I'll be up front and honest, States this year were not as good as last. They were near my sister's house, which made the commute to the meet not too bad. And, since she was in the afternoon session, we didn't have to spend the night before hand.
Z was completely excited for this meet--she was going to see her friend from last year's team and felt confident going in to the meet. She was happy and in a great mood when we got there.
Our group started on bars. I watched the routine and thought she did great. She didn't fall, didn't hesitate and looked smooth. Her score, however, was an 8.500. Her coach told me later that her casts weren't high enough and that is what probably hurt her.
Beam was next. Again, she didn't fall, but she almost did. And it was just as another parent shouted out that she was doing great, but I think it broke her concentration. She wound up with an 8.400.
Floor looked great. She came away with a 9.100, not her highest score of the year, but definitely not bad. Unfortunately, the competition was fierce and even a 9.100 only earned her a 9th place finish.
Vault was last. The warm up looked good to me and her score was a 9.025. That gave her second place!
All around she had a 35.025. Again, not her best score of the year, but not her worst either. She wound up in 9th place for all around.
I think she was fairly happy with her results. She didn't cry afterwards and was happy for her friends. The best part of the weekend was that we were able to go out to dinner and hang out with her teammate from last year. We went to dinner at Spagetti Factory with her family and my sister, who had come to watch. The evening was a lot of fun.
We then stayed at my sister's house so that I could meet up with a high school friend the next day. His daughter is also a Level 4 gymnast, but three years older so she competed on Sunday. It was fun to catch up with him and his family and watch his daughter compete.
Again, overall, I think Z is good with what happened. She is now concentrating on learning skills so that hopefully she will move up to Level 5 for next year. Crossing my fingers!
Monday, December 28, 2015
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Halloween Jamboree
This was Z's last official meet of the season--before moving on to States. It was complicated a bit by the fact that I was going to be out of town visiting her older brother down at college and would be rushing to meet her at the meet itself. The nice thing was that her dad and sister were going to be there to watch as well. For me the morning started badly since I apparently mis-set my alarm and did not wake up until the time I was supposed to be leaving (I had a four hour drive ahead of me). I got ready and in the car in 18 minutes and was only four minutes late to the meet location. Once there, I met up with Z, got her changed and then worked on her hair. Finished her hair just as she was supposed to be checking in with her coach. Yay, success!
This was our first time at Halloween Jamboree. It is a very fun meet where the judges dress in costume and the teams dress up for their march in and there is a costume contest. While our team had come up with costumes well in advance, the older girls in our level decided that the cupcake costumes were too juvenile--Z is the youngest in her level by anywhere from seven months to almost four years. So, while the parents were all trying to decide to do for our girls, the coach made his own decision to make the costumes himself. It was so cute--he was a police officer and they were his prisoners--complete with striped pjs. It was great because they did win the costume contest. :)
I was very happy because our team was starting on vault--that meant we were again doing the traditional rotation and would end up on floor last. Z's first practice vault was bad--I mean hands slipping on the vault table, and landing on her stomach on the vault table, bad. Luckily, she said it was a result of her being on the wrong foot. The next two practice vaults were much better. She was the second on her team to go and scored a 9.225! This was her personal best and she was rewarded with first place. All of our girls did well on vault, taking first place in all four age groups.
Bars was next. Definitely her nemesis. Her warm ups looked really good. Then watching two other girls slip on the squat on made me nervous. Unfortunately, Z's foot slipped on the squat on, but unlike other times when she has fallen, she was able to recover and still do her kip to the high bar. Her score was an 8.425, but much better than the other two times when she fell.
On beam, she didn't fall--but did have some really big wobbles. She scored an 8.875, which was her personal best, but not enough for a medal.
Floor was last--her best event by far. And, as she has always wanted, her coach let her go last. Since we were the last team to compete on floor this meant she was the last person the judges saw. I could tell after her first tumbling pass and the huge smile she flashed that she felt good. Obviously the judges agreed because they gave her a 9.450--again a personal best and first place!!!
All season Z has wanted a 36.000 for all around. She just missed this week and got a 35.975. She was so close, and ended up in third place. Overall, she was happy with her scores and placing--although she knew that if she hadn't slipped on the bars she would have done even better.
Now it is time to start practicing for States. We have three weeks of practice and we are going to try to get in a private lesson or two before then. She needs to work on her bars and becoming more steady on the beam. Little things, but things she can definitely tweak and work on.
This was our first time at Halloween Jamboree. It is a very fun meet where the judges dress in costume and the teams dress up for their march in and there is a costume contest. While our team had come up with costumes well in advance, the older girls in our level decided that the cupcake costumes were too juvenile--Z is the youngest in her level by anywhere from seven months to almost four years. So, while the parents were all trying to decide to do for our girls, the coach made his own decision to make the costumes himself. It was so cute--he was a police officer and they were his prisoners--complete with striped pjs. It was great because they did win the costume contest. :)
I was very happy because our team was starting on vault--that meant we were again doing the traditional rotation and would end up on floor last. Z's first practice vault was bad--I mean hands slipping on the vault table, and landing on her stomach on the vault table, bad. Luckily, she said it was a result of her being on the wrong foot. The next two practice vaults were much better. She was the second on her team to go and scored a 9.225! This was her personal best and she was rewarded with first place. All of our girls did well on vault, taking first place in all four age groups.
Bars was next. Definitely her nemesis. Her warm ups looked really good. Then watching two other girls slip on the squat on made me nervous. Unfortunately, Z's foot slipped on the squat on, but unlike other times when she has fallen, she was able to recover and still do her kip to the high bar. Her score was an 8.425, but much better than the other two times when she fell.
On beam, she didn't fall--but did have some really big wobbles. She scored an 8.875, which was her personal best, but not enough for a medal.
Floor was last--her best event by far. And, as she has always wanted, her coach let her go last. Since we were the last team to compete on floor this meant she was the last person the judges saw. I could tell after her first tumbling pass and the huge smile she flashed that she felt good. Obviously the judges agreed because they gave her a 9.450--again a personal best and first place!!!
All season Z has wanted a 36.000 for all around. She just missed this week and got a 35.975. She was so close, and ended up in third place. Overall, she was happy with her scores and placing--although she knew that if she hadn't slipped on the bars she would have done even better.
Now it is time to start practicing for States. We have three weeks of practice and we are going to try to get in a private lesson or two before then. She needs to work on her bars and becoming more steady on the beam. Little things, but things she can definitely tweak and work on.
Monday, October 19, 2015
Disco-Tech Invitational
Wow, this was our fourth meet of the season. Only one left until States. I know little Z is getting bummed there aren't more competitions--she lives to compete. And with meets like Disco-Tech, she wants to compete even more.
We competed at Disco-Tech last year and it is a fun meet. The introductory march in is done in the dark with a disco ball, glow necklaces and disco music. The girls love it. Last year was not Z's best meet at Disco-Tech. But she wasn't going to let that bother her. She said it didn't matter what happened last year, instead it matters what happens now. She had a great attitude going into the meet and it paid off.
Once again we were in the first session, which means being at the gym at 7:30am. Luckily, my sister lives 20 minutes away, so we spent the night there. After the 3 hour drive to her house, I put Z in the shower and did the front part of her hair so that we didn't have to get up quite so early. We made it in plenty of time and beat the coach (so, yes, I could have stopped for coffee after all).
We were in the traditional rotation, starting on vault. I love being in this rotation as it means we are on floor last, which is typically the best event for all of our girls. Z warmed up on vault and looked pretty good. She ended up with an 8.900, not her best, but definitely not bad and it earned her a second place medal.
Bars was next. Bars has been her nemesis all season. The first two meets she fell--hard. It wasn't until the last meet that she completed her routine. Then we saw who one of the judges was--a judge who is typically very tough. Z's coach was nervous, but Z only remembered that he had given her a 9.150 on vault at her first meet this season. Her attitude before she was up? I'm on his 9.100 team, I'm getting a 9.100. Her warm-up looked rocky and I was nervous. But I think I'm always nervous because of the falls that she has had. No fall this time--nope! In fact, her routine was good and she did, in fact, make the 9.100 club, getting a 9.125, and another second place medal.
