Jillian's Gymnastics Journey

Medical Maze

2006-11-20T04:10:00.000-08:00

As tradition has it, Jillian continues to battle more than her share of medical ups and downs. So it turns out that no matter how hard she works out in the gym, her path is peppered with setbacks. I'm glad she continues to take it all in stride, but I wish it didn't have to be this hard for her.

Today she will return to the gym after being out for almost 2 weeks. She started with a viral infection that wouldn't go away. When we returned to the doctor, she was treated for strep, even though her strep test was negative. Her throat was obviously infected with "something". She improved slightly and was able to sneak in one day at the gym. However, that night she came home with a terrible headache.

This turned into the Heachache that would not stop. Twenty-four hours a day for four days her head hurt so bad she would not lift it off the pillow. Returning to the doctor again, we were elated to receive Tylenol 3 because I had tried every combination of pain meds I had at home with no success. We believed we had the cure.

The headache responded t Tylenol 3 by easing up for exactly one hour. Then it came back in full force. The next morning Jillian would not even open her eyes. She and I could not believe this pain was continuing for so long. She was discouraged and I was at my wit's end.

I called our doctor back and she said there wasn't much else she could do and that we should go to the Emergency Room. When we checked in there, Jillian rated her pain as a 9 on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the worst pain you could imagine.

She was given Toradol, and after 40 minutes her pain was only down to a 7. She had blood work and a CT scan. The doctor then explained to us that their concern was that she had meningitis and that the antibiotic she was taking for her throat might be masking the more serious symptoms with the headache being the breakthrough clue.

They could not, in good conscious, let us leave until they were sure. That meant they had to do a lumbar puncture, a spinal tap. Jillian was scared, and it really hurt her, but she was a trooper. She stayed very still and did everything they said. She received 4 doses of morphine, and six needles in her back. They had a hard time getting the fluid so they had to try three times.

After this procedure she had to lay flat for 48 hours. The side effect of having a lumbar puncture.....is a HEADACHE. Fortunately, Jillian said the headache she got from lifting her head was entirely different and the morphine had finally knocked out what must have been a horrendous migrane stemming from the infection she had a week ago.

By now she is back to normal with just a little back soreness. She will go back to the gym today and she is a little worried that he coach won't remember how long she has been out and expect her to be able to do everything. To be honest, I don't know what she can and cannot do. She hasn't missed this much gym in a long time.

So we started a journal and I'm encouraging her to write down all her feelings and we are coming up with some practical ways to approach her worries, as well as ways to chart the progress she makes over the next couple weeks.

Countdown to first meet is 8 weeks.

Evolution of a Vaulter

2006-10-03T20:33:00.000-07:00

Vault has always been Jillian's toughest event and it's only natural that her ability to do a Yurchenko is pretty exciting news to us. Although this film was made before her illness, she is definitely not at her best in showing off her new skill. She was on bars and just ran over to vault a few times for Dad with the camera. So, don't judge too harshly, and I promise to put up new and improved vids as season comes closer. Try to see the potential here, don't get bogged down in the details....LOL

2006 Exhibition Leotard

2006-10-03T20:30:00.000-07:00

The Myth of Achilles and His Heel

2006-10-03T20:27:00.000-07:00

Jillian enjoyed hearing this story and explanation for why her achilles was weak!

http://www.wordexplorations.info/Achilles-heel-story.html

What Comes Around, cont.

2006-10-03T20:14:00.000-07:00

So, to wrap up this little tale, let me explain that not only did Jillian have a red, tight, swollen heel, but she now had a virus called herpengina, similar to Hand, Foot and Mouth disease, only slightly more uncomfortable. We spent several days trying to find comfort. Imagine the worst mouth ulcer you've ever had and multiply it by 25. And now imagine that you have your foot in a bucket of ice. Makes you want to scream, doesn't it?

