Girl Talk #9: Peer Pressure

By L.E. Blair. Published 1990.

So apparently, there is a countywide Winter Carnival, and they have an Olympics. Each school sends representatives, and Katie tried out for the synchronized skating team. Because not only is she an awesome hockey player, she taught herself some figure skating moves by just watching tv, and trying things out. Ok.

They announce the Bradley Junior High team at an assembly, and it takes forever to get to the skating events. There are two pairs for synchronized skating. The first pair is Stacy the Great and a girl named Kim, and then Katie and Laurel, Stacy’s best friend. Katie is not so sure about this.

Laurel obviously isn’t too sure, either, and tries to get Katie to quit. She thinks Katie’s not good enough because she plays hockey, and has never taken figure skating lessons.

Katie’s friends all have roles for the carnival. Sabrina and Randy are both in the band, Sabrina playing clarinet, and Randy percussion. Allison is a reporter for the paper. She’s nervous about having to talk to people.

Stacy says they’re going to try to get the teams switched around. Randy tells her that’s a good idea, because Kim is really good, and would be better matched with Katie’s skills. It pisses Stacy off.

Katie is excited to tell her mom the news. She’s happy for her, but she doesn’t really get it. She does get all excited though when Katie’s sister Emily comes home and announces she’s been named Winter Carnival Queen for Bradley Senior High.

They have their first practice, and it’s awkward. Laurel does everything she can to make things difficult. Their coach says they’re just nervous. He also tells them they need to bring their music to the next practice. Laurel invites Katie over to her house the day to go through music.

So Katie goes over to Laurel’s super huge mansion, and she actually has a pretty good time. They find a great, jazzy piece of music to use. The only downside is meeting Laurel’s mom and sister, Lana. They’re totally stuck up, and her mom is only interested in Lana’s ballet career. They remind Katie a little of her own sister and mother.

At their next practice, Katie and Laurel kick ass. The guy’s high school hockey team even applauds them. Stacy tries to get bitchy, but Laurel stands up to her, and tells her she’s just jealous. Katie then goes over to Laurel’s house, and they bond over their shared family issues. They also make plans to go pick out their costumes that Saturday.

Sabrina starts worrying that Katie is starting to be too good of friends with Laurel, and she won’t want to be friends with them anymore. Katie doesn’t really want to be on the decorating committee for the Winter Carnival Dance, because she’s so busy, and then Katie’s going shopping with Laurel instead of them. Sabrina calls Randy, and Randy calls Allison. Allison rightly points out that it will be good for the competition if they’re friends.

The girls actually decide to talk to Katie, and she tells them not to worry. She thinks they should maybe try being friends with Laurel. So she invites them all over to her house after the shopping trip to work in the dance committee.

The girls are able to find an inexpensive costume that will look great. Then Stacy and the rest of their group shows up, and they all decide to go get something to eat. Katie is a little weirded out hanging out with them. But then the tables are turned back at Katie’s house, when Laurel is part of Katie’s group. Sabrina forgets herself, and says something bad about Stacy. Laurel gets upset and leaves.

But the next day at practice, they’re both worried the other one is mad at them, so they make up easily, and get to work. They have a great practice, and their coach tells them if they skate that well for the competition, they’ll win a medal.

They continue having practices all week, and keep getting better.

They have the dance the night before the competitions start. The decorations are kick-ass, of course. Maybe these girls should go into party planning or something.

Then it’s the day of the competition. Katie and Laurel are the first pair to skate. Katie gets lost in the music, and they absolutely kick ass, of course. Their scores are great. When Stacy and Kim take the ice, Stacy keeps trying to show off, which gets them completely out of sync, so they don’t score very well. The last pair, from another school, do really well, and their scores are really close to Katie and Laurel’s. But, surprise, surprise, Katie and Laurel get first place. What a shocker.

Katie’s friends are thrilled for her of course, but it’s a bit awkward with Laurel’s, since Stacy is all upset. Katie asks Laurel to go to Fitzie’s with her group, but Laurel says she better not. The girls wish their friends would get along, but decide that doesn’t mean they can’t be friends themselves.

o   I really have to call bullshit on Katie just teaching herself everything. She can even do an axel. Sure it’s only a single, but it’s not exactly easy.

o   Bradley Junior High sure has their priorities straight. The girls get to skip three whole periods to decorate for the dance.

