Flashback on the past season

[Muddlethru]

Now that the season is over or almost over, what would you say is your most memorable event during this past season (or any other season)? It could be anything that made you proud (big or small), enlightened you, your accomplishments, even the not so great stuff that now when you look back you have grown from or learned from, changes you've made, or even something humorous. Anything under the sun that you'd like to share. This post can go for coaches as well. Here's to hoping that our experiences in the 2010-2011 season were fulfilling but only a shadow of good things to come in the 2011-2012 season.

 

[gymnastbeth]

This is a lame memory, but, my gym got new foam for the pit, and it's red, and BIG. And, not gonna lie, putting all the new foam in the pit was a LOT of fun. Maybe a little bit too much fun.

As for gymnastics accomplishments, I got over a huge fear of doing yurchenkos outside of my gym, I did one at the last club meet of the season! I didn't even qualify for states this year, and I'm repeating level 9 next year, but I have to say, this season was one of the best ones yet. I enjoyed every moment of it! Here's hoping for a great and successful season for everyone in 2011-2012.

 

[hawaii_gymnast]

There were so many great memories this year. My biggest best memories all happened during our team trip to Hawaii for a competition, it was a blast and great bonding for every one on the team especially getting to know all the ones who just moved up as it was the beginning of the season.
Also at the beginning of the season one of the younger girls in my classes mom came up to me and told me how great of a role model I am for her daughter, then just a few days ago she told me that for easter she tried to do her hair like I do, and made her mom guess who she looked like.
Can't wait till next year, but lots of my team is quitting so it will be sad to see the end of the year.

 

[Muddlethru]

gymnastbeth, way to go overcoming the fear of doing yurchenkos. I am sure they will be awesome next season. And I have to say, a little fun in the gym is an important part of anyone's success. Having loads of fun filling the pit with foam probably helped you through the pressures of the season more than you know. Hawaii_gymnast, part of being successful in something is being able to share this success with others and inspiring others. So, being thought of as a role model is big. Keep up the good work.

 

[Optionals United]

umm a lot happened this season. i repeated level 7 so nothing to huge to brag about. i guess finally getting my bwo bhs on high beam and consitent cast handstands. also improving my fhs vault which i have consistently sucked at since level 5. Another thing was competing with our fasttrack girls and being a role model to them. i know they look up to me so it was really special to get to compete with them. getting 2nd aa at state was kinda icing on the cake after a kinda difficult season with falling on beam at almost every meet and having some other mistakes.
the bad thing about this season was moving gyms. there was a lot of issues at my old gym and the whole girls program left except for a few girls and 1 coach.my new gym is great but i hated leaving my old gym. we had so many great memories and it wasnt time for any of us to leave. this gym feels like it is just a place to work out and it will never feel like home. i dont know only time will tell.

OHHH and my coach telling us she is pregnant!!!! It was an exciting time for all of us and is due next month with twins!! we are all so happy anxious and excited.

 

[MaryA]

Also at the beginning of the season one of the younger girls in my classes mom came up to me and told me how great of a role model I am for her daughter,

This is one of the best things about having young girls in programs like this! Having girls like you that act as role models! Often the celebrities that kids look to as role models are not the best. How wonderful to have teens like you that they can aspire to be like!

My favorite moments of my dd's level 5 season were:hearing her cheer for her teammates when she had to scrach on bars, watching her finally get her kip, seeing her qualify for states and do well there, and watching her fantasic progress, nonstop determiniation, and great attitude over the season. We should all put such joy and determination into our pursuits! She's a great role model for me!

 

[Deanna]

