Off Topic Best gymnastics memory 2022

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Aussie_coach

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New Years Eve! A time to reflect on all we have done throughout the year. What was your best gymnastics memory for 2022?

Fun with teammates, getting new skills, competitions, events?
 
I got to have a gymnastics trip with my middle child to Western National Championships in Utah. At the beginning of the season we didn't even know if she wanted to continue with gymnastics. At the end of the season we got to go zip lining and to the great salt flats in Utah. She ended up as Western National Uneven Bar Champ for her age group!

This was a very fun trip that was just my middle daughter and I.
 
Although this is definitely minor compared to some of the skills I learned by the end of the year, doing my entire bars routine (pullover, back hip circle, front hip circle, squat on, pullover on high bar, cast to horizontal, 3 tap swings, 180 turn dismount) without a fall or severely bent arms. I struggle with bars so much, and I'm like a level 3/4 on bars, compared to being about a level 4/5 on floor, level 7 on vault, and level 7/8 on beam, so it always feels really good to get a skill on bars :) Happy New Year!
 
New Years Eve! A time to reflect on all we have done throughout the year. What was your best gymnastics memory for 2022?

Fun with teammates, getting new skills, competitions, events?
Definitely just time with my team... we had sooo much fun we got matching Leos, at comps we would wear sunglasses for march in, and we had a team name, we were known as the chili peppers
 
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Being able to really step back and just be a fan has been surprisingly wonderful. I don't need to study technique, I can just enjoy the simple beauty of a well-executed skill.

Seeing some former students post videos on social media, where I can really see their progress without having to worry about what errors they might have or how to correct them is a way of enjoying the sport that I really haven't been able to do before.
 
LSS earned 2nd place on Vault at Y Nationals on a 1 & done. After awards, one of the other coaches made me take a pic of her with her medal since "You coached her to this. This is your win too!" :)
 
Little miss couldn't decide between her very first competition ever and her second competition. To our big surprise she came third AA with seconds on VT and FX at her first competition. Then at the second competition she took home medals on everything, 1st AA, team and VT, 2nd UB, 3rd FX and BB. My favourite memory is a competition where she was second last. It wasn't the beam exercise that stood out, she fell off twice. It wasn't the floor exercise which went abysmal. What did it for me was she managed to refocus after beam and floor to take 2nd place on vault. What made it even more remarkable was that at that point she had just been moved up a level mid-season and only had 3 weeks of practice at the new level, so to me that was special
 
Watching my YDD come into her own. She went from being a middle-of-the-road scorer/placer a few years ago, to pretty much last place or near last place every meet in 2021.

In 2021, she had to have an emergency surgery after a gym injury, was told she had to repeat her level without even giving her a chance to try and regain her skills to move up, and then her sister/idol/bestie/cheerleader (yes, all the same person!) quit gymnastics. We didn't know how long YDD would stick around after all that.

But the kid has serious grit and grew so much as an athlete. In 2022, she won AA and 1-3 events in every meet but one. It was the craziest transition to watch. She couldn't depend on her sister to always cheer her up or pick up the pieces for her. She had to something to prove, and she proved it!
 
Watching my kiddo work through some tough stuff in the start of last season, make a decision and then a very hard change. She then worked even harder and ended her season very strong at Nationals and went on to commit to a school that is the total right fit for her. Watching her grow through the ups and downs of recruiting, seeing how my very shy kid became more and more confident talking with coaches and teams on visits was awesome. Finally seeing her make an incredibly thoughtful decision that took into account her academic future and also her goals for her sport made me so proud.
 
I really just soaked in the whole year of coaching, both Xcel and preschool. Xcel regionals stands out to me, but so do the little things, like setting up for preschool clases with my boss (the owner) while her husband sang loudly as he cleaned the bathrooms in the mornings.

I am officially done coaching, at least for now, as I'm just about a month from having our first baby and the plan for the foreseeable future is to have babies and homeschool them. I've been coaching in some capacity for the last 17 years, and it's been my full time job for the last 9, so the new year definitely has me feeling reflective and nostalgic. Xcel regionals are local again this season, so I'm hoping it works out to take our daughter to her first gymnastics meet and cheer on the athletes I am just so proud of.
 

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