Her Dawn.
December 15th, 1973.
A beautiful
baby girl
named Claudine
is born
in Nice, France.
Adopted eighteen months later
by a man and woman
Suzanne and Gorges Bonaly.
And Claudine became….
their sun,
their star,
their Surya.
Her Dream.
By 10 years old…
Surya knew
she wanted to spend her life on the ice. Everyday.
All day.
She knew she could
be like her coach,
a national champion.
She loved the joy of
her skates scratching
the ice,
the freedom of
FLYING
in the air
and
FLOATING
above
the
frozen
white
ice.
She practiced all that she saw.
One skate helped her
JUMP higher.
The other helped her glide
gracefully.
Double axels.
Triple toe loops.
And spins.
Again and again.
And again.
She didn’t always finish first,
So she worked harder.
And harder.
And soon,
Surya’s young career became filled with
1ST PLACE.
Her Rise.
European champion 5 straight times.
And 13 more times- She ranked number 1.
Surya was named French champion
10 straight times.
Comprehension Questions
1. Who did Surya think she could be like?
A. Her mom
B. Her coach
C. Her favorite gymnast
2. How many times was Surya named the French champion?
A. 10
B. 13
C. 5
A. 10
B. 13
C. 5
Your Thoughts
3. Did you like this excerpt? Why or why not?
Vocabulary
4. List any vocabulary words below.