With Kadee, I would say what I most enjoyed was just watching her. See her grow, in the sport..and within herself. The confidence she gained in herself is unreal. (although this can get on my nerves when that confidence in herself comes out in her words..lol). The way she grew in those short 3 months of comp season is just shocking to me. I admire her determination and drive. I was always a very timid shy person. I never could speak in front of a group of people..read book reports in class. And Lord have mercy when our band directer would start going down the line to see just who is screwing the song up...lol. I would go blank..I couldnt even tell you my name at a time like that. But not Beans..doesnt seem to phase her. Her first comp..she mounted the beam the wrong way..didnt let it bother her one bit..just turned around and went on with the show. First couple meets she couldnt get her back hip circle around (she could do it most times in the gym..but just couldnt pull it off in comps)..so she would hang there for a second before she could get herself up right. Alot of girls got spots on bars and beam in L2. Kadee told her coach that she didnt want to be spotted. She wanted to know the score was all hers..good or bad. She has always been "wise" for her age..but she seems even more so now. She is just so confident in herself. And for that I am very thankful
I asked her what she liked best/best memory..and she said. That she had fun, she always did her best, and she made new friends (the girls from the other gyms). I was very proud of her that she didnt say anything about the medals, or ribbons or such..just that she did her best, had fun..and made friends. Kids really have a way of putting it in the simplist terms..lol

 

[B Gymnast]

My season was kind of rough.. I had a lot of problems with my consistency, had some fear issues, and thought about quitting for a while, but there were definately some bright spots. I got my first ever 9 on bars, and my first 37 all around. And I basically pulled everything together at state (went in with no fear issues); it wasn't my best meet, but I'm proud that I overcame everything I went through this season

And BTW this thread was a great idea, 4theloveofsports!

 

[Aussie_coach]

End of season for some, for those in Australia it is just the beginning of the season. Most are going through their first competitions for the season now.

 

[gymluvr33]

That would probably be today at Regionals. It was my first time at Regionals, which was really fun, and I finally stuck my bhs-bhs on beam for the first time all season!!! Yay!

 

[Muddlethru]

To optionals united: 2nd AA at States is more than icing on the cake. It is a testament to your dedication and hard work all season. Wish you the best at your new gym. Hopefully, it'll feel like home soon.

To MaryA and Deanna: I equal both your sentiments on your DDs. They are certainly inspiration to us. They give us a new lease in life. You both sound like you have wonderful, happy DDs. But you should not also forget that for everyone of us that succeeds, it's because there's somebody there to show you the way. In your DDs case, it is you the parents.

To Bgymnast, 37 AA and your first 9 on bars, wow, that is awesome. Congratulations on a successful season! Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If we were to go through life without obstacles, we would not be as strong as what we could have been.

To Aussie Coach: Good luck then to your team in this coming season!

to gymluvr33: Yay for sticking your bhs-bhs on beam and being at your first regionals. Big accomplishments!!!

 

[Dezi]

I am proud of my dd for getting her fhc. She worked so hard and got it after the first meet, also her attitude this meet season was great!

 

[gymnastgets10]

Well, this season was really rough. I was floor state champion last year at level 7 and really wanted to try to repeat; I had a strong level 8 floor routine (6Bs) and scored 9+ at my first 2 meets. Then I dislocated my knee warming up beam at my next meet and got my floor skills back the week after States. So that was depressing. It was also hard watching all my teammates get ready for meets when I couldn't even jump on the tramp for 2 months. However, I would say the highlight of the season for me was my first meet; I didn't have high expectations because I had barely gotten a 32 at our intersquad a couple weeks before but I got an 8.5 on bars without a pirouette, my floor routine felt really good (9.2), and I won bars, floor, and all around (34.25). It was also our home meet so all of the coaches were there supporting us instead of just the one or two that go with us to meets, which was really nice.

 

[Granny Smith]

This has been a crazy season (as a spectator to my dd) and it's still not over. Dd was repeating her 2nd year of L8, last year, when she broke her foot in Jan 2010 and ended up being out for 4 months. She came back strong and competed L9 this season. It has been one heck of a crazy ups & downs roller coaster. Every meet was met with a fall on one event or another. She had to get her BHS-BLO series on beam and basically fell on it every meet. She got the L9 bar routine, but was very inconsistent. If she hit her bars, she'd usually finish in the top 2, if she fell, well obviously she wouldn't finish that high. Floor was crazy this year too. DD is not a twister and her she was throwing her back 1.5. She also did the half-punch pike pass, which always scares me because that's how she broke her foot last year. I was praying she would just make it through the season without an injury! At States, she once again fell on her series on beam, but ended up 5th AA and even more important, qualifying to Regionals!