But Jillian was a trooper! She so rarely complains. And I'm not a mushy mom, but this time will go down in history as me at my MOST sympathetic. It took another trip back to the doctor to actually get the diagnosis and luckily he was able to prescribe some lip ointment that didn't make the sores worse and a mouth rinse that had a numbing effect, and Jilly was able to smile again.

And, lo and behold, we had gotten so focused on her top half that we almost missed the other amazing thing. She was able to walk again too. It happened suddenly. It happened overnight. It was as if the terrible achilles monster finally loosened her grip. And because her mouth was no longer on fire with pain, she shouted for joy.....and jumped a little for joy too.

Now I wish I could say this was the happy end of the story. Because this is the real world, we had real world complications. For the next 5 days Jillian continued to run a high, high fever that left her unable to do much more than sleep and ask when she would be better. A five day fever will zap anyone's energy, but it wreaks havoc on one who is expected to mount the beam with a press handstand.

She is back in the gym. It's the first of October. And somehow it feels like all our years start off like this. So, I'll hope for the best and I'll secretly believe that she's back to gentle tumbling already because of the week out of the gym. Because she was sick, she rested her foot like she could not have done still going to practice everyday.
Shhh..... I know that is blasphemy.... to say that being out of the gym is a good thing. LOL!

What Comes Around, Comes Around Again

2006-10-03T17:36:00.000-07:00

I used to joke that "bad feet RUN in our family" until it started to sound like a bad joke, even to me! Wasn't it just about a year ago that Jillian put that ugly black ankle brace on. She wore it all Fall, all Winter and Spring, and almost all Summer, until the bottom of it wore completely out and it snapped in half. She said she'd try going without it and it seems that whatever was wrong with her ankles last year, had in fact, healed.

Apparently, that was just a chapter in our book on gymnastics feet. A week or two after her 12th birthday, Jillian started to complain that the back of her heel was sore. She didn't say it was too sore to train, so I didn't pay much attention to it....... Until she woke up on a Tuesday morning and she could not put any weight at all on her foot. She could only walk on her toes.
She was completely unable to stretch the achilles enough to put her foot flat on the ground.

That day she had a session with her private trainer ( Trainer Dave works with Jillian on core body strength, hip flexor stretching, reducing muscle adhesions, and lots of other cool stuff) and both her trainer and his partner investigated her complaint and they came to the conclusion that she was having referred pain and stiffness from a calf muscle pull. At about the same time, Jillian came to the conclusion that she wanted to kick the next person who touched her aching leg.

The following day she was no better, and we headed off to the doctor. We are thankful to have found a doctor who was an athelete himself and who understands the type of training a gymnast is required to do year round. He is, above all, one of the more optimistic people I've ever met. People feel healthier after just talking to him.

Kind Dr. E declared that Jillian probably had tendonitis, which seems to be an umbrella term for most of what ails young gymnasts who cannot remember falling or hearing anything snap in two. But we were glad to now have a name for the pain because that meant we could make a plan. The second best thing about this doctor is his ability to give us a plan for recovery that keeps us so busy, the time seems to fly by! LOL! The next 24 hours was a whirlwind of heat and ice, epson salt soaks, advil, stretching, and so on and so on.

Imagine our disappointment the next morning when there was absolutely no change. Okay, there was one change, but it wasn't on her foot. It was in her mouth. Her lips and mouth were covered in blisters, horrible ulcers and blisters. So now she couldn't walk and she couldn't eat. And I couldn't decide what I had done that had created this terrible reaction. Was she allergic to ibuprophen all of a sudden? Was the joint therapy syrup from the health food store actually poisen? Was she starting to fall apart at the ripe old age of 12? To Be Continued........

TwistinFull and Beam Skills

2006-08-19T19:45:00.000-07:00

Yurchenko Madness

2006-08-19T19:39:00.000-07:00

Amazing progress this summer! Jillian is taking it all very calmly as a matter of course. I am thinking my child is super human. She has a vault! A real, big time, serious vault. It's been a long time coming and there have been many stages and drills.