Next is beam. Beam has never been her strong event, but she has been getting better. The beam was pretty far from where we were sitting and I was trying to record it. The first half of the routine looked really strong. She made her cartwheel and all her dance skills looked good. Then she had to do her handstand. It looked really good when she was up, but when she came down, she fell and fell hard. One of those falls that makes you shake because you are sure there was a serious injury. From my vantage point it looked like she landed on her neck. But she shook it off and got back up. She did go over time, but the rest of the routine looked as strong as the beginning. She managed an 8.525--would have been at least a 9.125 without the fall and going overtime. It gave her seventh place, but the judges complimented her fall. They wanted to know if her coach teaches his girls how to fall because she did the right thing--didn't put her hands out and rolled her back. She said it didn't even hurt!
Finally floor. Again one of her strongest events. She looks so pretty on the floor and made a point of starting in the corner that would allow her ending pose to have her looking right at the judges and she flashed them a huge smile! She wound up with a 9.275 and first place. Her all around score was 35.825--not the 36.000 that she had hoped for, but pretty darn good and she was in first place all around!
As a team, her team placed first. This is a big deal because we only had six girls competing where some of the other teams have fifteen. We took first place all-around in all three age groups. Z scored the highest out of her team on bars and floor and only missed the highest all around by 0.250. If she had not fallen on her beam routine, she would have gotten her 36.000, and had the highest all around score of the entire session regardless of age.
After our session, we stayed to watch our Level 3 team. They also did well, placing first as a team again. I was able to also watch a friend's daughter do her best floor routine and finally qualify for States.
After taking a much needed Spagetti Factory trip, we went back to watch two other friends compete. One was on our team last year, but switched gyms. The other is the daughter of a friend from high school. Again, I was very glad that my sister lives 20 minutes away so that we could go crash before driving home on Sunday.
One more meet and then States!!!
We competed at Disco-Tech last year and it is a fun meet. The introductory march in is done in the dark with a disco ball, glow necklaces and disco music. The girls love it. Last year was not Z's best meet at Disco-Tech. But she wasn't going to let that bother her. She said it didn't matter what happened last year, instead it matters what happens now. She had a great attitude going into the meet and it paid off.
Once again we were in the first session, which means being at the gym at 7:30am. Luckily, my sister lives 20 minutes away, so we spent the night there. After the 3 hour drive to her house, I put Z in the shower and did the front part of her hair so that we didn't have to get up quite so early. We made it in plenty of time and beat the coach (so, yes, I could have stopped for coffee after all).
We were in the traditional rotation, starting on vault. I love being in this rotation as it means we are on floor last, which is typically the best event for all of our girls. Z warmed up on vault and looked pretty good. She ended up with an 8.900, not her best, but definitely not bad and it earned her a second place medal.
Bars was next. Bars has been her nemesis all season. The first two meets she fell--hard. It wasn't until the last meet that she completed her routine. Then we saw who one of the judges was--a judge who is typically very tough. Z's coach was nervous, but Z only remembered that he had given her a 9.150 on vault at her first meet this season. Her attitude before she was up? I'm on his 9.100 team, I'm getting a 9.100. Her warm-up looked rocky and I was nervous. But I think I'm always nervous because of the falls that she has had. No fall this time--nope! In fact, her routine was good and she did, in fact, make the 9.100 club, getting a 9.125, and another second place medal.
Next is beam. Beam has never been her strong event, but she has been getting better. The beam was pretty far from where we were sitting and I was trying to record it. The first half of the routine looked really strong. She made her cartwheel and all her dance skills looked good. Then she had to do her handstand. It looked really good when she was up, but when she came down, she fell and fell hard. One of those falls that makes you shake because you are sure there was a serious injury. From my vantage point it looked like she landed on her neck. But she shook it off and got back up. She did go over time, but the rest of the routine looked as strong as the beginning. She managed an 8.525--would have been at least a 9.125 without the fall and going overtime. It gave her seventh place, but the judges complimented her fall. They wanted to know if her coach teaches his girls how to fall because she did the right thing--didn't put her hands out and rolled her back. She said it didn't even hurt!
Finally floor. Again one of her strongest events. She looks so pretty on the floor and made a point of starting in the corner that would allow her ending pose to have her looking right at the judges and she flashed them a huge smile! She wound up with a 9.275 and first place. Her all around score was 35.825--not the 36.000 that she had hoped for, but pretty darn good and she was in first place all around!
As a team, her team placed first. This is a big deal because we only had six girls competing where some of the other teams have fifteen. We took first place all-around in all three age groups. Z scored the highest out of her team on bars and floor and only missed the highest all around by 0.250. If she had not fallen on her beam routine, she would have gotten her 36.000, and had the highest all around score of the entire session regardless of age.
After our session, we stayed to watch our Level 3 team. They also did well, placing first as a team again. I was able to also watch a friend's daughter do her best floor routine and finally qualify for States.
After taking a much needed Spagetti Factory trip, we went back to watch two other friends compete. One was on our team last year, but switched gyms. The other is the daughter of a friend from high school. Again, I was very glad that my sister lives 20 minutes away so that we could go crash before driving home on Sunday.
One more meet and then States!!!
Monday, October 5, 2015
Gold Country Classic
Before this week's meet, we had a private lesson with Z's coach to focus primarily on bars--specifically, her squat on sequence. This is where she has had issues since the beginning of the season. I actually had the time to go watch her private session and was really impressed with the change in her confidence and ability. Unfortunately, she got a rather large blood blister and that created some problems. The private lesson was Wednesday, and competition was on Saturday. Luckily, with the help of her coach, we got the blister issue resolved and she was able to practice on Thursday and Friday. By Saturday morning, her hand was looking pretty good.
Since this meet was about twenty minutes from my parent's house, we decided to stay there the night before. The other girls all opted to drive down the morning of the meet, but I'm really glad we made the decision to stay the night instead of driving almost three hours the morning of the meet--especially since it takes a good 40-45 minutes to do her hair. The other benefit to staying at my parent's house is that we were able to Skype with Z's big brother while I was doing her hair. He had been gone for two full weeks and this gave her a chance to say hi and for me to catch up a bit as well (it is difficult having him off at college).
After practice on Friday, Z kept telling me that she "had her squat on." She was so excited that it seemed to be working. And I was so happy that she seemed to be more confident.
Once we got to the gym and the coach checked in, we found out that we would be starting the competition on bars. This was definitely going to test her practice, drive and the results of the extra practice. Not only were we starting on bars, but Z was going first. I was very nervous, but during her warm up, she seemed strong and ready to go. Luckily, her routine proved that the practice was worth it. She made the squat on, didn't fall and completed her routine, scoring an 8.850. This was two full points over her score from last week and almost a full point over the first week. She got a big hi-five from her coach, that I was lucky enough to catch on camera.
Next was beam. She looked really strong during warm up, and was slated to go third from her team. The first two girls both fell on their cartwheel and I was nervous. Z tends to watch the other girls and sometimes it gets to her. This was one of those times. She also fell on her cartwheel, and had a couple of other big bobbles. Her final score was an 8.450.
Floor was next. One of her teammates, who always does well, scored high. Z was next and also did really well, scoring a 9.350. The other girls, however, all scored below a 9.00, which is not really normal for our team. I'm not sure what was up, but I could see that they were not completely into their routines.
Vault was next. During warm-ups, Z was having definite problems. Her first attempt during warm up was not very good, barely making it over the vault table. The second warm up attempt was a balk--which is not like her. When she got ready to go, I could see that she was starting back farther than she had during the second warm up. I'm not sure if that made the difference, but she did well, scoring an 8.800, which was the highest on her team. Her overall all around score was a 35.450, which was a personal best for Level 4.
When it came time for awards, I was again pleasantly surprised. She wound up first on vault, fifth on bars, tied for second on floor and came in second all around! This was a HUGE improvement over last week. Our team came in third overall.
I think her confidence was really boosted by her extra practice and the fact that they had the Level 5 girls competing with them. Normally the two girls that are Level 5 compete in their own session, but this time, they got to compete with our girls. It was a lot of fun to watch the older girls, plus I think they got an energy boost from having the extra cheering. They both did their personal bests and qualified for state competition.
The next competition is Disco-Tech. We have two weeks between meets this time, so I'm hoping that the extra little bit of rest helps her out. She does have to be at that competition very early in the morning, so we will be staying at my sister's house. Last year Disco-Tech was not one of our best meets, but I'm hoping that she will do well on the heels of this meet.
