There were two really cool things I saw at my daughter's state champs weekend- one involving my princess and the other not.
The first was that two girls from the same gym tied for first all around in their age division. That is going to be a lifetime bond and the excitement they shared on the top of the podium was so sweet. When I asked my daughter if if she would rather be state champ all alone or share it with a teammate, she smiled big and said, "Share it!"Congrats to those girls!
The second story revolves around my daughter. Her session was on Sunday and Saturday she was bouncing off the walls at my sister-in-law's house where we were staying. I decided that I was going to take her to an open gym at a local gym. I found a gym that had an open gym that allowed kids who weren't on their comp team to use the apparatus and headed off. My daughter was kicking and screaming the whole way. I told her to get on the mat for five minutes and if she was done being there after that we could leave. About ten seconds after hitting the floor she was beaming (the gym is her happy place). Parents have to sit in an observation room at this gym and about two minutes in, I see two coaches surrounding my daughter. I rush into the gym worried about what's happening since we were far from home in "enemy territory". I asked if everything was okay and they said they were just introducing themselves and wanted to know if we were moving to their city. I told them we were just visiting. It turns out the two coaches were married and owned the gym. They were incredibly welcoming and were an absolute credit to the sport.
Meanwhile, my daughter has already made a friend and they're playing away during the whole open gym. Toward the end of the open gym, I start talking to the girl's dad. He was a great guy and and we wished each other's daughter luck and realized that they would be one age division apart. Fast forward to meet time, both girls win all-around in their division. Who would have known that two future state champs were horsing around when they met at that open gym?
As an aside, when I asked some parents in the front row if I could sit in front of them to record my daughter's floor routine, they said, "No, we have an extra chair. Sit next to us." They happened to be from the same gym where we did our open gym. I usually try to keep names out of my posts, but the gym was Flip For Me in Las Vegas. The owners and parents deserve recognition for their exemplary attitude!
The first was that two girls from the same gym tied for first all around in their age division. That is going to be a lifetime bond and the excitement they shared on the top of the podium was so sweet. When I asked my daughter if if she would rather be state champ all alone or share it with a teammate, she smiled big and said, "Share it!"Congrats to those girls!
The second story revolves around my daughter. Her session was on Sunday and Saturday she was bouncing off the walls at my sister-in-law's house where we were staying. I decided that I was going to take her to an open gym at a local gym. I found a gym that had an open gym that allowed kids who weren't on their comp team to use the apparatus and headed off. My daughter was kicking and screaming the whole way. I told her to get on the mat for five minutes and if she was done being there after that we could leave. About ten seconds after hitting the floor she was beaming (the gym is her happy place). Parents have to sit in an observation room at this gym and about two minutes in, I see two coaches surrounding my daughter. I rush into the gym worried about what's happening since we were far from home in "enemy territory". I asked if everything was okay and they said they were just introducing themselves and wanted to know if we were moving to their city. I told them we were just visiting. It turns out the two coaches were married and owned the gym. They were incredibly welcoming and were an absolute credit to the sport.
Meanwhile, my daughter has already made a friend and they're playing away during the whole open gym. Toward the end of the open gym, I start talking to the girl's dad. He was a great guy and and we wished each other's daughter luck and realized that they would be one age division apart. Fast forward to meet time, both girls win all-around in their division. Who would have known that two future state champs were horsing around when they met at that open gym?
As an aside, when I asked some parents in the front row if I could sit in front of them to record my daughter's floor routine, they said, "No, we have an extra chair. Sit next to us." They happened to be from the same gym where we did our open gym. I usually try to keep names out of my posts, but the gym was Flip For Me in Las Vegas. The owners and parents deserve recognition for their exemplary attitude!