But this week Jilli started flipping yurchenkos off the real vault into the pit! To add to the amazement, her coach, who is never generous with praise, said that she has the best form in the state on this skill.

In a note of interest, vault has never been easy for Jillian. She has, in the past couple years, managed to place first or second All Around, but place next to last on vault. Do you know how difficult that is to do? Do the math. It takes alot to overcome a low score on one event.

And now she has a real vault that should carry her through this year very well. A great accomplishment for the summer before Level 8! A video will be posted soon. Meanwhile, I'm putting up a video of tumbling and beam. It's early but coming along.

Level 8 Summer Progress

2006-07-28T05:20:00.000-07:00

Level 8 Summer Progress

2006-07-28T05:13:00.000-07:00

Summer has been productive and not so hot since the gym installed air conditioning this year. Level 8 is looking strong with still 6 months to go.

Jillian has her floor tumbling ready.....LO full, FLO, FLO or FLO FT, and I'm not sure what else is in there.

Beam will have a press handstand mount, BHS BHS, wolf half-tuck jump, and RO tuck or LO or full dismount. She had never even tried a RO on beam until a couple months ago but it's ready now to take to the high beam.

Vault is the most exciting progress. Jillian is landing her tsuk and she is doing Yurchenko timers which are making progress daily. I'm thinking that this year she will have a tsuk and a FHS half twist as her vaults. The yurchenko probably won't be ready in time.

Bars has come a long way this year. She can do the entire Level 8 bar routine without spotting and without dragging her feet on the ground. Everything is to handstand and looks great to me.

New Bar Skills Video

2006-05-03T19:44:00.000-07:00

Yearly Meltdown Time

2006-04-25T21:18:00.000-07:00

I hope this only happens once a year. Jillian hesitated on her BHS BHS on beam and the coach got very upset about it and suddenly everything spiraled out of control. Out of nowhere came the "I don't know if I can coach her anymore" from the coach......the "I don't know if I want to go back" from the child, and "I don't think I can do this anymore" from me!

Luckily, my instinct took over and I told dear child she was going to do what her coach asked of her because this coach would not ask it if child was not ready and able. And now I can happily report that she has , in one week, progressed to nailing her BHS series on high beam 5-10 times per night. Once she did it the first time she said it wasn't even scary!

I hope to have a video to add soon so you can see how it looks.

Other new skills include a gorgeous clear hip to handstand on bars. When she practices her Level 8 routines she does two pirourettes and FIVE clear hips in each routine. WOW! Also, she was able to move her layout full onto the floor with no mat just today. And as fate would have it, just today her growth plates in her knees began to hurt. Osgood Slaters
affects most gymnasts at some point. Now I just learned that it can hurt for a little while, or for years.....we are hoping for a short visit from the Osgoods.

Seriously, if we were to wrap her knee, she would have a knee brace, an ankle brace, and a wrist guard on. Someone who didn't understand the reason for these ailments might consider reporting us as unfit parents. But she isn't "injured" so much as we are trying to prevent injuries". The next few years will be challenging, but they say that if a gymnast can get to 14 or 15, she will come out stronger than ever. Jillian is only 11, but she has alot of fight in her.

Early Tsuk, But Landed!

2006-03-19T19:09:00.000-08:00

Jillian had landed 14 vaults before I arrived to pick her up this night. She was determined to show me she could do this. So this isn't her best, but she did land one for me. And for someone who has struggled with the front handspring vault, this tsuk is not too shabby!!!! Level 8.....Here We Come!!!

2006 Level 7 State Meet Floor Routine

2006-03-17T13:25:00.000-08:00

2006-03-13T22:45:00.000-08:00

Level 7 State Champion!

2006-03-13T21:24:00.000-08:00

I'm excited to report that Jillian is the 2006 Level 7 State Champion of NC. In addition to winning the All Around, she took 1st place on Bars, Beam, and Floor. She came in 5th on vault. It has been a fun and exciting year. She has worked hard and enjoyed every experience. Now she says she is happy to be working toward Level 8 for sure next year!