Since this meet was about twenty minutes from my parent's house, we decided to stay there the night before. The other girls all opted to drive down the morning of the meet, but I'm really glad we made the decision to stay the night instead of driving almost three hours the morning of the meet--especially since it takes a good 40-45 minutes to do her hair. The other benefit to staying at my parent's house is that we were able to Skype with Z's big brother while I was doing her hair. He had been gone for two full weeks and this gave her a chance to say hi and for me to catch up a bit as well (it is difficult having him off at college).
After practice on Friday, Z kept telling me that she "had her squat on." She was so excited that it seemed to be working. And I was so happy that she seemed to be more confident.
Once we got to the gym and the coach checked in, we found out that we would be starting the competition on bars. This was definitely going to test her practice, drive and the results of the extra practice. Not only were we starting on bars, but Z was going first. I was very nervous, but during her warm up, she seemed strong and ready to go. Luckily, her routine proved that the practice was worth it. She made the squat on, didn't fall and completed her routine, scoring an 8.850. This was two full points over her score from last week and almost a full point over the first week. She got a big hi-five from her coach, that I was lucky enough to catch on camera.
Next was beam. She looked really strong during warm up, and was slated to go third from her team. The first two girls both fell on their cartwheel and I was nervous. Z tends to watch the other girls and sometimes it gets to her. This was one of those times. She also fell on her cartwheel, and had a couple of other big bobbles. Her final score was an 8.450.
Floor was next. One of her teammates, who always does well, scored high. Z was next and also did really well, scoring a 9.350. The other girls, however, all scored below a 9.00, which is not really normal for our team. I'm not sure what was up, but I could see that they were not completely into their routines.
Vault was next. During warm-ups, Z was having definite problems. Her first attempt during warm up was not very good, barely making it over the vault table. The second warm up attempt was a balk--which is not like her. When she got ready to go, I could see that she was starting back farther than she had during the second warm up. I'm not sure if that made the difference, but she did well, scoring an 8.800, which was the highest on her team. Her overall all around score was a 35.450, which was a personal best for Level 4.
When it came time for awards, I was again pleasantly surprised. She wound up first on vault, fifth on bars, tied for second on floor and came in second all around! This was a HUGE improvement over last week. Our team came in third overall.
I think her confidence was really boosted by her extra practice and the fact that they had the Level 5 girls competing with them. Normally the two girls that are Level 5 compete in their own session, but this time, they got to compete with our girls. It was a lot of fun to watch the older girls, plus I think they got an energy boost from having the extra cheering. They both did their personal bests and qualified for state competition.
The next competition is Disco-Tech. We have two weeks between meets this time, so I'm hoping that the extra little bit of rest helps her out. She does have to be at that competition very early in the morning, so we will be staying at my sister's house. Last year Disco-Tech was not one of our best meets, but I'm hoping that she will do well on the heels of this meet.
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Go Green -- or don't
Go Green was Z's hardest meet last year and this year did not disappoint in that regard. Although I warned her that it was a hard meet, she had a good attitude going in. Unfortunately, a good attitude only gets you so far.
We started this meet on floor, something we have never done before. Although the girls all thought it was a good thing, since they all excel at floor, I wasn't so sure. When none of the girls got a 9.000, I knew something seemed off. Z had a great routine and yet only scored an 8.725. The highest of our girls was 8.775. This was not something we were used to. The judges apparently told our coach that the girls looked great, but if that was the case, why didn't the scores reflect it. Until the last rotation, I was thinking maybe the judges were just hard because Z was in first place, even with her low score. Then all of a sudden, the girls in the last rotation were scoring exceedingly high and Z was knocked down to 10th place (and only 9 places got medals).
Vault was next. Her first vault looked good in the air, but she touched her hand on the mat when she landed. The second vault was better, but her score was only an 8.525.
Bars was again a disaster--even worse than last week. This time, when she did her squat on, she fell backwards and landed hard, to the point she was crying. Despite this, she got back up and finished. She missed her kip to the high bar and as such was counted for another fall. She only received 6.800, which is by far her lowest score on any event. This was also frustrating because during warm up, she did a great routine, so to see this was a bit unnerving. I'm thinking her nerves are getting to her.
Beam was looking really good, until the handstand at the end of the beam. I could tell when she was coming down that she was a bit twisted and she fell. She still scored an 8.175, which means her score would have been very similar to last week if she hadn't fallen. While she was obviously disappointed with the fall, her routine looked good otherwise.
Overall she scored a 32.225. Again, by far her lowest score ever. She's never had anything lower than a 35.125, so almost a full three points lower. Although she was in good spirits during awards, when walking to the car she said that it was embarassing coming in last place. I did tell her she wasn't last, although she was second to last. I think she is going to use this as a learning experience.
I did tell her that I was still proud of her for her attitude and not quitting. We do have a private for tomorrow afternoon to work on her bars. Last night she did two good routines, but then when the coach was there to spot, she fell on the squat on again. I'm not sure where her mental block is.
We have another meet this weekend--close to my parents, so they and my sister will be there. It is closer and a smaller meet, so hopefully she will do well again and we can move on. Since she was not the only one who again had problems at this meet, we are hoping that we don't do this one again next year.
We started this meet on floor, something we have never done before. Although the girls all thought it was a good thing, since they all excel at floor, I wasn't so sure. When none of the girls got a 9.000, I knew something seemed off. Z had a great routine and yet only scored an 8.725. The highest of our girls was 8.775. This was not something we were used to. The judges apparently told our coach that the girls looked great, but if that was the case, why didn't the scores reflect it. Until the last rotation, I was thinking maybe the judges were just hard because Z was in first place, even with her low score. Then all of a sudden, the girls in the last rotation were scoring exceedingly high and Z was knocked down to 10th place (and only 9 places got medals).
Vault was next. Her first vault looked good in the air, but she touched her hand on the mat when she landed. The second vault was better, but her score was only an 8.525.
Bars was again a disaster--even worse than last week. This time, when she did her squat on, she fell backwards and landed hard, to the point she was crying. Despite this, she got back up and finished. She missed her kip to the high bar and as such was counted for another fall. She only received 6.800, which is by far her lowest score on any event. This was also frustrating because during warm up, she did a great routine, so to see this was a bit unnerving. I'm thinking her nerves are getting to her.
Beam was looking really good, until the handstand at the end of the beam. I could tell when she was coming down that she was a bit twisted and she fell. She still scored an 8.175, which means her score would have been very similar to last week if she hadn't fallen. While she was obviously disappointed with the fall, her routine looked good otherwise.
Overall she scored a 32.225. Again, by far her lowest score ever. She's never had anything lower than a 35.125, so almost a full three points lower. Although she was in good spirits during awards, when walking to the car she said that it was embarassing coming in last place. I did tell her she wasn't last, although she was second to last. I think she is going to use this as a learning experience.
I did tell her that I was still proud of her for her attitude and not quitting. We do have a private for tomorrow afternoon to work on her bars. Last night she did two good routines, but then when the coach was there to spot, she fell on the squat on again. I'm not sure where her mental block is.
We have another meet this weekend--close to my parents, so they and my sister will be there. It is closer and a smaller meet, so hopefully she will do well again and we can move on. Since she was not the only one who again had problems at this meet, we are hoping that we don't do this one again next year.
Friday, September 18, 2015
River City Classic -- First meet in the books!
Our first competition of the season is over and we are moving on to our second tomorrow. So far, the season is going well. This was Z's first competition in Level 4, and with the lack of a full summer of practice, I was a bit concerned over how it was going to go. And, it was an emotional weekend as the day before competition, we sent her brother off to college--seven hours away. We had to say goodbye and watch him drive away because we had to compete. Although she couldn't verbalize it, I know that it hit her almost as hard as the rest of us.
The morning of competition Z woke up early, unable to sleep because she was so excited. Our Level 3 team was competing before us, so we decided to go ahead and get ready and head down to the meet. I had her hair all done, except for the bun, to make it easier once we were there. It was a three hour drive, but very worth it to go. Our Level 3 team did great--all but one girl qualified for States and they took 2nd place as a team. I'm pretty sure that every girl went home with at least one medal.