Girl Talk # 2: Face-Off!

By. L.E. Blair. Published in 1990

Katie loves to ice skate, so it’s good that the new skating rink is the best place to hang out for junior and senior high school kids in Acorn Falls. That includes people she doesn’t necessarily want to see, like Stacy the Great, who spends her time flirting with eighth-grade hottie, Scottie Silver. But Scottie skates by, steals Katie’s hat, and takes off. Katie is a fast skater, and is able to catch him by a belt loop, and they end up crashing into another couple.

Katie’s sister, perfect Princess Emily, sees this, and tells their mother about it. She tells Katie she needs to act more ladylike.

Kate is a flag girl. She doesn’t hate it, but she doesn’t love it either. She mainly does it because her sister and her mom want her to. Stacy the Great is also on the squad. The day after the skating incident, Stacy makes fun of Katie for wearing an undershirt instead of a bra. Katie gets upset, turns in her uniform, and quits the squad. When she tells her mom and sister, they’re surprised and upset.

The subject of the boys’ hockey tryouts comes up at lunch. Apparently they’re a Very Big Deal. Scottie and his friends start saying how the whole team is right there, and Scottie’s the best skater in the county. Randy argues that, and says that Katie is. Then she adds on that Katie will be trying out for the team.

On the day of tryouts, the coach tries to tell Katie she can’t tryout. But then Alison speaks up, and gives us an awesome history lesson on Title IX. So suck on that, Coach Budd.  So they let her do it, and she has to go into the visitor’s locker room to change. Only she can’t find the light switch, and it’s her first day wearing a bra. She has trouble getting the bra off. Finally she does, and gets into her pads and things, and makes it out onto the ice. But oh shit, her bra is hanging out the back of her pants. Everyone laughs, but the coach just kindly tells her to go finish changing.

The rest of the first day is spent just doing drills. When she gets home that night, her mom and sister are pissed. They get into a fight, and Katie says her dad (who’s dead) would have let her do it.

The second day goes much like the first, only someone turned the light on for her, and she didn’t wear the bra. However, on the third day, things get more difficult. They have their first scrimmages, and the guys are tough on her, constantly hitting her and checking into her into the walls. She feels a little sorry for herself, and figures the coach isn’t calling them on it just to get rid of her. But after practice, Scottie tells her she better stop acting like a wimp. She gets mad, and tells him they aren’t going to stop her. He doesn’t say anything, but kisses her on the cheek. Go Katie.

Katie makes the team. Her friends are thrilled for her. Her mom isn’t happy, but she doesn’t forbid her to do it.

Phone call chapter. Scottie calls Katie and tells her not to be late to their game, but that it won’t really matter, since she won’t be playing anyway. Through various other calls, the girls figure out he called because he like-likes Katie.

During their first game, Katie doesn’t expect to play, but she feels pretty cool sitting on the bench in her uniform. But then their left wing gets hurt, and she’s the only other person who’s been playing that position, so she’s in the game. And she has an assist to Scottie, and they win. Scottie and Katie walk to Fritzie’s together after the game.

o   Like everyone else, I always loved reading about characters’ fashion choices. But my second favorite? Reading about how their rooms are decorated. So here’s Katie’s bedroom.

Room Porn: Her wallpaper has little rosebuds all over it and it’s really faded, and there are pink gingham tie-back curtains with lace trim. The carpet is blue, and all her furniture is white with gold trim. She has a matching white wall unit filled with books and stuffed animals, and there’s a big white dollhouse her dad made her.

o   Apparently PB&J sandwiches are baby food, but cheese sandwiches are ok.

o   The girls play an unnamed game at their sleepover. But it’s a fun game! And if you get answers wrong, you have to put zit stickers on your face! Gee, I don’t know, could you possibly be talking about this game?:

Subtle advertising there.

o   Apparently the school just has all the hockey pads and everything for them to use. Really? That shit’s expensive.

o   Sabrina’s dog has puppies. They offer one to Katie, but she knows her mom won’t let her have one. So she gets to name one, and she can pretend it’s hers. Aww.

o   This book doesn’t downplay the hockey terminology, and I appreciate that.