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Gold Medal Dreams #3
Chance of a Lifetime
Book Three in an exciting Olympic trilogy!
Tori and Jill are getting the chance of a lifetime. They're going to Japan for the 1998 Winter Games--Tori as a member of the U.S. Olympic team, Jill as an alternate. They're both extremely excited.
But Tori is also scared. Very scared. She has a serious muscle disease that is slowly draining her body of strength. It took every ounce of Tori's energy just to finish her routine at Nationals and qualify for the Olympics. Now she must skate in front of the world. But even walking is torture for Tori lately. And she knows that if she fails, she'll let down everyone she loves...and her entire country.
Tori and Jill are getting the chance of a lifetime. They're going to Japan for the 1998 Winter Games--Tori as a member of the U.S. Olympic team, Jill as an alternate. They're both extremely excited.
But Tori is also scared. Very scared. She has a serious muscle disease that is slowly draining her body of strength. It took every ounce of Tori's energy just to finish her routine at Nationals and qualify for the Olympics. Now she must skate in front of the world. But even walking is torture for Tori lately. And she knows that if she fails, she'll let down everyone she loves...and her entire country.
- GenresChildrensFigure Skating
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 12, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 8, 2026
Melissa Lowell “Chance of a Lifetime” is the third book in the Gold Medal Dreams Silver Blades fiction book miniseries. The book was published by Batam Books in 1998. The book’s main characters are teenager Tori Carsen, her mother Corrine Carsen, stepsister Veronica, and Russian citizen Natalia Cherkas who loves ice skating and lived as a visitor in the Corrine Carden home with Tori and Veronica. Natalia Cherkas’ father is a diplomat stationed in Washington DC. The book features Tori’s activities on the female U.S. 1998 Ice Dancing Olympics team. The 1998 Winter Olympics games will be played in Nagano, Japan. Ice dancing became an Olympic event in 1976. Tori has been recently diagnosed to have a debilitating myotonic muscular dystrophy (MD) physical impairment.
The U.S. team chose Cara Hopkins to replace Amber Armstrong who is 12 years old and too young to play in the International Olympics. Tracy Wilkins and Tori Carsen are also on the U.S. skating team. Jill Wong was selected to be an alternate on the American team. Tori’s mother decided for Tori, and family to stay in a hotel and avoid being hounded by reporters about her health and physical conditions. Outside the hotel she and Natalia Cherkas, greeted Natalia’s Russian Ambassador father and her older sister Jelena. Jelena skates on Russia’s National Olympic team. Natalia’s father told Tori and her companions that he was very happy to see them. Natalia told her father that her airplane flight to Japan “was brutal. He smiled and then said: to her: “I see you are still learning American slang.” Tori’s natural father is interviewed by a sportswriter about his daughter’s medical condition.
Tori’s birth father was standing close to the reception desk when her mother and Tori’s companions exited the elevator. Her mother was surprised when she saw him standing by the “ring admittance” desk and she began shaking and “gasped loudly.” Her father James Carsen saw them and with his eyes fixed on Tori he said: “Hello, Tori! It’s good to see you…”. He then greeted Mother Corrine Carsen and shook Roger’s hand. Reporters rushed over to greet Tori and asked her questions about how she was feeling. She told them she was looking forward to competing in the short dance skating program. Before the short program began, Tori learned from her father that his mother had myotonic muscular dystrophy (MD). Tori was very upset when he told her disease game through him from his mother. Cara Hopkins and Jill Wong went sledding riding down mountain slopes adjacent to the town Nagano. The sled ride ended with an awful crash that severely sprained her ankle and ended her ability to compete in the Olympics. Jill is a U.S. backup Olympic skater. After seeing a medical doctor, she was told the ankle injury is severe and she will not be able to skate in the Olympic Games. Cara accused Jill of steering the sled in a way to intentionally injure her. She said this to Jill much to Jill’s dismay. Jill replaced Cara in the Olympics. While the sledding incident is happening, much to Tori’s disappointment her father gave a filmed reporter interview about his muscular dystrophy; and the impact her MD will have on her Olympic performance. After listening to the interview, Tori grabbed her skate bag and took a bus ride to the skating rink for a practice session. While on the bus she fell asleep and was on the bus when it ended its route. Tori was lost and she decided to walk towards the mountains in hope she might find her hotel which is close to the mountains. She had no money in her purse to buy help. On the walk she encounters her natural father. They reconcile their conflicts and her father hails a cab to take them to the hotel. While this is happening Natalia and her sister Jelena also reconcile their conflicts. The stage is now set for the Olympic events. Tori skated her short program directly after a hometown favorite Japanese skater performed. The crowd was overjoyed watching the Japanese Skater and Tori began her performance feeling “weak and wobbly… she felt like a jerky robot.” Her performance score was better than Jill’s score, good but not super great. However, when she left the ice her coach Dan told her “Excellent start. You’re in good standing to move up.” When the scores of the skaters flashed on the screen Tori Carsen U.S.A was in third place, Jelena Cherkas Russia in second, and Tracy Wilkins U.S.A. in first. Jill Wong took 4th place. Two days later the long program began. The short program is one third of the total score and the final program is two-thirds of the performance score. Jill’s long program score was outstanding; and Tracy’s score was low because of a fall on the ice while doing a triple salchow. She then fell a second time while doing a triple-double combination. When the Russian skater Jolene performed, she was outstanding. Her score was a very high five-nine. When Tori began her performance, she was thinking “this would be the last chance for me to win.” Wearing the dress her mother had made and wearing her wonderful rhinestones necklace, she began her last Olympics performance. The music for her performance was a balletic from the opera Faust. She began with a double axel followed by a triple Lutz, a triple-triple combination, a