Then came time for the Level 4 competition. This was a huge meet with at least 30 girls in each age group (we normally have about 15). As a result there were a lot of delays between events. I was worried that the girls might get distracted, but their coach is AWESOME and kept them all in good moods and on track. We had friends who came to watch Z, and luckily her dad and sister made it from taking big brother to school just in time to see her compete her first event.
I love it when Z gets the traditional rotation. I'm so used to that format, and it allows her to finish up on floor, which is generally her best event. My concern was the first event was vault--one that she can be hot or cold on and one that is a little strange because our girls have never had the experience of landing on a hard surface. The vault table at our gym has a foam pit behind it and although we put mats in to firm it up, it is not the same as a regular floor. Watching her warm up, I was very nervous. She was not sticking the landing and I told myself that if she got an 8.000, I would be happy. Her teammates were all before her and did well, all scoring over 8.350. Z got up and went and flew over the vault table. I thought she looked great, and apparently so did the judges as she scored a 9.150!
Bars was next. Z has definitely had issues with bars this year. This is the first year where they use both bars and her squat on has had issues--she tends to not keep her shoulders over the bar and falls backwards. So when she was performing and had a beautiful squat on I was very encouraged. Unfortunately, when she jumped to the high bar, she missed with one hand and landed on the floor on her back. She was a trooper though and got back up and finished her routine. She did struggle on the kip to the high bar and as a result received a 7.875. Obviously, if she had not had the two falls, she would have had at least an 8.875, so I was happy. And very happy that she got up and finished her routine and didn't give up. (According to the coach later, the judges were also impressed that she did that.)
Beam was next. She was the last one up, and I was a little concerned because the two girls before her both fell, and she saw it. She sometimes has problems with falls and I was hoping that it wouldn't get in to her head. Luckily it didn't and she scored an 8.700--she still has bobbles that she needs to work on, but she didn't fall.
Finally she was on floor. Her entire team did exceptional on floor, with the lowest score being a 9.300. Z looked great and scored a 9.425. I was so happy for her and with her 35.150 all around score knew that she had qualified for States.
When it came time for awards, I figured she would probably get something on vault and floor. She wound up with first on vault, twelfth on beam, second on floor and fourth all around. In addition, her team took third overall. Turns out we took first on vault and tied for first on floor as a team. It was great. All five girls qualified for States--which takes a lot of pressure off of us for the rest of the season.
Tomorrow is Go Green. Last year that was a meet where Z did not do as well (still did well, but not in her mind). I tried to remind her that it might be a hard meet, and she is very positive and said that it won't be. We will be driving down tonight after practice--and giving her coach a ride. :). Wish us luck.
The morning of competition Z woke up early, unable to sleep because she was so excited. Our Level 3 team was competing before us, so we decided to go ahead and get ready and head down to the meet. I had her hair all done, except for the bun, to make it easier once we were there. It was a three hour drive, but very worth it to go. Our Level 3 team did great--all but one girl qualified for States and they took 2nd place as a team. I'm pretty sure that every girl went home with at least one medal.
Then came time for the Level 4 competition. This was a huge meet with at least 30 girls in each age group (we normally have about 15). As a result there were a lot of delays between events. I was worried that the girls might get distracted, but their coach is AWESOME and kept them all in good moods and on track. We had friends who came to watch Z, and luckily her dad and sister made it from taking big brother to school just in time to see her compete her first event.
I love it when Z gets the traditional rotation. I'm so used to that format, and it allows her to finish up on floor, which is generally her best event. My concern was the first event was vault--one that she can be hot or cold on and one that is a little strange because our girls have never had the experience of landing on a hard surface. The vault table at our gym has a foam pit behind it and although we put mats in to firm it up, it is not the same as a regular floor. Watching her warm up, I was very nervous. She was not sticking the landing and I told myself that if she got an 8.000, I would be happy. Her teammates were all before her and did well, all scoring over 8.350. Z got up and went and flew over the vault table. I thought she looked great, and apparently so did the judges as she scored a 9.150!
Bars was next. Z has definitely had issues with bars this year. This is the first year where they use both bars and her squat on has had issues--she tends to not keep her shoulders over the bar and falls backwards. So when she was performing and had a beautiful squat on I was very encouraged. Unfortunately, when she jumped to the high bar, she missed with one hand and landed on the floor on her back. She was a trooper though and got back up and finished her routine. She did struggle on the kip to the high bar and as a result received a 7.875. Obviously, if she had not had the two falls, she would have had at least an 8.875, so I was happy. And very happy that she got up and finished her routine and didn't give up. (According to the coach later, the judges were also impressed that she did that.)
Beam was next. She was the last one up, and I was a little concerned because the two girls before her both fell, and she saw it. She sometimes has problems with falls and I was hoping that it wouldn't get in to her head. Luckily it didn't and she scored an 8.700--she still has bobbles that she needs to work on, but she didn't fall.
Finally she was on floor. Her entire team did exceptional on floor, with the lowest score being a 9.300. Z looked great and scored a 9.425. I was so happy for her and with her 35.150 all around score knew that she had qualified for States.
When it came time for awards, I figured she would probably get something on vault and floor. She wound up with first on vault, twelfth on beam, second on floor and fourth all around. In addition, her team took third overall. Turns out we took first on vault and tied for first on floor as a team. It was great. All five girls qualified for States--which takes a lot of pressure off of us for the rest of the season.
Tomorrow is Go Green. Last year that was a meet where Z did not do as well (still did well, but not in her mind). I tried to remind her that it might be a hard meet, and she is very positive and said that it won't be. We will be driving down tonight after practice--and giving her coach a ride. :). Wish us luck.
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
And so it begins again . . .
I have completely remiss in posting. I really wanted this to be a blog about Z's adventures in gymnastics, practice, competing and everything. Unfortunately, this summer we had some health and family issues that kept Z from her usual practice and she probably lost half of the summer. Her coach and gym have been great, however, in letting her try to make up some time. As a result, she has been practicing five days a week for the last five weeks. But, we are going to find out soon if the extra make up time has been worth it.
Z's first competition is in a mere five days--her first time competing Level 4. She is beyond excited.
Although we had a lot of issues this summer, and at times thought that she might be done with gymnastics, she has come back with a vengeance. She is back to only wanting to do gymnastics--no school, no nothing. She is upset on days when she doesn't have practice. I hate to tell her that coach is going to stop the one extra day of practice if not tomorrow, then next week. I think four days a week is enough, especially now that competition season is upon us!
We will have three weekends in a row with competitions, then two weeks off, competition, one week off, and final competition before State. I know I'm putting the cart before the horse, but I'm really hopeful that she will make State again this year.
Due to her missing practices, she was having some problems with bars, but her coach thinks that she is doing well and is ready for competition. I don't think that he would let her compete if he didn't think she was ready. He really cares about the girls and wants them to do well. I cannot imagine that he would knowingly set her up for failure.
One of her friends from the gym actually moved to another gym earlier this year. They spent some time together this weekend and it looks like they will actually be competing against each other on Sunday. While they obviously competed against each other last year, this time it will also be for different teams. Obviously I haven't seen her friend practice in awhile, but I'm hopeful that she will also do well.
The countdown has begun. I'll make sure to post after the competition!
Z's first competition is in a mere five days--her first time competing Level 4. She is beyond excited.
Although we had a lot of issues this summer, and at times thought that she might be done with gymnastics, she has come back with a vengeance. She is back to only wanting to do gymnastics--no school, no nothing. She is upset on days when she doesn't have practice. I hate to tell her that coach is going to stop the one extra day of practice if not tomorrow, then next week. I think four days a week is enough, especially now that competition season is upon us!
We will have three weekends in a row with competitions, then two weeks off, competition, one week off, and final competition before State. I know I'm putting the cart before the horse, but I'm really hopeful that she will make State again this year.
Due to her missing practices, she was having some problems with bars, but her coach thinks that she is doing well and is ready for competition. I don't think that he would let her compete if he didn't think she was ready. He really cares about the girls and wants them to do well. I cannot imagine that he would knowingly set her up for failure.
One of her friends from the gym actually moved to another gym earlier this year. They spent some time together this weekend and it looks like they will actually be competing against each other on Sunday. While they obviously competed against each other last year, this time it will also be for different teams. Obviously I haven't seen her friend practice in awhile, but I'm hopeful that she will also do well.
