The girls were kneeling at centre, crowded around Ms Cummings. Julia had told him Cummings was a great coach. Charlie had never been coached by a woman, and he was interested in hearing what she had to say. “Why isn’t Hilton coaching?” Scott said, as they skated over. “I bet he can’t be bothered,” Nick said. “Neither can I,” Scott said, “but I’m still here.” “Hurry up,” Cummings called out. “You’re a bit late, boys.” Charlie knelt down. “The great ones have arrived,” Alexandra said. Next to her Trisha and Emily snickered. “We didn’t hear the Zamboni,” Charlie said. “I was just welcoming everyone to the team,” Cummings continued. “I hope we all have fun and enjoy the tournament. I know we have some excellent players. Many of you played on the Champions Cup teams, right?” Most of the players nodded. “Let’s try to be punctual for practice, please. A friend of mine was kind enough to donate some ice to help our fundraising efforts, and out of respect for that we should try not to waste any time.
