- Sep 2, 2016
- 1,101
- 1,547
To my Fellow CBers,
While reflecting on my dd’s first year on team, I want to take the time to thank this wonderful community for helping guide me/my dd to where we are today. Thank you for also providing me a safe place to ask questions, to share and to vent. I’ve been entertained, inspired, and amazed. I’ve laughed and I’ve cried (um, I mean chalk dust) and I’ve learned about much more than just gymnastics.
Here’s a quick recap of my dd’s gymnastics journey:
- After she was selected for pre-team, I joined CB to try to understand this crazy sport.
- 4 months later, when she broke her elbow at practice, I turned here for answers. I received support, sympathy, empathy, and great advice.
- When my dd didn’t make the team because, according to her coach, her fears made her uncoachable, you suggested that I get her out of that unhealthy environment.
- Local(ish) CBers reached out and helped me identify another gym for her and it felt like everybody celebrated with us the day my dd earned a spot on its team.
- After her bun came out in the middle of her first meet, her coach pulled her hair so tight to fix it, that my dd said that she couldn’t look down. Before the next meet (the next weekend), fellow CBers provided me (NY Mom
) written & video instructions as well as a supply list for an indestructible bun.
My dd’s first year on team has felt like a roller coaster. She was over the moon at her second meet when she outperformed her old pre-teammates on all events at her old gym (oops, I was the one excited about that
). Back to my dd, on the best days she would be bouncing off the walls with excitement after practice, as the result of a complement (and possibly a small treat) that she received from her coach. On a not-so-good day, she pouted during a meet because she wasn’t happy with her scores, ignored her teammates and zoned out. Another day, she was forced to sit out for part of practice following several consecutive days of refusing to explain to her coach why she wouldn’t attempt a specific skill or even suggest an alternative (at her old gym, she had been allowed to opt out of skills at will).
While I don’t know what the future holds for my dd’s gymnastics career, it appears as though Copper 2 lies directly ahead (approx. JO3, Copper 1 plus BHS on floor). As long as she continues to work hard and have fun, I’m going to continue to encourage her, to cheer her on and to give her a shoulder to lean on when she needs it (and pay the bills
).
Whether she sticks with gymnastics for one more year or for several, I’m sure that someday she’ll look back fondly at her time on team. She’ll know that she had a coach that both cared about and believed in her and that she was on a team that welcomed her with open arms.
Had I not joined CB, my dd wouldn’t have switched gyms and I truly believe that her (old gym) coaches would have recently informed her that she’s still not ready for team. As a result, at some point she would have given up on her goal to compete at a real meet. Instead, she’s asleep at a hotel in Florida, dreaming (possibly) about competing at Worlds.
Tomorrow afternoon is the “USAIGC World Championships”, the last meet of the season. (It sounds a lot fancier than it is. At her level, it’s open to just about anyone that competed during the regular season, but that’s beside the point.) To me, this represents the end of her successful first season on team. For my dd, a quiet, shy, fearful kid who has to work hard for everything at the gym, it hopefully demonstrates what she’s capable of when she puts her mind to something. I’m super proud of her for maintaining her smile (most of the time) despite her share of rough patches and disappointments. Even though she doesn’t realize it, I’m sure she’s learned many life lessons that will stick with her for the rest of her life.
It doesn’t matter to me if she gets any medals tomorrow (full disclosure, it would be nice only because it matters to her) but I’m crossing my fingers that she’ll walk away with a smile and great memories that will last a lifetime.
For that and more, I thank you all.
Sincerely,
NY Dad
While reflecting on my dd’s first year on team, I want to take the time to thank this wonderful community for helping guide me/my dd to where we are today. Thank you for also providing me a safe place to ask questions, to share and to vent. I’ve been entertained, inspired, and amazed. I’ve laughed and I’ve cried (um, I mean chalk dust) and I’ve learned about much more than just gymnastics.
Here’s a quick recap of my dd’s gymnastics journey:
- After she was selected for pre-team, I joined CB to try to understand this crazy sport.
- 4 months later, when she broke her elbow at practice, I turned here for answers. I received support, sympathy, empathy, and great advice.
- When my dd didn’t make the team because, according to her coach, her fears made her uncoachable, you suggested that I get her out of that unhealthy environment.
- Local(ish) CBers reached out and helped me identify another gym for her and it felt like everybody celebrated with us the day my dd earned a spot on its team.
- After her bun came out in the middle of her first meet, her coach pulled her hair so tight to fix it, that my dd said that she couldn’t look down. Before the next meet (the next weekend), fellow CBers provided me (NY Mom
) written & video instructions as well as a supply list for an indestructible bun. My dd’s first year on team has felt like a roller coaster. She was over the moon at her second meet when she outperformed her old pre-teammates on all events at her old gym (oops, I was the one excited about that
). Back to my dd, on the best days she would be bouncing off the walls with excitement after practice, as the result of a complement (and possibly a small treat) that she received from her coach. On a not-so-good day, she pouted during a meet because she wasn’t happy with her scores, ignored her teammates and zoned out. Another day, she was forced to sit out for part of practice following several consecutive days of refusing to explain to her coach why she wouldn’t attempt a specific skill or even suggest an alternative (at her old gym, she had been allowed to opt out of skills at will).While I don’t know what the future holds for my dd’s gymnastics career, it appears as though Copper 2 lies directly ahead (approx. JO3, Copper 1 plus BHS on floor). As long as she continues to work hard and have fun, I’m going to continue to encourage her, to cheer her on and to give her a shoulder to lean on when she needs it (and pay the bills
).Whether she sticks with gymnastics for one more year or for several, I’m sure that someday she’ll look back fondly at her time on team. She’ll know that she had a coach that both cared about and believed in her and that she was on a team that welcomed her with open arms.
Had I not joined CB, my dd wouldn’t have switched gyms and I truly believe that her (old gym) coaches would have recently informed her that she’s still not ready for team. As a result, at some point she would have given up on her goal to compete at a real meet. Instead, she’s asleep at a hotel in Florida, dreaming (possibly) about competing at Worlds.
Tomorrow afternoon is the “USAIGC World Championships”, the last meet of the season. (It sounds a lot fancier than it is. At her level, it’s open to just about anyone that competed during the regular season, but that’s beside the point.) To me, this represents the end of her successful first season on team. For my dd, a quiet, shy, fearful kid who has to work hard for everything at the gym, it hopefully demonstrates what she’s capable of when she puts her mind to something. I’m super proud of her for maintaining her smile (most of the time) despite her share of rough patches and disappointments. Even though she doesn’t realize it, I’m sure she’s learned many life lessons that will stick with her for the rest of her life.
It doesn’t matter to me if she gets any medals tomorrow (full disclosure, it would be nice only because it matters to her) but I’m crossing my fingers that she’ll walk away with a smile and great memories that will last a lifetime.
For that and more, I thank you all.
Sincerely,
NY Dad
)