The countdown has begun. I'll make sure to post after the competition!
Monday, August 17, 2015
State Competition and Beyond . . .
Wow, where has the time gone? I could have sworn that I had posted about State Competition, but apparently I didn't. A lot has happened since then, so I'll start with the State Competition experience itself.
State Competition was held approximately four hours from our house. It definitely involved an overnight stay. Although we had initially booked a hotel at the "host" hotel, when we tried to cancel the second night, once we knew we only needed one, they were going to double our rate. So we canceled completely and booked at another location--same distance, cheaper and included free breakfast. Win, win, win!
After getting a fairly good night's sleep (nerves and excitement caused some delay in falling asleep), we went down to have breakfast. It was obvious that plenty of other competitors chose to stay there as well as there were many, many gymnasts eating breakfast. We sat down next to one girl, who was a little older than Z and began talking. It turns out this girl had competed at States the year before and was giving us some insight. Z liked talking to someone who had already been there, done that, so to speak. The girl asked what Z's goals were, and she said that she wanted to not fall off the beam and score a 9.0 on all events.
Then, time to head to the competition venue. We got there before her coaches and waited. Warming up was fun and the girls were all excited to be at State. We had four girls competing in the same session, so they had someone with them and were able to relax a bit.
I was happy that they were given the traditional rotation, starting on vault. Vault has been a bit of an enigma for Z. While she typically does well, there were at least two competitions where her first vault was basically scrapped because of a fall. This time, there was no fall, no falter and she scored a 9.100. I was so happy for her. She seemed thrilled!
Next off to bars. Bars has been one of her better events this season. She loves it and always seems to do well. State was no different. She looked really good with a 9.175 score.
Beam was my biggest concern for Z. She has only had one meet where she did really well and only two where she didn't fall. I was hoping that she would do well, and not fall. She was looking really strong and then at the very end seemed to rush things. It turns out that she heard the time buzzer and rushed to get off the beam. She didn't fall and scored an 8.950. Not the 9.0 that she wanted, but she was still really happy.
Floor was her final event. This has normally been her strongest event and State was no different. She had a big extra jump at the end of her back handspring but otherwise looked great. Her score of a 9.325 showed. She had an overall all-around score of 36.550. Her highest of the season. That is definitely the way to finish out a season.
When it came time for awards, we were hopeful that she would do well and knew she would medal on floor and hopefully on bars. It turns out that she received a medal on every event: 9th on vault, 6th on bars, 7th on beam and a tie for 2nd on floor (she missed 1st by 0.025 points). She ended up with 4th place in all-around. This from a girl who had been told by the coach at her old gym that she wasn't ready to compete at that level. I guess she was wrong.
Z was completely stoked about the whole experience. She told me that her actual goals were to not fall off the beam and to get a medal on every event. She met and exceeded her goals in my opinion.
Having finished what we considered to be a great season, our next milestone would be to see if her coach felt that she was ready to move up to Level 4 for next season. As I previously posted, she did in fact, get promoted. She was one of only five who did, although there have been two others that have been continuing to try.
State Competition was held approximately four hours from our house. It definitely involved an overnight stay. Although we had initially booked a hotel at the "host" hotel, when we tried to cancel the second night, once we knew we only needed one, they were going to double our rate. So we canceled completely and booked at another location--same distance, cheaper and included free breakfast. Win, win, win!
After getting a fairly good night's sleep (nerves and excitement caused some delay in falling asleep), we went down to have breakfast. It was obvious that plenty of other competitors chose to stay there as well as there were many, many gymnasts eating breakfast. We sat down next to one girl, who was a little older than Z and began talking. It turns out this girl had competed at States the year before and was giving us some insight. Z liked talking to someone who had already been there, done that, so to speak. The girl asked what Z's goals were, and she said that she wanted to not fall off the beam and score a 9.0 on all events.
Then, time to head to the competition venue. We got there before her coaches and waited. Warming up was fun and the girls were all excited to be at State. We had four girls competing in the same session, so they had someone with them and were able to relax a bit.
I was happy that they were given the traditional rotation, starting on vault. Vault has been a bit of an enigma for Z. While she typically does well, there were at least two competitions where her first vault was basically scrapped because of a fall. This time, there was no fall, no falter and she scored a 9.100. I was so happy for her. She seemed thrilled!
Next off to bars. Bars has been one of her better events this season. She loves it and always seems to do well. State was no different. She looked really good with a 9.175 score.
Beam was my biggest concern for Z. She has only had one meet where she did really well and only two where she didn't fall. I was hoping that she would do well, and not fall. She was looking really strong and then at the very end seemed to rush things. It turns out that she heard the time buzzer and rushed to get off the beam. She didn't fall and scored an 8.950. Not the 9.0 that she wanted, but she was still really happy.
Floor was her final event. This has normally been her strongest event and State was no different. She had a big extra jump at the end of her back handspring but otherwise looked great. Her score of a 9.325 showed. She had an overall all-around score of 36.550. Her highest of the season. That is definitely the way to finish out a season.
When it came time for awards, we were hopeful that she would do well and knew she would medal on floor and hopefully on bars. It turns out that she received a medal on every event: 9th on vault, 6th on bars, 7th on beam and a tie for 2nd on floor (she missed 1st by 0.025 points). She ended up with 4th place in all-around. This from a girl who had been told by the coach at her old gym that she wasn't ready to compete at that level. I guess she was wrong.
Z was completely stoked about the whole experience. She told me that her actual goals were to not fall off the beam and to get a medal on every event. She met and exceeded her goals in my opinion.
Having finished what we considered to be a great season, our next milestone would be to see if her coach felt that she was ready to move up to Level 4 for next season. As I previously posted, she did in fact, get promoted. She was one of only five who did, although there have been two others that have been continuing to try.
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Practice, practice and more practice . . .
If you ever thought that team practice before competitions was hard, just imagine the increase when practicing for the State Competition. Little Z wanted to practice every day. We had three weeks between her last competition and State. She was practicing hard at the gym and was working on her beam and floor routines as best she could at home.
Then I found out that other girls had been taking private lessons in addition to regular team practice. Could we afford it? Not really. Did she "need" it? Probably not. Did we think it would be helpful? Definitely, if for no other reason than from a mental standpoint. Little Z had some issues throughout the season with not being able to get a bad routine or fall out of her head. We figured if we could have someone work with her one on one, then it could help that aspect of her competition. So we set up three private lessons for her--essentially one a week until competition.
Z's first private lesson was after open gym on a Saturday. I was a bit nervous having her do it after she had been goofing off/working out, but at least she was warmed up. The lesson actually started 1/2 hour before open gym ended, but since they were working on beam, that was perfect. Beam has been Z's nemesis since the beginning. While she was always nervous that she would fall on her half-turn, she never did. She would fall on other things--her handstand, her split leap and her dismount--but not the half-turn. The coach worked with her to get up her confidence and she seemed to start enjoying beam a bit more since she wasn't quite as nervous. She also worked on bars a bit during that lesson.
The other two lessons were on Wednesdays--a day when Z didn't have practice. One lesson ended up being entirely on bars, which I thought was a bit odd since Z normally does well on bars, but I could definitely see the improvement. She also did work on floor and more on vault. I had hoped there would be more on beam, but there wasn't.
Z definitely said that she felt the lessons helped and it seemed like she had more confidence, but the tell tale would be her performance at States.
Then I found out that other girls had been taking private lessons in addition to regular team practice. Could we afford it? Not really. Did she "need" it? Probably not. Did we think it would be helpful? Definitely, if for no other reason than from a mental standpoint. Little Z had some issues throughout the season with not being able to get a bad routine or fall out of her head. We figured if we could have someone work with her one on one, then it could help that aspect of her competition. So we set up three private lessons for her--essentially one a week until competition.
Z's first private lesson was after open gym on a Saturday. I was a bit nervous having her do it after she had been goofing off/working out, but at least she was warmed up. The lesson actually started 1/2 hour before open gym ended, but since they were working on beam, that was perfect. Beam has been Z's nemesis since the beginning. While she was always nervous that she would fall on her half-turn, she never did. She would fall on other things--her handstand, her split leap and her dismount--but not the half-turn. The coach worked with her to get up her confidence and she seemed to start enjoying beam a bit more since she wasn't quite as nervous. She also worked on bars a bit during that lesson.