Skill News

2006-02-03T20:57:00.000-08:00

Jillian is excited to be gaining some new skills here in the middle of meet season. Last night she did her clear hip to handstand on bars all by herself. She is looking forward to adding that to her bar routine at the next meet.

She also has improved her tsuk (vault) and can land it in the pit on her feet. By next year it should be really awesome!

And last, but not least, she is getting to start working on double backs into the pit. It doesn't seem to be too hard for her. She does round off, back handspring, on the floor.....followed by the double back into the pit.

Meet #2 Carolina Classic

2006-01-29T08:32:00.000-08:00

To set the stage for this exciting day, it's worth mentioning that I had a fever of 102 or above before, during and after the meet. I later ended up at the emergency room with a bacterial infection.

Jillian was feeling great though, and ended up having the best meet of her life. She scored an all around of 37.00 for First Place.

Beam: She hit a gorgeous series of Tick Tock Back Hand Spring, upgraded since the last meet. Only had a couple small bobbles. Score: 9.65 wow 1st place

Floor: Solid and lovely routine. She stuck her landings better. Score: 9.375 3rd place

Vault: She received her first 9 on vault. 9.05 even! 6th place

Bars: Still a few problems with squat on and clear hip angle, but very nice set. Score 8.9 4th place

And We're Off......Meet Season Mania

2006-01-29T08:12:00.000-08:00

I look forward to this time of year, as does Jillian. After months and months of grueling work, finally there is the opportunity to show what you can do. Meets are mini circus worlds where colors spin around and light bounces off the sequins and stones of everyone's best chosen competition leotards.

First meet of the season is usually the Judge's Cup. This is a meet hosted by the NC Judges and a type of final exam for brand new judges I believe. The great thing about this meet is that the judges actually write down where the deductions were taken as well as what they thought was done well in the routines.

Jillian started on bars. She cast over on her handstands during every warmup. She was a little worried about that going into her routine. But she stuck those handstands like a pro. The angle of her clear hip was a little low, she bobbled when she stood on the low bar, and she took a step on her dismount. Score was 8.9

Next was beam. Lovely routine with just a couple small balance checks. The important thing in this routine is to connect her tick tock back walkover without hesitating. She did it! Score 9.375

Floor was next. First time competing her new routine. It is really a cool dance. She performed it very well. Most deductions came from taking extra steps on her landings out of tumbling. She received a score of 9.05.

Vault was the last event. She has worked hard to improve this, her hardest event. In spite of big steps on both landings, she received her highest score ever on vault.....8.75.

Her all around score was 36.2. She won First Place All Around. She also won first on floor and beam. It was a great start to the season.

2006-01-10T21:11:00.000-08:00

The excitement is building now that the first meet of the season is only three days away. Jillian wore her leotard to practice today for team pictures. I took a few pictures of me own. I don't know what shines the brightest here, the leotard.... or Jillian look of determination! Thanks for checking in. I'll posts scores as soon as we get ome from the meet!

Countdown to Competition

2006-01-01T05:17:00.000-08:00

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.

2006-01-01T05:09:00.000-08:00

Jillian's early attempts at Yurchenko vault

Ojos Asi (Eyes Like Yours)

2005-11-04T21:21:00.000-08:00

The atmosphere in the gym is changing. With the compulsory teams nearing the end of their season, the focus is showing a subtle shift toward preparing the optional gymnasts who will have their first meet in January.

We recently lost a team girl to another gym who agreed to let her compete at a higher level. So now our optional group is only two girls. And although they are advancing well with their Level 8 skills, our coaches have a strong philosophy of "competing where you can perform", so for the four meets of this season, the girls will compete as Level 7s. But we know next year they will enter as strongly competitive Level 8s. It's all good.

Jillian has an awesome new floor routine. The music is Eyes Like Yours by Shakira. The dance is a bit Middle Eastern, reminding me of the arm motion of the belly dancer. Some new and fun additions to this routine are a front handspring shushanova, a switch leap-side leap-front somersault to the floor, and the ending is a superb dying scene.

