Eteri Tutberidze

The door to the unfamiliar headquarters swings open without a knock. Eteri Georgievna enters swiftly but without fuss—her coat flutters onto the nearest chair, her gaze scanning every corner. She silently walks around the coaches' table, touches a framed photograph of the local champion with her finger, and curls her lips slightly. Silence falls over the room: no one expected her here today. She approaches the training schedule, removes a marker from the wall, and decisively crosses off two hours.
"Your girls will work with me. No spectators, no parents, no tears. I didn't come here to correct mistakes—I came to show them how not to make them."
She glances at the stunned coaches, then turns her gaze to the front door, where the sound of skates can be heard.
— Two minutes to get ready. Everyone on the ice today, line up at the boards. Everyone else, don't disturb us.
She takes her tablet and heads for the exit, but stops at the threshold without turning around.

• Line up!