The other two lessons were on Wednesdays--a day when Z didn't have practice. One lesson ended up being entirely on bars, which I thought was a bit odd since Z normally does well on bars, but I could definitely see the improvement. She also did work on floor and more on vault. I had hoped there would be more on beam, but there wasn't.
Z definitely said that she felt the lessons helped and it seemed like she had more confidence, but the tell tale would be her performance at States.
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Competition # 5 . . . Disco-Tech
This competition was the last one before the State Championships. It was being held at a gym about 15 minutes from my sister's house, so we went there the night before to get a good night's sleep and then head to the meet. In addition my sister and her daughter were supposed to come watch. Unfortunately, my niece didn't make it.
Little Z and I had been to this gym once before to watch her old team compete, so we knew the layout and where she would be competing. We got there in plenty of time and she started warming up with her friends.
It is always fun to watch the girls march in before competition, but this time was even better. Because of the theme, the girls had glow in the dark necklaces on and the lights were turned out with a disco ball turning. The girls had a great time!
Z started on bars at this meet. She did really well, scoring a 9.200. Despite the high score, she placed fourth.
On beam, I was watching and she seemed to get a little lost at the very beginning of the routine. As a result, she ended up going overtime and fell once. Her final score was an 8.250.
Then on to floor. Once again, I loved watching her. I know I'm the mom and biased, but I really do think that she has a pretty floor routine and have been told that by other people. She scored a 9.325 and tied for second place.
Vault was last and she seemed to be doing well in warm-up. Then, right before she competed her coaches put another mat on the landing area. I was very confused--although I knew she had competed with a higher mat before, she hadn't practiced with the higher mat. Her score of 8.875 showed that there was something not right. After talking with the coaches later, they indicated that they had put the additional mat because she had been over-rotating during the warm up and they were trying to fix the landing. I've learned to trust the coaches--although I wasn't happy with what happened, and neither was Z, we knew they were looking out for her best interest.
Little Z scored 35.650 on all around and placed 7th. Another meet with plenty of medals to bring home and show daddy.
Now the girls had three weeks to prepare for the State Competition. Our team had ten out of our eleven girls on the team qualify for the State Championships. We knew that States was going to be much more competitive with the top girls in all of the Northern part of California. Time for some more practice!!!
Little Z and I had been to this gym once before to watch her old team compete, so we knew the layout and where she would be competing. We got there in plenty of time and she started warming up with her friends.
It is always fun to watch the girls march in before competition, but this time was even better. Because of the theme, the girls had glow in the dark necklaces on and the lights were turned out with a disco ball turning. The girls had a great time!
Z started on bars at this meet. She did really well, scoring a 9.200. Despite the high score, she placed fourth.
On beam, I was watching and she seemed to get a little lost at the very beginning of the routine. As a result, she ended up going overtime and fell once. Her final score was an 8.250.
Then on to floor. Once again, I loved watching her. I know I'm the mom and biased, but I really do think that she has a pretty floor routine and have been told that by other people. She scored a 9.325 and tied for second place.
Vault was last and she seemed to be doing well in warm-up. Then, right before she competed her coaches put another mat on the landing area. I was very confused--although I knew she had competed with a higher mat before, she hadn't practiced with the higher mat. Her score of 8.875 showed that there was something not right. After talking with the coaches later, they indicated that they had put the additional mat because she had been over-rotating during the warm up and they were trying to fix the landing. I've learned to trust the coaches--although I wasn't happy with what happened, and neither was Z, we knew they were looking out for her best interest.
Little Z scored 35.650 on all around and placed 7th. Another meet with plenty of medals to bring home and show daddy.
Now the girls had three weeks to prepare for the State Competition. Our team had ten out of our eleven girls on the team qualify for the State Championships. We knew that States was going to be much more competitive with the top girls in all of the Northern part of California. Time for some more practice!!!
Monday, March 2, 2015
Competition # 4 . . . Teddy Bear Classic
With a name like the Teddy Bear Classic, who wouldn't want to attend that meet?
I knew this was going to be another tough meet--it was in the Bay Area, with larger teams and as a result more experience. On the bright side, I had also promised a trip to the American Girl store since it was so close. Also, since it was close to our old home, I had a friend who was coming to watch and I was able to drive around and show little Z the home she never knew.
We drove down to the Bay Area the afternoon before the competition. Our first stop was the American Girl store. Talk about overwhelming. Two stories of AG dolls, clothes and accessories. And a hair salon (for the dolls) and a cafe. It was crazy. But little Z knew what she wanted--she had saved up money and gift cards and was prepared. She did go over budget a little bit, but it was my fault and I allowed her to get another outfit that had been on sale.
From the AG store, it was on to Sweet Tomatoes for dinner. How I wish we had one of these in town. Little Z LOVED the salad bar and all you can eat. She was able to have what she wanted and know that it was healthy.
As soon as we checked into the hotel, we met up with some other families by the pool and just talked. It was nice and relaxing, especially since we knew the next day would be a bit much.
When we got to the meet facility, it was very different than anything we had been to before. The meet wasn't being held at a gym, and instead was just set up in an auditorium like setting. Very different, but also nice in a way because you could see all the events.
The girls started on bars at this meet. Bars is one of Z's best events and although her routine looked good to me, she scored an 8.950. I wasn't quite sure where the deductions came from, but she still had one of the highest scores on her team.
From bars it was on to beam. Unfortunately, this was Z's worst day on the beam. She just didn't have the rhythm down and seemed to be a bit off. Before her, two of her team mates fell on their dismount and unfortunately, I think that got to her. Z also fell on the dismount and had to do it again. I think that added some deductions, on top of the 0.5 from the fall itself. Her final score was 7.850. The first time she ever scored below 8.00 on any event.
Floor was next and luckily, I had been able to mention to her coach to make sure he talked to her before her routine. She was great--as she always is and scored a 9.375. Her last event was vault and I never know how they score that. Everyone thought that she was flawless and yet she only got an 8.975. No one understood that one. The all around score was 35.150--her second lowest AA score.
Despite the lower scores, she did still bring home some medals. She got 6th on vault, 5th on bars, 3rd on floor and 8th all around. In addition, each competitor got a teddy bear! At this meet, they were making the meet t-shirts on site. I was able to add a heart on the sleeve that said 9.0 club. She deserved it for her floor routine and honestly was so close on bars and vault that I couldn't figure out why it was lower.
Driving home was fun. We stopped to grab some lunch and drove around the old neighborhood. I got to show Z where her brother went to school and several of the old locations where we lived, including the house we lived in when I was pregnant with her. It was a lot more enjoyable of a drive since Z was not completely beating herself up like she had after the second competition. She told me that she had tried her best and that was all I expect of her. :)
I knew this was going to be another tough meet--it was in the Bay Area, with larger teams and as a result more experience. On the bright side, I had also promised a trip to the American Girl store since it was so close. Also, since it was close to our old home, I had a friend who was coming to watch and I was able to drive around and show little Z the home she never knew.
We drove down to the Bay Area the afternoon before the competition. Our first stop was the American Girl store. Talk about overwhelming. Two stories of AG dolls, clothes and accessories. And a hair salon (for the dolls) and a cafe. It was crazy. But little Z knew what she wanted--she had saved up money and gift cards and was prepared. She did go over budget a little bit, but it was my fault and I allowed her to get another outfit that had been on sale.
From the AG store, it was on to Sweet Tomatoes for dinner. How I wish we had one of these in town. Little Z LOVED the salad bar and all you can eat. She was able to have what she wanted and know that it was healthy.
As soon as we checked into the hotel, we met up with some other families by the pool and just talked. It was nice and relaxing, especially since we knew the next day would be a bit much.
When we got to the meet facility, it was very different than anything we had been to before. The meet wasn't being held at a gym, and instead was just set up in an auditorium like setting. Very different, but also nice in a way because you could see all the events.
The girls started on bars at this meet. Bars is one of Z's best events and although her routine looked good to me, she scored an 8.950. I wasn't quite sure where the deductions came from, but she still had one of the highest scores on her team.
