State Meet
This was Eliza's first year in competitive gymnastics and she did well enough to make it to state!
She made it to state!
I cannot even imagine how much time, energy, gas and money the parents of Olympic level gymnasts spend because this sport takes a LOT from every category, even at these amateur levels. Olympic parents either get priority seating or spend a lot on chiropractic because my biggest complaint about gymnastics isn't the exorbitant costs but the fact that you are forced to sit on bleachers for up to 5 hours at a time. Ouch.
Anyway, Eliza made it to state and we could not have been prouder. Eliza has impressed me all season with her enthusiasm and dedication. She never complains about the long hours of practice - in fact, she begs to go early nearly every evening. Her focus is always on getting better and never on her failures. Eliza is confident and proactive and tough. She has ripped hands and sore muscles and tired feet, but somehow she never complains. She is among the oldest on her team and she is a mother hen to all the little girls - always encouraging them and nurturing them and cheering them on. It almost makes me overlook her sass & messiness at home. Almost.
Warming up with her teammates.
Her section ran from 6-9 pm so it was a long day for all of us. The way the event was run left way too much time for the girls in between events so that by the end they were all exhausted and starving. Even so, our girl did a fantastic job. She placed in two of the four events and made the Top 10 in all-around. Not bad at all. Eliza seemed less excited by her wins than by the fact that she will now be moving up two levels which means more tumbling and better floor routines, which is what she really loves.
The practices continue, but the competition season is over for now. Just in time for cheerleading season to begin.....
She made it to state!
I cannot even imagine how much time, energy, gas and money the parents of Olympic level gymnasts spend because this sport takes a LOT from every category, even at these amateur levels. Olympic parents either get priority seating or spend a lot on chiropractic because my biggest complaint about gymnastics isn't the exorbitant costs but the fact that you are forced to sit on bleachers for up to 5 hours at a time. Ouch.
Anyway, Eliza made it to state and we could not have been prouder. Eliza has impressed me all season with her enthusiasm and dedication. She never complains about the long hours of practice - in fact, she begs to go early nearly every evening. Her focus is always on getting better and never on her failures. Eliza is confident and proactive and tough. She has ripped hands and sore muscles and tired feet, but somehow she never complains. She is among the oldest on her team and she is a mother hen to all the little girls - always encouraging them and nurturing them and cheering them on. It almost makes me overlook her sass & messiness at home. Almost.
Warming up with her teammates.
Her section ran from 6-9 pm so it was a long day for all of us. The way the event was run left way too much time for the girls in between events so that by the end they were all exhausted and starving. Even so, our girl did a fantastic job. She placed in two of the four events and made the Top 10 in all-around. Not bad at all. Eliza seemed less excited by her wins than by the fact that she will now be moving up two levels which means more tumbling and better floor routines, which is what she really loves.
The practices continue, but the competition season is over for now. Just in time for cheerleading season to begin.....