At the beginning of the month we piled into the van and headed west to the 2015 Washington State Gymnastics Championship where Lorelai competed as a level 4 gymnast.
I struggled to get good photographs, as you can imagine this was a big meet with a lot of people. And said people just didn't want to get out of the way. But, we do the best we can do, right?
Lorelai performing her floor routine:
Lorelai on the balance beam:
Lorelai on the uneven bars:
As for vault...it was clear on the other side of the gym and the was absolutely no getting a photograph of that.
Lorelai didn't place, but....she competed at the state gymnastics competition for goodness sakes! I am so proud of her. Being a competitive gymnast takes hard work and sacrifice. While most 10 year olds get out of school and head home to play with neighborhood friends, Lorelai goes straight to the gym and doesn't get home until it is nearly bedtime. Last summer, when she moved up to level 4 - and consequently the more intense practice schedule - she really struggled. She was in tears every day and hated being away from home. At one point we even made the decision to have her quit, but her coach encouraged her to give it a month and see if she adjusted. And...obviously she did.
Gymnastics is about so much more than state titles. It's about the life lessons it is teaching Lorelai at the young age of 10. She is learning about hard work, about dedication, about persevering even through pain. She is learning to focus, to manage her time, and to be disciplined. She is learning about her body; how to balance it, how to control it, how to treat it well so that she can be her best. And last but not least, she is surrounding herself with peers who are like minded and equally as dedicated.
All of these things will play a critical role in developing Lorelai into the person she will be as an adult. I have no doubt she will take the skills and lessons taught through gymnastics and do extraordinary things in life.
Lorelai and her fellow teammates.
