No Fear

The past few months, my Gymnastics Queen has been training hard for her current competition season.  The older she gets, the more difficult the skills become.

Some skills are downright frightening.

There are two skills in particular that she has struggled with: the back handspring and the side handstand dismount.

We had many nights she came home in tears and many Saturdays she fought me about going to practice.  Rather than keep working on these skills, she tried to avoid them.

I wouldn't let her. 

And every day she spent in that gym she got better.  Stronger.  More confident.

Before she knew it the back handspring was more natural and the fears began to subside.  The side handstand dismount was a different story.  Just last week at practice her fears were still getting the best of her.  She would get up in that handstand on the beam, and she was too afraid to twist it and dismount.

I can't say I blame her, but I'm also not a gymnast.

This past Saturday was our first meet of the season.  While wishing her good luck I looked her in the eyes and told her to face her fears.  Don't let them get the best of you.

Because fear will eat you alive if you let it.

Our last event was beam, and her beam warm ups were shaky.  The warm up routine was gorgeous, but never once did she dismount with the side handstand.  I looked at Hubby and told him she wasn't going to do it.  I could see the fear in her face.

And then she got on the beam.  Boy did that girl prove me wrong.  She kicked that dismount right in the arse.  Two second hold and all.

We didn't even need to see her score, because for me and Hubby, conquering her fear made her a winner. 

The 9.0 was the icing on the cake.

As one of the dad's from our team put it, "That girl is a showtimer".  She sure is.