I am part of the Black Diamond Gymnastics team. Today, we had our first intersquad, or practice meet, of the season. It was our first time being judged since March, so everyone was really nervous, including me. I am competing the same vault, the same bar routine, and the same beam routine as last year except for one skill. Floor is what I was really worried about. I have two new tumbling passes - a back full and a front handspring front layout front tuck. I have had problems with my full in the past, but they have gotten a lot better recently. What I was really nervous for was my front pass, and my nerves got the better of me today.
During warm up, I didn’t land any of my front passes, but they were better than they normally are. I was feeling pretty confident, at the end of warm up. I was last in line to compete, and everyone ahead of me had made their routine and looked really good. So, when it was my turn, I was pretty confident.
I saluted the judge, stuck my first pass - a round off back handspring double back - and then said my key words during my dance. I stepped into the corner, took a deep breath, and then went. I ran, did a good front handspring, but then I did a bad front layout. I didn’t set it up enough, and I didn’t finish the front handspring. I barely made it around all the way, but I was determined to go for it, even though it was a poor choice. I did the front tuck, and I knew from the start that it wasn’t going to be a good one. I pulled as hard as I could, but it wasn’t hard enough. I went straight to the top of my head, then bounced to my back.
I looked similar to this after my front pass. Image Courtesy Of: Yahoo Sports |
I tried to continue my routine, like we are supposed to, but I was really dizzy. I laid down again, and the dizziness went away. My head hurt, but after a couple of deep breaths, it started to feel normal. I didn’t finish the routine, but my coach told me I had to do another full routine. I was really scared, not nervous, but plain terrified. I did my first pass, and it was pretty good, but not as good as the first time. I took a lot of deep breaths, then went for it. It was much better, but I still didn’t land it. I did the rest of my routine well, and had a great full for my last pass.
Even though I was shaken up, I finished the intersquad pretty well, all things considered. I stuck my beam routine, but it wasn’t my best. I fell once on bars, but the routine was better than normal. We didn’t have time to do vault, but I am very confident with my vault.
I learned a lot from today. I was very proud of myself for finishing well, and it gave me a lot of confidence for the rest of the season. I think my team did really well, and I am excited to see us improve and grow as a team!