16844/Does anyone remember the '88 Olmpyics

Does anyone remember the '88 Olmpyics
Date of Scene:	09 January 2024
Location:	Athletics: Triskelion
Synopsis:	A promise of training. Montage?
Cast of Characters:	Nikolas Kamarov, Natasha Romanoff, Nico Minoru

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Nikolas Kamarov has posed:
The '88 (that's 1988) summer Olympics were held in Seoul, Korea. It was the last Olympics of the cold war era. Short years later the Soviet Union would fall as East Germany would reunite with the West and become Germany once more. It was a year in which the Soviet Union dominated the Olympics. 132 total medals, 55 of them gold alone. It was a banner year of Soviet Union dominance.

One of those participants was Nikolas. The man that would become later, Winter. He did not take home an individual medal but his performance on the rings helped seal a dominate victory. And that is where the man is now. On the rings slowly descending downwards his arms slowly extending outwards. His muscles in his arms and shoulders straining, flexing, popping with definition as he continues the descent. The loose tank top clinging to his sweaty body. The strain is evident. Except his face. Finally he reaches the Iron Cross. He holds it for a moment the rings not even moving.

Suddenly his arms drop and using that momentum goes into a series of spins. Around and around. Faster and faster until he release and his tucking his arms into his side, twisting like a weirdly shape gyroscope in the air one rotation. two. three. and just when it looks like he's going to face plant, Nikolas twists and lands properly upon his feet. If it wasn't for his sweat pants catching his feet he'd not have stumbled. "I did it better in '88." The Russian grouses.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
And there is Natasha Romanova, one of the survivors of the Red Room. "Normally physical ability shifts when skills are not necessarily used. I'm sure that you haven't been in steady training for that specific set of maneuvers since then. Several yeras spent training for the specific techniques of gymnastics, the focus of your diet.. Now, you hae spread your skillset out more broadly rather than for such a narrow focus." Says the woman that did ballet when she was young and kept it for several years.
    And has lost any sort of passionf or it beyond writ physical memorization since the nineteen fifties. "Effort spent focused on one exact thing has now been put out more broadly. An Olympic runner doing the five hundred meters will focus every single thing on that specific physical exertioa nd that style."

Nico Minoru has posed:
Calisthenics. That's what she was told to work on, both by her seniors in WAND and her actual magic teachers. With a bit of a grumble, she wanders into the gymnasium, dressed in one of the SHIELD-offered athletic uniforms, that skin tight bodysuit that leaves her arms completely bare.

Her right arm, if one really looks, is most definitely not flesh and blood. It's a magical prosthetic that looks to be made of onyx but shines with a metallic luster.

As she wanders into the area, she squints and peers at the two former Russians and cants her head to the side, quite impressed by her seniors.

"Can any of you teach me how to do that?" Nico asks, making her presence known.

Nikolas Kamarov has posed:
"Ah, Natasha. That is not the case here," Nikolas says as his light blues turn to look over his shoulder at her. "I am way better now then I ever was back then," he moves towards a bench that has a water bottle on it and brings it to his lips to drink it down easily, water haphazardly falling to his chest. "Back then, I did not have full use of my abilities. Now?" He simply lifts off the ground and rotates to the look at the older woman.

"Now? I would have beaten Vladimir Artyomov to a pulp." He shrugs and puts his feet back onto the ground. His gaze goes to the young woman, "Do what?" His gaze goes to the rings above before looking towards Nico. "You want to learn the rings? For why? Your arms will fall off."

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanova would glance over at the girl and shrug, "Donig so takes a major time investment and focus and serves as a recreational pursuit. It's a matter of repetition and momentum, pushing yourself to take advantage of inertia." The way she reduces something down to such a bland description is perhaps somewhat surprising.

"Very well, then why do you think the change is in performance since then?" It's more of a casual inquiry. But always useful. Good to learn for observation - and also to see Nikolas' reasoning for such musing and awareness of his physical changes.

Nico Minoru has posed:
"Not the rings." Nico says, trying to clarify things as she flexes the magical prosthetic. There's a silly grin on her features as she shows off the 'strength' inherent in the Witch-arm before she runs her fingers through her hair with it. "Gymnastics. You know, all the flippity floppity things." Because why? How can she be a secret agent in training if she can't perform cool moves like that?

Then at the question in change in performance. "Have you seen him?!?!" she asks, somewhat exasperated by the question. "He has muscle on top of muscle on top of muscle!

Nikolas Kamarov has posed:
"Cause I stumbled." Nikolas replies in that gruff Russian manner. "Don't stick the landing it is all for naught, Natasha." Damn those grey sweatpants. They are just long enough to cover his feet and more importantly the heel. He shrugs his shoulders, the strain still evident upon his sweat soaked skin.

He tilts his head to look at Nico. "You would not like my training, little one (<that said in a Russian). Up before down, cardio, weights. Eat breakfast, train some more, have some lunch, then then we can work on gymnastics." He doesn't look like he's kidding about that.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanova would glance at Nico, "Which one do you mean? There are quite a few." They can't all however be of Liefeldian proportions! Natasha goes to cross her arms over in a display of what the other Russian can tell is actual relaxation - something she rarely does, but the cues are there.

She would give a nod at Nikolas. "Twelve hour days. Four allowed for other studies as needed. You must watch what you eat down to the calorie level."

Nico Minoru has posed:
Squintyface. That sounds like a lot of work, and she takes in a long and deep breath. "If I'm going to increase my magical reserves, then I need to increase my actual stamina. If you can help me do that, then it'll be worth it, even if it sounds like absolute torture."

There's a grumble at that as she purses her lips and just watches the two for now. It seems Nico has people to look up to now, at least!

Nikolas Kamarov has posed:
"12 hours? In the three years leading up to Seoul it was 16 hours 6 days a week." He shakes his head, "Almost as grueling as my time in the gulag." He looks towards Nico and give her a nod. "Ah stamina. Da, that is an easier thing to train for. It is more then just running, you will also need to work out."

He grins suddenly at Nico's look of worry. "2 hours tops. But more then likely only an hour a day is needed. It will take time, but soon you'll have stamina to run all night."

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanova would nod over at Nikolas, "Take his word for it. He's the one that had to train for it. There's also a specific age range wehre one is competitive or not on an international level." Namely which ends about the time one is sixteen or so.

"There are some good physical programs here at the Triskelion beyond just the training you'll be doing as a recruit. If you wish you can pursue them for.." Wha'ts the phrase, extra credit?

Nico Minoru has posed:
un. All. Night. That sounds like a terrifying prospect too the young woman as she squints once more. What did she just get herself into?

"NO need on any of that. I get way too tired if I'm relying on my own spell work and magics instead of doing everything through.." and Nico taps at her Witch-arm. Doesn't she rely on a staff? The big one that comes out when cutting herself?

"But in order to do bigger spells more reliably, I'll need to train like I'm in some sort of anime training montage." Which maybe she could do a spell for!

Nikolas Kamarov has posed:
"What is anime? That Japanese cartoon?" Nikolas asks canting his head. "You don't need a montage you need to train. You make it apart of your life and you won't even know what you are doing, young Nico. If you are serious, I will help you train. I run most mornings as it is." Not that he really needs to do that, but it's a good quiet time to be had.

"Your body will hate you, but a good ice bath will do wonders for those aching muscles and the soul." Nikolas grins at Nico before looking to Natasha and speaking in Russian he asks her, "All the recruits this .. soft? They wouldn't last 5 minutes in Siberia during the winter. 10 in the summer."