Hockey players are not meant to fly.”

“Except on the ice,” Samira said with a smile. “I’ve seen you both play. I know you can fly out there.”

Darcy blushed. “You’re way too kind. Okay, now that we have tried that, show us what we need to know for the takeoff.”

Before they started the show, they’d set up a small box for them to jump off. Jeff demonstrated how he got into position and then jumped into the air where his coach caught him and held him aloft while Jeff held the flying position.

“That looks simple enough,” Natalie said. “Which probably means we’ll look completely uncoordinated. You’re welcome, America,” she said into the camera.

Jeff laughed. “Who wants to go first?”

Darcy looked at Natalie, who grinned. “If you’re chicken, I’m happy to show you how it’s done.” She looked at the coach. “Are you sure I’m not going to hurt you?”

He chuckled. “I’ve been doing this a long time. I think I can manage.”

Natalie stepped onto the box. She got into the tuck position and tried not to think about what might happen if she knocked the coach on his ass on live TV. “Ready?” she asked, cocking her head up so she could see the coach. He nodded. She checked her balance and pushed off the box as hard as she could.

Too bad jumping was only half the battle. She got into the air and the coach caught her, but instead of holding the correct position in the air as Jeff had done, her legs dangled, her middle twisted, and the coach nearly lost his balance before setting her down on the gym floor.

“Great job!” Samira said.

Natalie laughed. “Now you’re just lying. But let’s see how Canada does.”

Darcy was already on the box, ready when the coach got back in place. Natalie stepped out of the way and waited. Darcy checked with the coach before launching herself straight up into the air.

Natalie tried to keep her face neutral for the camera but her competitive nature wouldn’t let her. Darcy did a much better job. She held the right position and didn’t come close to killing the coach.

Natalie clapped slowly. “All right, showoff. Now’s the time you admit to having done this before.”

Darcy grinned, her cheeks slightly pink. “Nope. Must be a natural,” she said with a wink. The viewers were going to have fun with that.

“Folks, I hope you tune in tonight to watch our coverage of these incredible athletes doing what they do best,” Natalie said, gesturing to Jeff and Samira.

“And we promise, you’ll never have to watch us fail at this ever again,” Darcy added with a laugh. “See you back here tomorrow when we prove what amazing athletes these folks are by demonstrating how awful we are when we try to do what they do.”

They stood next to Jeff and Samira and waved into the camera until they got the signal that they were done.

After a round of thank-yous, good-lucks, and handshakes, Jeff and Samira left the gym. The crew packed up the equipment while Natalie and Darcy waited. The crew shuttled the equipment out of the gym piece by piece.

“We didn’t die,” Darcy said with a smile. “Of all the sports, this is the one I was sure we were going to get hurt trying.”

Natalie sighed. “Jumping off a box isn’t exactly death-defying.”

“Maybe not, but when they said ski jumping, I thought they were going to strap us to skis and send us flying.”

Natalie laughed. “It seems like one of us might have survived that segment, but it sure as hell wouldn’t have been me.”