spiral, alternating Mohawks, and ending with back crossovers with a split jump and stag leap. Her footwork was outstanding and the audience gave her a standing ovation. While chanting “Tori-Tori U-S-A.” the audience tossed stuffed animals and bouquets of flowers on the ice. It took over five minutes for her score to post on the screen. When the scores from 8 scorers flashed on the screen her technical merit scores were 5-7 to 5-9s; and her artistic scores were 4 of six perfect 6.0 scores and two 5.9s. She had won the 1998 Olympic Gold Medal! Jelena Cherkas was second and Jill Wong won third place. Veronica hugged Tori and told her that her boyfriend Evan called her and left a message, and he wanted to be with her as soon as she returned from Japan. When she stepped on to the highest level of the Medal Platform, the presenter of the medal put a gold medal on a chain around her neck, gave her a bouquet of flowers, and then kissed her cheek. She then listened to the playing of the U.S. Star- Spangled Banner. (P)
The U.S. team chose Cara Hopkins to replace Amber Armstrong who is 12 years old and too young to play in the International Olympics. Tracy Wilkins and Tori Carsen are also on the U.S. skating team. Jill Wong was selected to be an alternate on the American team. Tori’s mother decided for Tori, and family to stay in a hotel and avoid being hounded by reporters about her health and physical conditions. Outside the hotel she and Natalia Cherkas, greeted Natalia’s Russian Ambassador father and her older sister Jelena. Jelena skates on Russia’s National Olympic team. Natalia’s father told Tori and her companions that he was very happy to see them. Natalia told her father that her airplane flight to Japan “was brutal. He smiled and then said: to her: “I see you are still learning American slang.” Tori’s natural father is interviewed by a sportswriter about his daughter’s medical condition.
Tori’s birth father was standing close to the reception desk when her mother and Tori’s companions exited the elevator. Her mother was surprised when she saw him standing by the “ring admittance” desk and she began shaking and “gasped loudly.” Her father James Carsen saw them and with his eyes fixed on Tori he said: “Hello, Tori! It’s good to see you…”. He then greeted Mother Corrine Carsen and shook Roger’s hand. Reporters rushed over to greet Tori and asked her questions about how she was feeling. She told them she was looking forward to competing in the short dance skating program. Before the short program began, Tori learned from her father that his mother had myotonic muscular dystrophy (MD). Tori was very upset when he told her disease game through him from his mother. Cara Hopkins and Jill Wong went sledding riding down mountain slopes adjacent to the town Nagano. The sled ride ended with an awful crash that severely sprained her ankle and ended her ability to compete in the Olympics. Jill is a U.S. backup Olympic skater. After seeing a medical doctor, she was told the ankle injury is severe and she will not be able to skate in the Olympic Games. Cara accused Jill of steering the sled in a way to intentionally injure her. She said this to Jill much to Jill’s dismay. Jill replaced Cara in the Olympics. While the sledding incident is happening, much to Tori’s disappointment her father gave a filmed reporter interview about his muscular dystrophy; and the impact her MD will have on her Olympic performance. After listening to the interview, Tori grabbed her skate bag and took a bus ride to the skating rink for a practice session. While on the bus she fell asleep and was on the bus when it ended its route. Tori was lost and she decided to walk towards the mountains in hope she might find her hotel which is close to the mountains. She had no money in her purse to buy help. On the walk she encounters her natural father. They reconcile their conflicts and her father hails a cab to take them to the hotel. While this is happening Natalia and her sister Jelena also reconcile their conflicts. The stage is now set for the Olympic events. Tori skated her short program directly after a hometown favorite Japanese skater performed. The crowd was overjoyed watching the Japanese Skater and Tori began her performance feeling “weak and wobbly… she felt like a jerky robot.” Her performance score was better than Jill’s score, good but not super great. However, when she left the ice her coach Dan told her “Excellent start. You’re in good standing to move up.” When the scores of the skaters flashed on the screen Tori Carsen U.S.A was in third place, Jelena Cherkas Russia in second, and Tracy Wilkins U.S.A. in first. Jill Wong took 4th place. Two days later the long program began. The short program is one third of the total score and the final program is two-thirds of the performance score. Jill’s long program score was outstanding; and Tracy’s score was low because of a fall on the ice while doing a triple salchow. She then fell a second time while doing a triple-double combination. When the Russian skater Jolene performed, she was outstanding. Her score was a very high five-nine. When Tori began her performance, she was thinking “this would be the last chance for me to win.” Wearing the dress her mother had made and wearing her wonderful rhinestones necklace, she began her last Olympics performance. The music for her performance was a balletic from the opera Faust. She began with a double axel followed by a triple Lutz, a triple-triple combination, a spiral, alternating Mohawks, and ending with back crossovers with a split jump and stag leap. Her footwork was outstanding and the audience gave her a standing ovation. While chanting “Tori-Tori U-S-A.” the audience tossed stuffed animals and bouquets of flowers on the ice. It took over five minutes for her score to post on the screen. When the scores from 8 scorers flashed on the screen her technical merit scores were 5-7 to 5-9s; and her artistic scores were 4 of six perfect 6.0 scores and two 5.9s. She had won the 1998 Olympic Gold Medal! Jelena Cherkas was second and Jill Wong won third place. Veronica hugged Tori and told her that her boyfriend Evan called her and left a message, and he wanted to be with her as soon as she returned from Japan. When she stepped on to the highest level of the Medal Platform, the presenter of the medal put a gold medal on a chain around her neck, gave her a bouquet of flowers, and then kissed her cheek. She then listened to the playing of the U.S. Star- Spangled Banner. (P)
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September 18, 2008Amazing book!!!
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January 22, 2016ice skating
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews