Countdown to Competition

New Years Day! And we will tumble into the new year with all the dreams and undying optimism that I try to copy from my 11 year old. Life is Beautiful. Gymnastics is Life. Gymnastics is a Beautiful Sport. And we are happy to be part of it again this year.

Two weeks from today Jillian will have her first meet. This is the annual meet put on by the state judges called Judges Cup. One reason it is special is that only at this meet the judges actually write notes and share with the gymnasts what was good about their routines....and what they received deductions for.

Jillian is quite ready for the Level 7 season. In fact, she has 90% of her skills for Level 8. She has recently started to flip her tsuk (vault) into the pit and land on her feet. She has nice front tumbling passes of front handspring, front tuck, front layout, ......or front handspring followed by two front tucks or two front layouts. She has a fully twisting layout. And she has a nice connection on beam of two backhandsprings. Still in the works is the bar pirouette. She can do it, but just not to the standards of her coach.

The best thing about this time is Jillian's outlook. She is working very hard. She wants the new skills with her whole being. She wants to be the best she can be. She exhibits very little fear, and when she does feel a moment of uncertainty, she pushes through, knowing that DOING the thing that scares her is the CURE. Afterwards she is no longer afraid.

A couple months ago, Jillian and I started working at home togehter on a bit of extra conditioning. What a difference it has made! Just doing a little on the days she doesn't go to the gym has made her alot stronger. She has a great attitude about it. Last night, at the end of some New Year's Eve conditioning, she held a handstand against the wall for five minutes. If you think this is anything less than grueling I urge you to try it. The burn in your shoulders and the weight of your body on your wrists will have you wanting to scream in less than 30 seconds. So she is quite a trooper. I'm so proud of her. Proud of her heart and her spirit. And I wish I could protect her and be sure that only good things will rain down on her life.