I was soooo nervous at Regionals, for her. I wanted her to do well and just have all of her hard work pay off. I had made lemonade out of lemons at too many meets this year - and let me tell you, it's exhausting to try to stay so upbeat and positive when your child is down in the dumps! At Regionals, dd finally went 4 for 4 - she finally stayed on beam, a first for the entire season. She ended up finishing in 2nd place and is now off to Easterns tomorrow. She is nursing an injury, so I hope that all goes well. I just hope she does the best she can do for that given day! I also would like her to enjoy the experience and have fun.

 

[gymfan4ever95]

This was a pretty rough season for me, as I was battling injuries the whole way through. My highlight was definitly the Sweetheart meet. I won vault at that meet, got 2nd on bars and floor, and 3rd in the AA. It was my only meet that I scored over a 34 AA. At the meet after that one, I sprained my ankle on vault and could not finish the meet. And that ankle caused the rest of the season to not go as I had planned. I couldn't get the numbers in that I needed in practice, and I tumbled probably once a week. So by the time States got around, I was pretty beat up and had my worst meet that I've had in a very long time (falling 3 times on beam, once on bars, and on both vaults). But I am determined to get back in the gym and work really hard, and hopefully I can get all of the skills I need for L9 next year

 

[Muddlethru]

gymnastgets10 congratulations on winning your home meet. It must have felt real good to have such a great meet with your support group to witness it. And to gymfan4ever95, congratulations too scoring the highest AA at the Sweetheart meet. I am certain you both will get all your skills back and rock next season.

Granny Smith, wow. Despite the ups and downs, it still was a great season for your DD. I think we parents are more stressed at the meets than our kids. We see them work so hard and want to do so well, we try to will all good things their way. I get a massive headache whenever meet is over. Good luck at Easterns!

 

[stargazer]

My favourite memory still makes me smile when I think of it. I had a competition a couple of weeks ago and while I thought I had done well, it didn't feel like anything spectacular. However, during awards it was announced that I'd gotten 1st Overall in my category! It wasn't the award that made me so happy though, it was the expressions on the my coaches' faces when my name was called. Their faces just lit up and they beamed at me and shrieked and clapped and I couldn't stop grinning from that point on. I love and respect my coaches deeply and was so happy I'd made them proud. I was also pretty pleased with myself for not falling off beam, I'm not going to lie

 

[NGL780309]

It's really hard to pick just one thing that was really special this season because it seemed like everthing was so special because it was her first year. I woud have to say that her very first meet sticks out in my mind as a real moment for both of us. I was so proud of her for just getting out there. Just seeing her march in was special. I was so so nervous about whether she would actually even be able to compete. She is so shy and I was really afraid she wouldn't do it. So I was so proud that not only did she get out there and do it, but she had the time of her life and she seems to be able to really turn it on and perform to the best of her ability. I really thought she would be the type of kid that would crumble under any type of pressure.

I was also so proud that she placed at every meet on everything minus one event at her first meet and one event at her last meet. We had just moved from a gym where nobody on our team ever placed on anything. So to do so well was amazing to me. Her best moment was probably winning bars at her last meet. She was so proud to stand at the top of the big boxes as she calls it and to get a really nice gold medal. Her dad recently saw her medal and couldn't believe what a nice medal it was. He said he didn't get such a nice medal for winning Nationals in his country!

And I can't leave off getting her kip. That was a happy moment recently after doing it and losing it several times. She is now doing them pretty consistently.

 

[cher062]

Ok I know I shouldn't do this but I have to say when DD got 1st place at sectional on bars with the old gym there - remember they said she had no skills on bars and wouldn't let her even compete them the year before.
the highest they placed was 5th. DD drove home and that was the moment she realized she IS a REALLY good gymnast.
One of the parents who had come from that gym and moves to the one we are at 2 years earlier turned to me well I guess thats a big XXXX you, right in their face. (fill in those X's with the 4 letter word that comes to mine LOL)

then at states to still place above their girls on that event and place in the top 10 on all but beam (she placed fell on beam but places 15th) at states she was flying. I think old gym had their jaws hanging open especially when sh came ahead of the gymnast they though was their superstar.

I know I shouldn't be delighted but ........ ;-)

 

[NGL780309]

Oh, I think you have every right to be delighted Cher! I'd be delighted too. I think it's human nature to want to prove someone wrong when they say such things. Good for your DD for moving on and not letting someone's negativity impact her.