Going Optionals? Perhaps Indeed...

My Goose will be training all summer for Optionals. Oh sorry.... geez I sound like a gym mom. She finished her competition season and now conditioning and working on her double back-handspring on the beam - if she can nail this she will be ecstatic and I will be even more broke.

Here's a little history regarding how she got into gym (for all my many readers). I eat, sleep, and breathe softball since my first game at the age of 6 on the "Knock-Outs" so when I had girls I just assumed they would love the game like I do. Who would have thought that they would actually have their own personalities and style, hmmmmm.

So after lovingly pushing her into the sport, 2-years ago she came to me and told me she was quitting ball and wanted to try gymnastics. Be still my aching heart. I tried my best to talk her out of it to no avail. The poor kid even had the enrollment form in her hand for the beginner classes.

Well - after a month in level 1 (yes she was 10 and her teammates were 4-5 years old) she quickly advanced. She would drag me to the gym to watch the "competition girls". After 6-months and 3 levels later the competition coach asked her to try-out for the team. She not only made the team, 2-years later she is now 1 level ahead of those original competition girls.

She spends about 25 hours a week at the gym and trains year round. After watching what she goes through to do what she loves, I have come full circle to support her dreams. I worry about her. I watch her sink in the tub some nights as she pours ice in to relieve sore muscles. I go to hold her hand and they are thick with callouses where she's suffered "rips" from the bars. I wonder how she manages to keep A's and B's in the gifted classes and still do gymnastics 3 times a week in the off-season.

I have come to realize she is like me, only she sleeps, eats, and breathes gymnastics.


Here is a news article from back in September at the beginning of their season. Names have been changed to protect the girls...

ASG takes 1st Place at Judges Blast-Off in Roswell
Approximately 560 gymnasts from all over the state traveled to Roswell to participate in this year’s USA Jr. Olympic Judges Blast-Off Meet on September 8-9, 2007. The ASG girls started their season off strong.

In the Sr-B Division, My Goose claimed 1st place on Bars with a score of 9.475, while teammate K.C.captured 2nd place with a 9.275. Both My Goose and K.C. tied for 4th place in the All-Around with a score of 34.650. Taking 5th place on Bars with a 9.2 and 8th All-Around was N.B. followed by K.L. who took 4th place on Vault with an 8.8.

The ASG team was missing fellow teammate, A.P., who was unable to compete due to a serious hand injury. A.P. hopes to join the team at the Beach Blast Invitational in Amelia Island, FL September 27-29, 2007.

By the way, did I mention she finished her season by placing 2nd at the USA Jr. Olympic State Meet with a 9.50? I am beaming as I type this.

It's not always about softball...

My 11-year old made the Level-6 USA/AAU Jr Olympic Competition Gymnastics Team.

Let me back up a bit and tell you how she's doing gymnastics, not softball and what's involved on her part. Did I mention this kid is already an honor student and in the gifted program at school?

After 4 years of playing softball, she came to me and looked me straight in the eye, then told me "Mom, I'm giving up softball. I want to try gymnastics."

This was 2 years ago. Gasp, sputter, sob... there was not much more I could say. She started off in a beginner gymnastics class and within 3 weeks they moved her up to the advanced beginner class. After one of her practices she begged to stay and watch the competition team practice. So I stayed and watched and watched and watched for 3 hours. I could not believe how long they practiced.

The Coach seemed really mean. The girls did more working out than gymnastics. I told Goose that the competition team seemed very strict and very hard. She said "Mom, be right back, I have to do something." Next thing I know she ran out of the viewing area (glass & soundproof room) and straight up to the competition coach. I am sitting behind the glass window and I see her and the coach in a deep discussion. After 15 minutes, the coach has her do some basic gym things like cartwheels, a split, some walking on the beam. I am sitting there thinking, oh boy. What is she doing?

So afterwards she comes running back into the viewing room. "What did you say to the Competition Coach? I can't believe you went out there." "Well, I just told her this is what I want to do more than anything in the world, and I need to know what to do to be like the girls on your team." I could not believe it and of course asked what the answer was. Before Goose could answer the coach walks in. She asked Goose to go run a couple of laps around the mat with "her girls."

She tells me that she's noticed Goose in the gym lately and would like for her to try out for the then level 4 comp team. I remember telling her, "she can barely do a cartwheel, she's not anywhere near the talent of your competition girls." The coach said, "that has NOTHING to do with it. This kid has a gymnast body, she has the natural talent and the best thing she has... determination to interrupt me during a practice and go after what she wants."

So 2 years later, lot's of rips on her hands, blisters on her feet, hundreds of ice baths for sore muscles and 25 hours a week spent at the gym after school - she's doing great. She scores mid-9.0's at her meets. She's so happy doing what she loves, and not softball as I would have liked for her to do. I am so proud of her for being strong enough to go after her own dreams!

So what's her goal now? To go to the University of Georgia and be a "Gym-Dawg." I bought her season tickets to the college gymnastics team meets and she has met every one of the girls on the college team and talks to the coach at as many meets as she can. She is in the 10.0 club which gets her in the locker room with the girls and the coaches. She's just about picked out her dorm already and she's only in the 5th grade. She's a TEN O in my book.

Goose with Olympic Gymnast and GA Gym-Dawg, Courtney Kupets (her mentor) and the College gym meet.