How I got here: 3

How I got here: Desert Lights part 2

As a level 6, things started to get more serious. I began taking weekly private lessons (which continued through my gymnastics career) with my regular coach, Kim, as well as USAG judge, Neela Nelson. My privates with Kim were to help with my basket-case brain. At the time, I was so terrified of fly-aways, and for good reason (so I thought). I had hit my feet on the high bar on a fly away once, and then refused to do it until testing day to move up to level 6. I also battled with my nemesis, the beam, fighting to regain my back walkovers after having a terrifying experience of flat out missing the part where your hands are supposed to land on the beam.

It was Neela that really got to the nitty-gritty (especially with dance on beam and floor) and helped me have a successful level 6 season. From her, I went from a so-so beam and floor girl to a more polished gymnast. She expected nothing less than perfection from me, but did so in a way that wasn't harmful to my eleven year old brain.

The highlights of my time as a level 6 was the fact that I was such an explosive vaulter (for my age, size, and level). I was working Tsuk tucks into the pit partway through my level 6 season. (This vault later on became my "signature, no-fail vault.") In truth, I was a little cocky about this, but I didn't really know at the time. One day at practice, I turned my best friend into my enemy for about a month because my coach told us to watch how the level 9s and 10s pop off the horse, I let "like me!" slip out of my mouth. Hmm, oops.

It was also during this time as a sixth grader that I was placed in a dance elective. Our culminating activity? Watching Lord of the Dance on VHS, thus sparking my interest in Irish dancing forever. It was also lucky that the dance teacher at my school's daughter was a gymnast at Desert Lights with me. Her music was an excerpt from Siamsa, and to this day, a part of me still wants that as my floor music.

Goals: Turnout stretches/drills EVERY DAY

Days till worlds: 58

How I got here: 2

How I got here: Desert Lights part 1

I will never forget my very first gymnastics meet ever as a level 3. Despite it being in my home gym, it was still one of the most scary things of my life. (For reference: this was still back in the day that USAG had two different floor routines: one for just tumbling, and one for just dance.) To this day one memory sticks out: The most exciting part for me? Was getting my rainbow ribbons. Looking back on it now, my gym was genius with their ribbon-giving. Typically 9.0+ is blue, 8.0-8.9 is red, 7.0-7.8 is white, 6.0-6.9 is yellow, and anything below a 6.0 is left up to the discretion of the gym, which in my case was rainbow. After the meet, we would count who got the most rainbows, and that girl was then the best in out eyes. After this competition, I was an old pro at these things, even though I just had one experience. I don't think I attended more than two as a level 4, but I still own the shirt, and to this day, it is the oldest shirt I still have in my possession (from 1998).

During this time, I spent most of my life in the gym out of pure love. When I wasn't there for weekly class, I was having fun privates with my coach Kim to battle my beam and bar troubles. I was an open gym regular, where I goofed off with my teammates and learned the level 6 routines. I loved being there for summer Friday practices, where we only did conditioning and dance for two hours, before playing a gym-wide game of capture the flag toilet paper roll. The gym was my life, and I had no problem with it being that way.

As a youngster, I moved up through the levels quickly (probably because of all that open gym...). I didn't spend more than a year in level 3, 4, or 5. And all that competition? Yeah, it didn't really mean much to me. I was more focused on getting my 9.0 or above on floor so I could change my ending pose. But I'm not going to lie, I did savor my first first place finish ever as a level 5 at my favorite meet (Winter Sun Invitational). Winning just wasn't the most important thing for me at this time.

Goals: Mentally prepare for Inishfree feis

Days till worlds: 59