How I got here: 5

How I got here: Capital, Level 8

My first year of level 8 had its ups and downs. On the positive side, I began to get over fears I had dealing with certain events. I also finally began throwing my signature no-fail vault I had been working on ever since my time in Arizona. By the our state championships, I had also done well enough to represent Virginia in the Region 7 all-stars competition, which is kind of like the B-team for regionals.

On the not-so-positive side, I wanted to quit the whole sport all together, but mom said no, her reason being that I didn't have anything active to do; I wanted to start Irish dance classes and be in marching band. As for why: maybe it had something to do with the fact that my coaches were Russians. You do not mess with the Russians. They yell. They're cold and hard. They don't care that you're scared. And why? Because they know you can really do it. All you need is to be screamed at a bit, just enough to get scared and start crying. There's no room for wimps or BS in their gym.

In the summer between both my level 8 seasons, I began working in a new group with a new coach who would push me on to greater things. (But more on that later, he deserves his own post.) Under his tutelage, I certainly improved and picked up new skills faster than with my previous coaches (weekly private lessons didn't hurt either). With his help, I ended my season my winning vault at our state championships and qualified for the actual non-all stars regional team. That was all fine and dandy until a week before regionals. I was working on a new tumbling pass. I broke my ankle. I was done for the season.

Goals: work out tri-weekly

Days till Os: 120

How I got here: 4

I know I haven't updated this story in a while. If you're not up to date, or just started reading (hello!), read these first:

Beginnings

Desert Lights part 1

Desert Lights part 2

How I got here: Capital, the beginnings and Level 7

Shortly after I watched Lord of the Dance for this first time, I moved from my home in Arizona to where I am now in Virginia. With that came a whole new climate, a new school, and most importantly a new gym.

The very first time I walked into Capital Gymnastics NTC, I was scared and intimidated. My little gym in Arizona only had a women's program. This new gym not only had a women's program, but also men's, cheer, and tumbling. I was amazed at how big the facility was, and how much equipment and people it could hold. It felt so foreign and strange to me. This gym meant serious business.

Among the lines of serious business: the coaches. My very first impression was one of fear. They all spoke Russian. They all had accents. They all seemed so harsh and unforgiving from the outside. The first coach I met was Tatiana. My coach Neela wrote her a letter of recommendation about me and possibly my family. She invited us in, wanted to know what skills I was working on, and sent me to a group with other girls working towards level 7. Her demeanor was serious, and one of having other, more important things to do, though we were treated quite nicely.

Also along the lines of serious business: my new teammates. They all seemed so focused. They all were so good, so strong. I soon discovered this tough, serious demeanor was only a front. They were just goofy kids like me, only they couldn't show it for fear of being sent to climb the rope, or even get kicked out of practice.

That first summer there was probably one of the most difficult for me. Not only was I getting acclimated to a new gymnastics environment, but I was learning new level 7 routunes, trying to figure out how not to get yelled at by the newest coach Alex (more about that later). By the end of the summer, though, I did have my stuff together and was ready for my first season as an optional gymnast. I was slowly but surely becoming more athletic, powerful, and polished. That season was right at the beginning gymnastics heyday: I loved what I was doing, I was having fun, and my life was going great.

Level 7 highlights reel

Vault: As in Arizona, I was a pretty strong vaulter.

Bars: By far my weakest event. While my teammates were learning giants, I was still trying to get over my fear of fly-aways. By the end of the season (which is when this clip is from), I got them, and my score improved by a whole point.

Beam: Aside from mental issues, my beam routines were improving. Check out my face after I see my score. This was probably the highest I'd ever scored on this event at that time. Note the disbelief.

Floor: Definitely my best event. I was a strong dancer and tumbler. (Irish dancers pay attention: I was doing birdies long before I was dancing!)

Goals: Get hornpipes smoother

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

How I got here: 1

Inspired by my friend and fellow blogger Courtney, I am going to tell you a tale. A tale about a princess, a dream, and her (sort of) happy ending. Just joking (kind of). I AM going to let you know why it is that I started Irish dance so late, and how I was able to succeed so quickly at this new sport, despite starting as an "& Over" dancer.

How I Got Here: Beginnings

I was signed up for gymnastics classes as a youngster, like most other little girls, and I was so excited for it. I don't remember much about my first classes (hey, I was under the age of 4), but there are a few poignant moments that still stick in my memory. I won't forget walking into the YMCA in Fremont, NE and seeing the absolutely enormous equipment for the first time. I won't forget the first time they lifted me up to the low bar and I scooted my way across. Or the first time I was set on the high beam and wouldn't move until my coach held both my hands (my basket-case brain is something we'll get into later). And then there was the performance we did for the nursing home behind my grandma's house. We set up our mats and we performed how well we could climb over them and do somersaults down the cheese mats.

By the time I was five, my family and I moved to Arizona, where I was enrolled in gymnastics at a community center. It was a non-competitive gymnastics and dance academy, where I also took ballet classes as well as tumbling. Since we didn't compete, we did local exhibitions (some outside in parking lots) and a big annual company production of Mary Poppins, where I was featured as a tumbling chimney sweep. I also made fast friends with one of our instructors and also had a little foray into partner acrobatics just for fun. I was having the time of my life.

After being at the community center for two years, I began to surpass the level of the older girls in the class and my mom decided it was time I enroll in a gymnastics club. At the age of six or seven, I started in a level 3 recreational/compulsory class at Desert Lights Gymnastics. Going from a small academy that only focused on tumbling, to a full-on gymnastics club was so cool to me. I walked right into that two-roomed warehouse-turned-gym, and my jaw dropped. There were two floors, and three sets of uneven bars, eight beams, and many trampolines and this really awesome thing called the pit! I was in shock and awe, especially watching the older girls do their stuff. I was completely fascinated with floor routines. The music, and the dance, and the tumbling. . . At the time, it was all uphill from that exact moment because I had become a "real" gymnast.

Goals: Turnout, stamina

Days till worlds: 76