"Hey Jyra, are you OK?" He could feel Garry's hand on his back and he opened his eyes, "It's time to go"

Jyra looked around and smiled at his friend, he had been relaxing and meditating and had drifted deep into his other world, but now it was time to do what he was best at. He jumped up, gave Gerry and hug and slapped him on the back.

"C'mon then, let's go dude!" Jyra smiled his broad smile, his board was already in his hand and he walked towards the door. It opened as he got closer and the light hit him in the face and the noise in the chest. He pulled down his sunglasses from his head and let the music from the stadium and the cheers of the crowd wash over him, this is what he loved.

He hopped lightly onto the deck of his board and pushed off and skated into the centre of the arena, he backside ollied up to a flat rail and boardslided it, he landed cleanly, he rode up to the ramp at the end of the arena and kick turned and pumped down, on the flat he pushed and rock and rolled on the coping of another ramp, he rode at pace towards the bump to back he got a clean varial heelflip over the gamp and landed with ease on the flatground he heard the buzzer that indicated the end of his first run and hopped off at the top of a ramp. He stood on top of the ramp with his board in one hand, he raised the other and turned round to face the crows in the stands all around the arena. Another guy with a board gave him a high five and they both sat on a bench and smiled, they were waiting for the competition to really begin and now Jyra had entered the arena and laid down his first run, it could.

The next skater was announced to great cheers from the crowd. Jyra watched the young skater, he'd seen him before at another final a few months ago, he had an interesting style, but seemed to try too hard and over cooked things resulting in falls and fails and abandoned rounds, but it was good to see the fresh style. He looked down at his red DC shoes, he knew he needed a new pair, these were getting a bit old, but they were so comfortable. He always wore red shoes, no particular reason, it had just happened. He wore red shoes in his first competition and it was a little habit which had stuck. He pulled on his baggy blue trousers to get some air moving round his legs, it was getting hot in the arena

The music changed, the announcer shouted and the crowd roared, the next skater was up. Garry was crouching next to Jyra.

"Hi mate, how you feeling? it's a big one today, stay relaxed on your next round, if you land it then you might not need the other round eh!" Gerry laughed and rubbed Jyra's back. Jyra smiled and gave his best mate another high five before he hopped over the fence into the VIP area of the audience, leaving Jyra with the other skaters. He closed his eyes and visualised the route and ride he had planned, with the big trick at the end. He'd landed it a few times in training, in private, but had never done it in competition, he knew if it hit it right and landed it at the end of his run the crowd would go wild and that would be it for this competition - he was hyped and nervous inside but knew he had to stay calm otherwise nothing would happen.

A camera guy was on the ramp and the camera was panning past the skaters, Jyra smiled and waved and nudged the man next to him. They had the same sponsor and it would look good to have both smiling in the same brand. He relaxed again and listened to the music, closed his eyes and visualising again, the rise and fall of the ramps, a kick of the board to make it spin, planting his hand at the top of the ramp, the final drop-in for the trick on the rail. He had done these hundreds of times, his mind knew what to do and his body was well trained and he just needed body and mind to work in perfect harmony

Garry reached across to his friend and put his hand on his shoulder. "It's time now Jyra" he said quietly, he knew Jyra would be thinking about his run and blocking out the rest of the world. Jyra stood up, shock out his legs and arms and took in the arena. He didn't want to watch the other skaters today, he wanted to only have his run in his mind. He waved at the audience again, looked down the lens of the TV camera and grinned, waving a finger salute. He picked up his board and smiled as he saw the new design of a robot head on the nose, he liked it and the loved this board, a long gecko design underneath and the robot face on the nose - these images were often in his dreams and they carried meaning, identity and strength for him.

He placed the tail of the board at the top of the 15 foot drop in, the biggest in the arena and he wanted the speed and drama. He waved again and dropped in and hit the next ramp, straight up and he planted his hand and pivoted, his left right hand held the board and he landed it perfectly on the ramp, up the next one and a quick kick turn followed by a Lazer flip on the flat followed by a tre-flip and kicking up to get speed for the next ramp. He jumped off and landed on top of the ramp and dropped back in, heading for the central rail and he ollied up and landed his back tail perfectly, sliding right down the rail and he could hear the crowd roaring him on, he put in a little hard flip, ran up the ramp, turned and dropped in with speed to ollie right back up the steps in the centre of the arena and back on the rail sliding up. He hopped off, kicked and went up a ramp, kick turned and pumped for speed, he put in an Impossible and went up another ramp. It was all going well so far and he felt good. A tripple flip back on to the rail and a backside 360, back up the 15 foot ramp.