Skills that Jillian is currently working on include a full twising layout, which she can now land on the floor......a front tumblinb series, FHS, FLO, FLO or she can substitute front saltos for one or both of the layouts. She is doing double back drills on the bungee which will translate into double back bar dismount. And her clear hip to handstand on the strap bar is lovely. There is more I'm sure, but I rarely get to see any of this. I only make it in for the last five minutes of practice. I'll be blown away when I finally get to see her at competition I'm sure!

Mentally, all is well. Her health has been excellent so she hasn't missed any practices. She deals well with small fears so none have become big fears. She wants her skills to come and she wants to do well. It is obvious that she is training this sport for herself, because she loves it, and for no other reason. Gym life is good.

****Today we went to see the Cirque du Solleil show, Varekai. WOW! Even I want to learn to tumble now! It must be so awesome to watch and already know you have some of the same skills. Jillian still maintains that she wants to join Cirque. Wish I knew how to help her. Wish I knew where to begin.

I'm adding some recent photos from a beam and floor practice. Included are poses from Jillian's routine.

The Blingin News

2005-10-02T21:57:00.000-07:00

Jillian is better and back at full workouts. I kept her home a day longer than the coaches wanted me to and a day less than the doctor wanted me to. For Jilli and I, it was Jussst Riiiight.

Now the only real news I have is about the competition leotard. Jillian's did not fit. I would like to have a word with the person responsible for measuring all the girls. Seems everyone's leotard fit beautifully but ours. How bizarre is it that I was the one in charge of measuring! Guess I was too neurotic about my own daughters......thinking too hard....making myself tense....I probably wrote something down wrong. Anyway, the leo cuts into her upper leg making her look fat, which couldn't be further from the truth. These leotards are just cut wrong, and way different from the sizers they sent us to try.

So I thought I was going to be stuck with ordering yet another leotard, which by the way is not something I would choose. It is too plain. Cut glass light blue shiny material with a royal blue stripe down the arm. Our coaches wanted it to be sporty and sleek. And it is. Unfortunately, I love the all out fancy pancy smancy rhinestone covered, skin tight, bright colors I see the other gyms wearing. I wanted some Bling Bling!

And an angel heard my plea. It has been decided that since I have to reorder another leotard anyway, that if all the optional moms agree to it, we can order a more decorative leotard for these higher level girls. We already have it picked out. It is much like last years which might be posted here, but it will have long sleeves (with jewels on them of course). So hopefully we will be contacting the company this week and we will have all the bling we so deserve for this season!

Cabin Feveror Psychosis

2005-09-29T21:54:00.000-07:00

Day Five of the "illness". JIllian was really so much better today and could have, should have returned to the gym. But her head hurt all morning and into the afternoon, and I was sure that go upside down would be the worst thing for that headache, so I allowed her to stay at home.

Sad part is, I didn't forgive her. I wanted her to be begging to return to the gym. I know I have about lost patience with everything being cooped up here for so many days. But she seemed content to watch another segment of SpongeBob Squarepants and I finally had to put a ban on TV this afternoon to save what was left of my nerves.

But the worst part was that I admitted to her my disappointment that she cared so little about missing gym training. Granted, she has been doing gymnastics since before she could walk, so a few days off is more of a novelty than learning a double twising layout. But it irritates me to the core that she cannot see the forest for the trees in her life. She is an 11 year old Level 8 gymnast. There are less than 500 in the country like her. By next year there will be less than 300. And the numbers keep dropping. If she will stay with this sport, she will rise to the top of the pack and gain noteriety from many directions.

But what are her dreams? I have plenty for her that I would be glad to give, even wrapped in shiny paper with gold curly ribbon. She would be wise to persue a career with Cirque du Soleil even if it took her years to get on with them. She is a performer at heart and would love that lifestyle. No wait, maybe it is me that would love that lifestyle. What if my daughter decides to be an accountant and wear pumps instead of traveling barefooted through life? Of course I will still love her. Love has no boundaries for us. But disappointment and despair can cut so deeply that the blood leaves behind stains that see and see and see.