From bars it was on to beam. Unfortunately, this was Z's worst day on the beam. She just didn't have the rhythm down and seemed to be a bit off. Before her, two of her team mates fell on their dismount and unfortunately, I think that got to her. Z also fell on the dismount and had to do it again. I think that added some deductions, on top of the 0.5 from the fall itself. Her final score was 7.850. The first time she ever scored below 8.00 on any event.
Floor was next and luckily, I had been able to mention to her coach to make sure he talked to her before her routine. She was great--as she always is and scored a 9.375. Her last event was vault and I never know how they score that. Everyone thought that she was flawless and yet she only got an 8.975. No one understood that one. The all around score was 35.150--her second lowest AA score.
Despite the lower scores, she did still bring home some medals. She got 6th on vault, 5th on bars, 3rd on floor and 8th all around. In addition, each competitor got a teddy bear! At this meet, they were making the meet t-shirts on site. I was able to add a heart on the sleeve that said 9.0 club. She deserved it for her floor routine and honestly was so close on bars and vault that I couldn't figure out why it was lower.
Driving home was fun. We stopped to grab some lunch and drove around the old neighborhood. I got to show Z where her brother went to school and several of the old locations where we lived, including the house we lived in when I was pregnant with her. It was a lot more enjoyable of a drive since Z was not completely beating herself up like she had after the second competition. She told me that she had tried her best and that was all I expect of her. :)
Friday, February 27, 2015
Competition # 3 . . . Good Vibes
So, Little Z's third competition was on our home turf. We were hosting the competition, the parents and kids had spent the evening the night before getting the gym converted to host a meet (removing equipment, laying down plastic sheeting, bringing in chairs, etc.). Z was excited! It was even more exciting because her old gym was coming to compete, including one of her best friends from school. It was fun for me because I had gotten to know the girls on the other team and it would be the first time that I had seen them since we had left.
The best part about this meet? Z's dad was going to be there! All the other meets are pretty far away (three or more hours) and Z's older sister is a cheerleader who has football games on weekends. As a result, I'm the one that drives with Z and dad stays and drives her sister.
We got to the gym plenty early and the girls from Z's old gym all ran up and gave us hugs. A few asked why she wasn't there anymore, and we just said that she had chosen to move. Luckily, there wasn't a lot of time to talk before the meet began.
Since we were the home team, we got to do the traditional rotation of vault, bars, beam and then floor. Normally vault is a pretty good event for Z, but she had had problems at the last meet. I was a bit concerned as to how she would do. Unfortunately, the first vault was not good--apparently her hands slipped on the mat and she came down hard on her stomach. I could see tears in her eyes, but she got back up and did her second vault. She scored an 8.650, which was her lowest score on vault yet. I was truly hoping that she would brush it off and be able to move on without dwelling on it.
Bars was next. Zienna loves bars and had done really well at her first meet. Of course, this event was the one that didn't video tape and I truly regret it. She was fabulous! She got a 9.400, which ended up being her highest score all season. She even stuck the landing.
Beam was next. Her nemesis. She had fallen at each of the last two meets, on different skills and never on the one skill she was always nervous about. I was a bundle of nerves, but again, she impressed me to pieces. She scored a 9.100--again, a score that would end up being her highest for the season and no falls.
Finally we were on floor. She is so pretty and graceful on floor. I love to watch her. Sometimes it is hard to remember that she is only 8 when she is out there. She pulled off an almost flawless routine (from my perspective) and scored a 9.250. That meant her all around score was a 36.400. Her highest yet. She ended up placing third on floor, and first on bars, beam and all around. She didn't place on vault, but that was ok.
Z had a great time sharing her day with her dad. I loved that he was able to see her compete and see her excel and get her medals. The rest of the day, the level 3 girls got to help out with the Level 4 & 5 competition. At the end they helped hand out the medals, which she loved to do.
The best part about this meet? Z's dad was going to be there! All the other meets are pretty far away (three or more hours) and Z's older sister is a cheerleader who has football games on weekends. As a result, I'm the one that drives with Z and dad stays and drives her sister.
We got to the gym plenty early and the girls from Z's old gym all ran up and gave us hugs. A few asked why she wasn't there anymore, and we just said that she had chosen to move. Luckily, there wasn't a lot of time to talk before the meet began.
Since we were the home team, we got to do the traditional rotation of vault, bars, beam and then floor. Normally vault is a pretty good event for Z, but she had had problems at the last meet. I was a bit concerned as to how she would do. Unfortunately, the first vault was not good--apparently her hands slipped on the mat and she came down hard on her stomach. I could see tears in her eyes, but she got back up and did her second vault. She scored an 8.650, which was her lowest score on vault yet. I was truly hoping that she would brush it off and be able to move on without dwelling on it.
Bars was next. Zienna loves bars and had done really well at her first meet. Of course, this event was the one that didn't video tape and I truly regret it. She was fabulous! She got a 9.400, which ended up being her highest score all season. She even stuck the landing.
Beam was next. Her nemesis. She had fallen at each of the last two meets, on different skills and never on the one skill she was always nervous about. I was a bundle of nerves, but again, she impressed me to pieces. She scored a 9.100--again, a score that would end up being her highest for the season and no falls.
Finally we were on floor. She is so pretty and graceful on floor. I love to watch her. Sometimes it is hard to remember that she is only 8 when she is out there. She pulled off an almost flawless routine (from my perspective) and scored a 9.250. That meant her all around score was a 36.400. Her highest yet. She ended up placing third on floor, and first on bars, beam and all around. She didn't place on vault, but that was ok.
Z had a great time sharing her day with her dad. I loved that he was able to see her compete and see her excel and get her medals. The rest of the day, the level 3 girls got to help out with the Level 4 & 5 competition. At the end they helped hand out the medals, which she loved to do.
Thursday, February 26, 2015
You know you have a great coach when . . .
So, after Z's last meet, she was down and a bit dejected. We had two weeks to prepare for her next competition, which was being hosted at our gym. I know she was very nervous, especially since her old team mates from her old gym would be coming to this competition.
Z normally had practice on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Occasionally, if she needed to make up a class, she would go on Thursdays. We had done that after she took a week off for camp during the summer.
In any event, the week before the competition, when I picked her up on Tuesday, she seemed really down. I asked what was wrong and she said that she wasn't ready for competition and really wanted another day of practice. I told her that we could ask the coach, but it was really up to her. So we went and met with the coach.
When I asked if she could squeeze in another day of practice, the coach asked if we needed to make up a practice and I said no, it was just that Z didn't feel ready. At that point, the coach got down on Z's level and told her that she believed that she was ready. While she agreed that she picks on her a bit and has her do things over and over, it is only because she knows that Z is capable of doing the skill. She told Z that she wouldn't work her as hard as she does if she didn't feel that Z could do it. The coach also brought up her first meet and how well she had done. She then asked how she had done last season, and I explained that she hadn't actually competed the prior season, that she had only had the two meets. The coach then told Z that what she did at her first competition was amazing--especially since it was her first. Z then said that she didn't do as well at the second competition. I pointed out that the all around score was not that different, but that Z only placed in three events and lost some of her confidence.
The coach then took Z over to the Level 6-9 girls and asked them to stop practicing for a minute. She asked Z if she thought these girls were good gymnasts and Z nodded her head. She then asked the girls how many of them had had an off meet. They all raised their hands. She then asked how many of them had had more off meets than on meets. They again all raised their hands. She then asked them what they did when they had an off meet. They said that they looked at what went wrong and tried to work on those corrections. The coach then asked Z if she thought any less of the girls now that she knew they don't always have great meets. Z said no. She also reminded Z that there are gymnasts at the Olympics who fall or have bad meets. It happens and you need to learn from it, forget the bad meet and move on. She said that meet is over and now you need to look forward for the next meet and what you need to do.
She ended the meeting by telling Z that she is a great gymnast and has a lot of potential. She said that she didn't see any need for another practice, the things that she has been working on are little corrections and that she would be fine.
After the meeting, Z seemed to be in better spirits. What I loved is that the coach took the time to get down on Z's level--looking her in the eyes. She involved the older, more experienced girls, and told Z how well she is doing. I felt better, Z felt better, and I could see her confidence growing again.
Z normally had practice on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Occasionally, if she needed to make up a class, she would go on Thursdays. We had done that after she took a week off for camp during the summer.