He paused, dropped in and pumped and he hit the next ramp he jumped and span his body, a summersault off the board, his feet reaching it just as his head and shoulders came out of the somersault, he held the board for a moment, hanging in the air, everything around him in super slow motion. His feet push the board back to the ramp and his weight transitioned to the board, he had done it.

Before he had got to the top of the ramp the crowd was roaring and jumping up and down and he could hear the commentator shouting. He landed on the top of the ramp, kicked his board in his hand and held it above his head, he pumped his arms up and down and was smiling. Garry was next to him with the other skaters all shouting at what a great run it had been

Jyra sat down on the bench, he had done what he had come to do so let see what the score would be - a 94 ! he was in the lead at the end of the second run. The crowd were cheering and Garry gave him a slap on the back. Jyra knew it was good but he wasnt going to celebrate yet, it was a great score but there were a good few other skaters in the competition would could get more than 90

He sat down and took a deep breath, it was important for him to stay focused on his run and not to be distracted by everything around him. Some people thought he was a bit to cool and aloof when he was like this and it would be better for him to do more for the cameras and to play with the crowd between his rounds. He knew he spoke the loudest and entertained best when his runs went well, it would be the runs that the crowd cheered and would watch over and over again on repeat, not him clowning around between the runs like some of the others did. He visualised his run again, every movement in slow motion, perfectly executed, he knew where he feet would be, how to balance, where his hand would land, how the deck would feel. He took himself through the run again in his mind so that when he was doing it for real he would instinctively know if it didn't feel quite right and would be able to correct it.

Again he felt Garry's hand on his shoulder, "Come on back to us now dude!" laughed Garry, he knew Jyra was visualising and said he always looked like he was a million miles away when he was doing that. Jyra stood up, shock out his legs and arms, tapped the tail of his board and the nose was immediately in his hand. He watched the current skater come down the ramp, ollie to the rail and wipe out his landing, his head too far foward and the balance gone. He picked up his board and went back to the competitors areas, it was time for Jyra again.

He placed the tail of the board at the top of the big drop in again, he was going to keep it relaxed and do the same run this time. He waved at the crowd and blew a kiss, smiled and and dropped in and hit the next ramp, straight up and he planted his hand and pivoted, his left right hand held the board and he landed it perfectly on the ramp, just like last time and just like on his visualisation, up the next one and a quick kick turn followed by a Lazer flip on the flat but his foot was out of place and he wasnt balanced, he missed out the tre-flip and kicking up to get speed for the next ramp. He jumped off and landed on top of the ramp, he paused, took a breath. It was time to start again, but out of his mind the bad balance on the last landing. The pause was imperceptible to the audience, the commentator didnt notice, but Garry did. He saw Jyra off balance, he knew the tre-flip had been missed and he knew the slightly longer stride, the micro second longer at the top of the ramp was Jyra resetting. Jyra dropped back in, went straight for the central rail and he ollied up and landed his back tail perfectly, sliding right down the rail and landing easily. 

The rest of the round went well, he hit the Impossible and backside 360 perfectly and was back at the top of the 15 foot ramp. Again he paused and took a breath before the somersault. He dropped in, hit the ramp opposite and was in the air and his body turning the the somersault. As his feet hit the deck of the board and the board was on the ramp he knew he was off, too far back, he had got to tight in the somersault and the weight was on his back foot. The board went out and he was on his back and then rolling. Then he was on his feet. It didnt matter, it was part of the sport and he had wiped out on that trick most of the time, but he smiled and waved and ran after his board, kicked up a ramp and sped back to the competitors. He knew he had the competition, he was the last to run and his 94 was unbeaten.

Garry jumped over the barriers and hugged him, as did another skater, there were high fives and he felt slaps on his back, Jyra was jumping up and down, his 12 gold medal and he was still the best