I want her to be free, but not without tools and maps. I want her to do what she loves, but to love what she is doing right now. And I most of all want her to learn somethng from me, as all the others have failed to do. I have held on too long to the idea that with this child it could be different.

Tomorrow she will return to the gym. For that first horrible day after sickness when the coach says he will be easy on her, but seems to also want to punish her for staying home sick. I will watch a little, until I can leave satisfied that she is getting back in her groove. And I'll pray that she will come home in a cloud of breathless laughter and tell me that all is well in the Kingdom of Giants and that she was Spectactular in her own way. I can't wait for that tomorrow to come.

If it's October, it must be strep

2005-09-26T14:27:00.000-07:00

Every October through March since Jilly was born she has been sick....repeated sinus, ear and throat infections have kept her resistance low and my sanity questionable. It is hard to train as a serious athelete if you run a feer once week.

Today she has a fever, sore throat, stuffy head and stomach ache. Tomorrow she has an early morning doctor's appointment. We know the drill by now. Her coaches were afraid this would happen again.

She was supposed to get her new floor routine tomorrow. It will probably have to wait now. But I"m not going to let this bring me down too much. We will keep our eyes on the bigger picture, the fuller meaning, and try to remember that the lost days won't matter in the long run.

My goal: Try to find out a way to prevent strep from reoccuring!

A Sport Revisted

2005-09-23T16:33:00.000-07:00

I lost my way for a while and I'm amazed that there has actually been progress. I stopped writing here last Spring. Jillian went on to have an awesome Level 7 season. The best of her life. But the pressure her coaches were under drove them to impatience and ultimately drove her away. She took a break from training. Then she realized she missed the sport terribly and returned, at the encouragement of a gentle coach we knew from another gym. After a time, she realized she missed the training that her previous coach had given. The Chinese have a beautiful style of training and it is a good fit for Jilly's body and her mind.

So in June 2005 we returned to the gym and the coaches where I am certain she will continue her gymnastics training for as long and as to whatever level is her destiny.

Jillian is now just turned 11, and training Level 8, with plans to compete her first meet in January. There are some uncertainties about this, but for now I'm hoping for the best, and I will fill in details as they come.

Beam is her best event and she has all the skills she needs and a dramatic routine. Right now her routine includes BHS-Wolf Jump connection, Tick Tock Back Hand Spring connection, A Press Handstand Mount, and a layout dismount.

Floor is also a chance for her to shine. She is getting a new routine next week for Level 8. Her new music is "The Gods Must Be Crazy" from the movie by the same name. Her tumbling passes will include Round Off-Back Handspring-Back Layout with a Full Twist, Round Off-BHS, BLO, and then a Front Salto, and another pass of RO BHS BLO half twist or 1.5 twist. Not sure how it will go. I'll know more about it next week.

Bars is still a good event for her. Right now it is difficult because she is trying to fix some bad habits she developed at the other gym. There are some rough days. She thinks she needs new grips so I"ll look into that tonight. But for now, she is doing as many series of as close to ten giants in a row with good form as she is able. Beyond that, she still needs a release move to satisfy the requirements for Level 8. And her dismount might stay a layout flyaway or it might change to a double back if she can do it.

Vault is her biggest challenge. Especially at this level. She needs a new vault. Right now she is working Yurchenko drills and while it might take years to get this skill, her body position is very nice and I like what I see so far.

Tomorrow there is a birthday party at the gym after practice and all the team girls are invited. She is sore and tired tonight, but no doubt will have renewed enthusiasm in the morning, both for training and the party to follow!

