From Jumping to Layouts

From Jumping to Layouts

     Ever since I was eighteen months old I have enjoyed the wonders of a Gymnasium. It all started out with my dad holding my pudgy little hand and guiding my clumsy self over to my first class. Little did I know that this would be the place my whole life would revolve around. But back then I would remember it as the place I learned the joys of a trampoline. Bend and push! It can't be that hard right? Well you assume wrong. Learning to jump was one of the hardest things for me when I was little. I just couldn't understand the concept. When you think about it now, jumping is a second nature to you. Just bend and push. That is kind of like me and Gymnastics, except there is a whole lot of in between. From playing Cinderella in the chalk bucket with your fellow teammates to becoming a Junior Olympian in the sport you love, this is the backstage tour of Gymnastics.

      The joy of winning first place in a gymnastics meet is something irreplaceable. It means all the sweat and tears you have put into this sport has finally paid off. Gymnastics has been a emotional roller coaster of a life time. One moment there is a steep uphill and you don't know what is going to happen next, and then in a second you are going at speed so fast towards the ground you don't know anything else to do but scream. 
     When you begin the steep climb, you learn the feeling of joy and excitement of learning a new skill. The moment when you finally go for the skill you have been putting so much effort into is the thrill of a lifetime. What happens if I split the beam? What happens if I over rotate? What happens if I peel? These are all some of the thousands of questions that race through your head while standing up there trying to prepare for the skill, and at some point in everyone's life the will experience these pain and terrifying falls. Adrenaline starts to pulse through your veins, making your heart pump at a million miles an hour. As you begin to refocus on the skill, determination begins to overflow your mind, allowing you to attempt the skill. No matter the out come, you are so relieved to have finally done it and know you can do it. Just as you feel you have started to master your skills and routines, around comes competition season.
     This is where your downhill descent begins. All the time you thought you had now turns into only a couple of weeks. Fear, frustration, and panic overrun your mind and you begin to freak out. Believe me, I know this from lots of personal experience. In our gym, we call this pre meet syndrome (PMS). It happens to everyone, just at different times. Maybe it is right before your first meet, or just before the biggest meet of your life. At some point you feel as if you want to climb into a hole and not come out. This is where everyone who loves and supports you come in. They help begin the next steep climb, and encourage you to dig yourself out and continue on the ride to success. As your first meet rolls around, you are quaking with fear. But as the meet goes on you realize this is why you do this sport. You do it for the thrill, the challenge, the victory, and the love from your teammates. 
     This is where you begin to enter the looping stage. You start to have fun, and love yourself. You enjoy the excitements of away meets, and the pressure and cheering from your teammates. You laugh at how your routine went, and place bets on how high your score is. You start to enjoy yourself.
        In the end, it doesn't matter how well you did in the meets. It matters how you think you did, and had fun doing it. When you look back at your summer, you laugh at all the times you started to over react, and think about how much you dreaded meet season, when deep down inside you actually know it is your favorite part. It just needs a little support and help for you to get there. Without my my fun loving caring teammates, I don't know where I would be. I can't imagine going through this journey with anyone else. But most of all, through this crazy roller coaster of a ride, my parents have always been there for me. I will never be able to thank them enough for what they have done for me. As you pull into the station, you realize they all have made this crazy roller coaster ride we call Gymnastics fun.