In any event, the week before the competition, when I picked her up on Tuesday, she seemed really down. I asked what was wrong and she said that she wasn't ready for competition and really wanted another day of practice. I told her that we could ask the coach, but it was really up to her. So we went and met with the coach.
When I asked if she could squeeze in another day of practice, the coach asked if we needed to make up a practice and I said no, it was just that Z didn't feel ready. At that point, the coach got down on Z's level and told her that she believed that she was ready. While she agreed that she picks on her a bit and has her do things over and over, it is only because she knows that Z is capable of doing the skill. She told Z that she wouldn't work her as hard as she does if she didn't feel that Z could do it. The coach also brought up her first meet and how well she had done. She then asked how she had done last season, and I explained that she hadn't actually competed the prior season, that she had only had the two meets. The coach then told Z that what she did at her first competition was amazing--especially since it was her first. Z then said that she didn't do as well at the second competition. I pointed out that the all around score was not that different, but that Z only placed in three events and lost some of her confidence.
The coach then took Z over to the Level 6-9 girls and asked them to stop practicing for a minute. She asked Z if she thought these girls were good gymnasts and Z nodded her head. She then asked the girls how many of them had had an off meet. They all raised their hands. She then asked how many of them had had more off meets than on meets. They again all raised their hands. She then asked them what they did when they had an off meet. They said that they looked at what went wrong and tried to work on those corrections. The coach then asked Z if she thought any less of the girls now that she knew they don't always have great meets. Z said no. She also reminded Z that there are gymnasts at the Olympics who fall or have bad meets. It happens and you need to learn from it, forget the bad meet and move on. She said that meet is over and now you need to look forward for the next meet and what you need to do.
She ended the meeting by telling Z that she is a great gymnast and has a lot of potential. She said that she didn't see any need for another practice, the things that she has been working on are little corrections and that she would be fine.
After the meeting, Z seemed to be in better spirits. What I loved is that the coach took the time to get down on Z's level--looking her in the eyes. She involved the older, more experienced girls, and told Z how well she is doing. I felt better, Z felt better, and I could see her confidence growing again.
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Competition # 2 . . . Go Green
So, it's been awhile, but I want to get back and try to "recreate" what I should have been blogging about last year.
Z's second competition was a lot different from her first. It was in a larger Bay Area gym, with bigger teams competing. My sister-in-law came to meet us and watch. The environment was even a bit different. Z immediately started looking at the leos that were for sale and asked if she could get one (not "meet" leos, just regular ones). I said if she did well, we could ask her dad. Once again, we did her hair and sent her on her way with her team.
Her first event this time was vault. Unfortunately, on her first vault she got stuck in her handstand and fell. Even though I was a lot farther away, I could see that she was upset. She went back and did her second vault and scored an 8.750. Definitely not the score she was wanting.
As they walked to the bars, I could see that she was feeling dejected. Unfortunately, I couldn't talk to her and couldn't get to her coaches to try to talk to her. She normally loves bars, but again, she just had some small issues and scored an 8.825. Not that much lower than the meet before, but again she didn't seem happy. The rest of her team were all talking together and she was just sitting, hugging her knees.
Beam was the next event. She had fallen at the last meet and I know she was afraid that she would fall again. Unfortunately, I think she jinxed herself. She decided to go big on her split leap and just completely lost her balance and fell. At least it was not on the same element that she had fallen on before, but still, you could see it in her eyes. Her score was an 8.150, which was exactly the same as the last meet.
Finally on floor she seemed to get her groove back. She scored a 9.400, less than one of her teammates, but still really good. Her all around score was a 35.125, just 0.150 less than the last meet.
But . . . unlike the last meet, while her AA score qualified for State, she was competing against girls who were just a bit better. She placed in three events--4th on floor, 7th on bars and 6th for the all around. You could see in her body that she was truly upset with her results.
After her aunt left and we started to the car, she started crying. At first I thought it was because we didn't buy a leo, but then she said it was because she felt she didn't do well. I asked if she had tried her best and she said yes, and I said that was all I could ask. I told her that her all around score still would have qualified for State and that seemed to make her feel a bit better, but she cried for about 45 minutes until we got to where we were stopping for dinner. I had already planned a Build-a-Bear stop (I had some free coupons that would cover a bear), and that cheered her up a bit.
I did have to worry a bit that this was going to affect her for the rest of her competitions. I didn't want her to be completely demoralized, but I also felt that it was good for her to not win all the time. She needed to learn about defeat as well as victory since she wouldn't always be at the top of the podium.
I think that's a hard lesson for an 8-year old.
Z's second competition was a lot different from her first. It was in a larger Bay Area gym, with bigger teams competing. My sister-in-law came to meet us and watch. The environment was even a bit different. Z immediately started looking at the leos that were for sale and asked if she could get one (not "meet" leos, just regular ones). I said if she did well, we could ask her dad. Once again, we did her hair and sent her on her way with her team.
Her first event this time was vault. Unfortunately, on her first vault she got stuck in her handstand and fell. Even though I was a lot farther away, I could see that she was upset. She went back and did her second vault and scored an 8.750. Definitely not the score she was wanting.
As they walked to the bars, I could see that she was feeling dejected. Unfortunately, I couldn't talk to her and couldn't get to her coaches to try to talk to her. She normally loves bars, but again, she just had some small issues and scored an 8.825. Not that much lower than the meet before, but again she didn't seem happy. The rest of her team were all talking together and she was just sitting, hugging her knees.
Beam was the next event. She had fallen at the last meet and I know she was afraid that she would fall again. Unfortunately, I think she jinxed herself. She decided to go big on her split leap and just completely lost her balance and fell. At least it was not on the same element that she had fallen on before, but still, you could see it in her eyes. Her score was an 8.150, which was exactly the same as the last meet.
Finally on floor she seemed to get her groove back. She scored a 9.400, less than one of her teammates, but still really good. Her all around score was a 35.125, just 0.150 less than the last meet.
But . . . unlike the last meet, while her AA score qualified for State, she was competing against girls who were just a bit better. She placed in three events--4th on floor, 7th on bars and 6th for the all around. You could see in her body that she was truly upset with her results.
After her aunt left and we started to the car, she started crying. At first I thought it was because we didn't buy a leo, but then she said it was because she felt she didn't do well. I asked if she had tried her best and she said yes, and I said that was all I could ask. I told her that her all around score still would have qualified for State and that seemed to make her feel a bit better, but she cried for about 45 minutes until we got to where we were stopping for dinner. I had already planned a Build-a-Bear stop (I had some free coupons that would cover a bear), and that cheered her up a bit.
I did have to worry a bit that this was going to affect her for the rest of her competitions. I didn't want her to be completely demoralized, but I also felt that it was good for her to not win all the time. She needed to learn about defeat as well as victory since she wouldn't always be at the top of the podium.
I think that's a hard lesson for an 8-year old.
Monday, January 5, 2015
Promoted!!
Well, this is definitely out of order because I haven't posted in awhile and meant to get all the posts from Little Z's competitions done while I was on holiday break, but it didn't happen.
In any event, I had to post because I am sooo stinkin' proud of Little Z. We got a call this afternoon from her coach and she has been promoted to Level 4! This means four days a week of practice, instead of three and working on new skills and new routines! I'm not sure who else on the team was promoted, but I should be able to find out tonight when I go to pick her up.
I called her after I got off the phone with her coach and Little Z didn't even know what to say. She was very quiet and I asked her what was up and she said, "but we haven't even tested yet." Obviously, the coach sees something in her and recognized her for it. :)
I was very hopeful that she would be promoted with how well she did during the competition season. But she is one of the youngest on the team, and one of the most recent to join the team. I'm so proud and excited for her.
In any event, I had to post because I am sooo stinkin' proud of Little Z. We got a call this afternoon from her coach and she has been promoted to Level 4! This means four days a week of practice, instead of three and working on new skills and new routines! I'm not sure who else on the team was promoted, but I should be able to find out tonight when I go to pick her up.
I called her after I got off the phone with her coach and Little Z didn't even know what to say. She was very quiet and I asked her what was up and she said, "but we haven't even tested yet." Obviously, the coach sees something in her and recognized her for it. :)
I was very hopeful that she would be promoted with how well she did during the competition season. But she is one of the youngest on the team, and one of the most recent to join the team. I'm so proud and excited for her.
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