Sweaty Palms for me

2004-12-08T06:43:00.000-08:00

Where has all the time gone! Less than a month until Jillian will finally have her first meet of the season. She is a well prepared Level 7 with a great year ahead of her. Her skills include:

Vault: Front Handspring
Bars: She has cast to handstands, beautiful giants, and good flyaway. Working to get those elusive clear hip to handstands.
Beam: She does tick tock backwalkover as her connection. Also one backhandspring, Dismount is a running front tuck....I think she is sticking that now.
Floor: Music is Objection Tango by Shikira. She has three tumbling passes....bhs back tuck, FHS front tuck, and BHS back layout. Her leaps and jumps look nice. Her dance is awesome....remember, I'm her mom. LOL!

She is ready! I get sweaty hands just writing about it.

Looking forward to a Great Season

2004-10-05T04:08:00.000-07:00

Jillian and her teammate had a practice meet on Friday. She had the highest all around score of the group.
Vault.....8.2 (her worst event)
Bars.......8.3( with a fall on her squat on)
Beam.....9.0
Floor......8.9

2004-10-05T04:07:00.000-07:00

Group photo from the practice meet.

2004-09-29T04:51:00.000-07:00

Jillian with her coaches during a hot summer workout. Jillian is just to the right of the center behind Chen. She has a brace on her foot still from when it was broken in April.

9-28-2004 Focus Journal

2004-09-28T15:57:00.000-07:00

Jillian's Focus Journal came in today's mail. She loved it! The best part is that she can chart her daily progress and see how her energy level and attitude really do affect her practice. Today she set one of her goals to make 10 giants over the pit. After practice she will write in the actual number she makes. This book also gives her guidance in setting big goals and small ones. She can watch her small goals lead her to larger ones. What a great lesson! And she seems so receptive to it. I think she is at a good age (10) for enjoying this sort of record keeping. Her long term goal was to be written in first person as if it had already happened. Hers read, " It is September 2008 and I am a Level 10 gymnast".

2004-09-28T02:07:00.000-07:00

Ready for USAG Level 7

2004-09-28T01:56:00.000-07:00

September 28, 2004 4am
It's the middle of the night in the middle of a terrible storm spinning off of the most recent hurricane. Weather keeps me awake. My husband thinks it's funny that I am so interested in weather. I feel energetic when there is substantial weather. And I get depressed when the weather stays the same for days at a time.

Something in the storm of this weather made me want to start to tell my story.

I am a Gym Mom.

That means I have a daughter who competes on a gymnastics team and so I spend countless hours involved in mental gymnastics myself. I am either taking her to practice or getting her ready to go to practice or feeding her.....packing her snack.....worrying about her at practice....talking to her about practice.....talking to her coaches about practice.....talking to other gym moms about practice.....or just talking to myself and trying to figure out why we are doing this.....and where we think we are going.

I realize the odds of my daughter becoming an Olympic gymnastics are not even worth calculating. But I will admit that I want her to be coached as if that were a real possibility. Because for me, the gym mom, every practice can be the olympics....if I close my eyes and just listen to the pounding of the beam when she lands. I don't need much encouragement to start imaging amazing possibilities.

Why do I want there to be something at the end of our days and nights in gyms and cars? Because this is hard. It is exhausting.....it is beautiful and insane and uplifting, heartbreaking, agonizing and unfair. But if nothing else, it is an extraordinary way to spend a life. And I should know....I'm a seasoned gym mom, having three children who have competed gymnastics during the past ten years. I've spent alot of time and alot of money on this family passion. And there are so many more like me. That is why I decided to begin to tell the story of our journey. By documenting my daughter's progress, maybe I can see it more clearly and enjoy reading of bright days when the doldrums come around. And maybe by recording my story I will be able to tell when I am in dangerous waters. I will keep myself grounded by watching the journey unfold.

2004-09-28T01:54:00.000-07:00

Jillian and I relaxing at home

2004-09-28T01:30:00.000-07:00

Jillian, on right, with gym buddy, Sarah, as VIP guests to the TJ Maxx Gymnastics Tour of Champions. Sept. 2004