Hey. I'm new! (obviously!)

[ffliwt]

Hey everyone. I've been reading these forums for a while now, and have just joined!
I'm Cara and I'm 17, from the UK. I started gymnastics when i was 6, but then when i was about 11 my gym changed to tumbling and sports acro, which i didn't like that much... although i did compete for Wales in sports acro but i quit when i was 13. I decided to go back when i was 16, and did tumbling for a few months before we got a new coach and started 4 piece again. YAY! I've now been back at gym for about 6 months, but it's like i never left! I looooove gymnastics and am now way better than i used to be - despite the 3 year gap! I think it's cause im way more determined now My coach is so awesome and i have lots of great friends there and love it! Makes me sad to think i have less than 2 years left of gym, before i go to university
Anyway that's enough about me!!
Nice to meet you all

 

[gymjourneymom]

Welcome!!! Thanks for taking the leap(or dive roll,LOL) & joining in on the chat

 

[TripletsMom]

Hi Cara! Welcome to the CB. I have 7 year old level 5 triplets. See you around

 

[bogwoppit]

Welcome to the Chalkbucket. I am from the Uk as well, but I lie in Canada now. We have quite a few members in the UK, coaches, gymmies and parents.

Have you considered adult gym for when you have to stop for uni, I know that there are some Uk clubs that have classes and competitions. I know in the US there is no age limit for meets, here in Canada you have to stop at 19, too bad as you say.

 

[flippymonkeysmom]

Welcome - that is great that you were able to start gymnastics again. Have fun with it

 

[all-aroundgirl]

Hi! Welcome to the Chalk Bucket! I'm Avrill and I'm a Level 7 gymnast and have been competiting since I was 12. It's nice to meet you!

 

[NYgymfan]

Yay welcome to Chalkbucket! I'm Mike and I kinda just started tumbling and I'm 16. Gym/tumbling is awesome, so its great that you made the right decision to get back into it

 

[Robindq]

welcome to the CB!!! That's great you got back into gym and are enjoying it so much!
what level are you?
I'm level 5, and I'm 16, from Canada...I'm not sure how similar the UK levels are too Canada but...

 

[ffliwt]

We don't really have levels, well we do, but they're different, and we call them grades. The one's we did went from level 6 to 1, 6 being the easiest and 1 being the hardest. I think i was working on level 3 before i quit. We're doing grades again in March time, but i'm not sure which i'll be doing yet.

 

[Robindq]

oh cool. That is a lot different! What skills are you working on?

 

[ffliwt]

yeah it is hehe, well i haven't done grades/levels since i was about 10 though so it may have changed since!!
skills i'm doing at the moment...
beam - back walkovers, cartwheels. i can do them but im working on getting them to stick every time then i'll move onto flicks
vault - handsprings, handspring half twists, and once i've perfected those then handspring full twists
bars - upstarts, cast to handstands, flyaways. we're not doing much on bars at the moment though cause we're all just working on getting our upstarts before moving on. i'm soo close to my upstart but can't do it, i'm SO frustrated! i also have a complete blank of squat ons onto the low bar, a few weeks ago i did them fine, now im so scared, i cast, then jump off the bar

i'm not really doing floor at the moment but i'll be making up a new ruitene soon the tumbles will probably just be stuff like roundoff flick tuckback, roundoff flick flick, roundoff flick straight back. that's about my limit at the moment

you?

 

[Gymgrl111]

HI!!! And welcome. I'm Bri and I am a level 4 gymnast.

 

[ffliwt]

Nice to meet you

 

[Robindq]

yeah it is hehe, well i haven't done grades/levels since i was about 10 though so it may have changed since!!
skills i'm doing at the moment...
beam - back walkovers, cartwheels. i can do them but im working on getting them to stick every time then i'll move onto flicks
vault - handsprings, handspring half twists, and once i've perfected those then handspring full twists
bars - upstarts, cast to handstands, flyaways. we're not doing much on bars at the moment though cause we're all just working on getting our upstarts before moving on. i'm soo close to my upstart but can't do it, i'm SO frustrated! i also have a complete blank of squat ons onto the low bar, a few weeks ago i did them fine, now im so scared, i cast, then jump off the bar

i'm not really doing floor at the moment but i'll be making up a new ruitene soon the tumbles will probably just be stuff like roundoff flick tuckback, roundoff flick flick, roundoff flick straight back. that's about my limit at the moment

you?

I'm doing a lot of the same stuff, but on bars I don't do flyways or cast to handstands (bars is my weakness) ....i'm pretty sure i can compete them (flyaways anyways)..i just don't
and on vault I'm just doing handsprings. I'v done half's before but then i stopped doing them, but I'll be starting them again soon.

lol..so i guess some things are different but beam is basically the same...this year on floor I'm working on fulls though (yay)

good luck with all your skills!!!

 

[ffliwt]

that's cool that we're doing almost the same stuff

i can't do cast to handstands yet though, i used to be able to and didnt used to be scared atal i dunno how i did that now i have my coach helping me, and another coach stood there just incase and to start with i just cast up to a straddle on the bar then do a sort of press handstand thing on the bar up to handstand. it's good cause that way i can take it slowly but i'm still in the cast to handstand position - i.e. shoulders forwards to do the press handstand etc. hopefully soon i'll be able to cast straight up though
i'm still getting used to my new handguards though... years ago i only occasionally used palm guards if anything, and so i'm really not used to these dowel grips! apparently i've taken to them well but i find that i feel really insecure with them on... like i could just slip off or something... and i've had them for a month!

i also just found out that i have a competition in December. i haven't done a gymnastics competition for about 5 or 6 years... i'm so excited!

good luck with everything you're working on

 

[Robindq]

wow, 5 or 6 years :O that IS a long time! I'm sure you'll do great though!

I have a teammate who quit when she was young and came back last year (prob 5 ish years later) and it's like she never left. She got most of her skills back within a month!

And i totally know what you mean about being more scared now that you're older!! I'm doing the same beam mount as i did a couple years ago, and i used to do it so easily and was completely fearless. Now that I'm doing it again im like "oh geez".
ha maybe we just have to get used to it again...

Good luck getting used to your grips too! I can't help you any, i don't have dowel grips.
oh and Good luck at your competition! my first one isn't until.....after Christmas sometime!

 

[bribri514]

Nice to meet you! I'm Brianna. i started when i was 3 and quit in middle school (age 13) when i was a level 10 because our gym was too far away :-( i'm training again after a cruddy year of high school gymnastics and going out for cheerleading. i'm hoping to compete for college (at a lower ranking school not like UCLA or UGA or something). welcome!!