The Gymnast

Part 7

After about 45 minutes on lunch and 3 hours of studying, it's time for floor. At this point, the rest of the team has arrived (the lower levels who only train in the afternoon). Unfortunately, we have Hazel on floor. She sort of specializes in beam and floor because she's good at choreographing routines, and she choreographs our routines.

"Get to work girls! Music comes on in 10 minutes for routines, so warm up all of your dance and tumbling!" Hazel shouts.

The dance in my routine is a one-and-a-half turn, a switch leap half (a switch leap with a half turn at the end), a tuck jump full into a straddle half jump, and a split jump. I also do a lot of front walkovers and bridges in my routine because I have good back flexibility. 

I do 2 or 3 of each dance skill before I move on to tumbling. I'm really good at dance, but tumbling isn't exactly my strength. My tumbling is a layout full, a front tuck into a roundoff back handspring back tuck, and a front handspring front layout. 

I'm really good at front tumbling so I do the front handspring front layout first, and stick three in a row. Next I do the front tuck into a roundoff back handspring back tuck. I do one, then fall on one, and make two more. Finally, I have my full. I'm bad at back tumbling in general, but I'm absolutely horrible at twisting. I have to warm up with a layout, then a half, and then I do the fulls. I fall on the fist two, make two, and fall on another one. 

Just as I'm about to go for another full, Hazel yells, "Ana! You're up first for routines!"

I guess I'll just chuck it (this means to just go for it even if you aren't prepared, gymnasts say it a lot) in the routine.

I stand in the corner, lower my head, and lift my arms over my head. I cross my right leg over my left and bend them a little. This is my starting pose. I wait for my music to come on. A few seconds later, I hear the first notes of "Be Our Guest" from the movie Beauty and the Beast , my floor music come on. 

I do a few poses, then a jump sequence, and prepare for my first tumbling pass. I make my full, but I have to take a small step out of it.

"Control the landing!" Hazel comments.

I do a series of dance moves and prepare for my next tumbling pass. I stick the front handspring front layout perfectly.

"Nice Ana!" Sophie yells. She's become a lot less shy and gentle lately.

I skip across the floor and do a pose. Then, I rise on my toes and drop to the floor, using my arms to break the fall. I kick my foot to my head and do a front walkover to stand up. I do a few more poses and then my leap pass, which is a switch leap half into a split jump. I pose again and prepare for my last tumbling pass. My back tuck is a little slow, but I still stick it.

"Flip faster on the back tuck!" Hazel yells.

"Yeah Ana!" Sharon yells at the same time.

Hazel glares at her and she laughs.

I do a front walkover that lands on the floor and back walkover to stand up, raise my arms above my head, and pose just as the final note of the music plays.