It's trials in three weeks. Coach is insisting we all try out. Although I don't desperately want to go to the Olympics. Coach is making us train so hard, harder than usual that is. Mum made me take the bus to training , because she wanted a nap. She works three jobs a day to pay off my gym fee's. Once she told me, " by the way your going you'll be an Olympian rolling in money". I get her now she works for my future, so in em future I can hopefully loan her some money. The bus is loud and smells of sweat. A man taps my shoulder, I turn around to face him. He has wrinkled lines along his forehead and in his hand he's clutching white powder. " take some, it will be good for your muscles" he carefully opens his hands wider." N-n-no" I stutter , it's loud enough for a old woman to hear. " old jerry , don't go offering little girls your illegal things" the old woman guffaws. " oi, Lillian are you saying someone is carrying illegal drugs , on this bus" the bus driver calls. " mmm hmm , yes it's old jerry offering a little girl some powder" Lillian calls back. The bus stops abruptly, old jerry glares at Lillian the old woman. He climbs over two young teenagers and squeezes his broad shoulders through the window laughing hysterically. The bus driver thumps on the window as old jerry lumbers away.
I think I might be having an asthma attack. Maybe if can wait it out and use one of coaches. " sorry for that abrupt stop , I have reported the man to the police" the bus driver declares. " next stop is chesterfield" he adds quickly. The speaker beeps and the bus engine roars to life again. " are you okay , child" the old woman Lillian asks quietly. " yes. Thank you" I reply , I really am thankful. She laughs, the bus stops at chesterfield I hop up squeezing through people. " thank you" I yell , to who ever the bus driver or Lillian. The Eastern stripes gymnastics club (E.S.G.C) is a well known club for producing two famous gold medal Olympians . Coach whispered to me last session " maybe this year will be our third Olympian" his moustache tickling my cheek. I see Gabby Douglas walking up to the grand entrance. " Gabby" I scream , she turns around. I launch my arms around her. " where have you been " I giggle, gabby was away on Monday. " I was super sick with the flu" she says , you can still tell she has a blocked nose. We enter the changing rooms gabbling about coach and his harsh training techniques. Gabby always wears a mainly black leotard with a white swirl at the top and pink sleeves. She owns six of the exact same one. I have millions of leotards but I'm wearing my favourite today. It's a close replica of the traditional Russian leotard.
Coach isn't here yet , gabby and I meet up with Aliya Mustafina who's come all the way with her mother to train in America. I stretch my calf muscles and a couple of leg stretches. Coach struts in, when coach struts he's in a beautiful mood. " afternoon, coach" we chorus , going into perfect right leg splits with a Olympic present. "Alexandra, I have big news , the director of London 2012 is here to watch you" he puffs. A woman dressed entirely in black clips in on six inch high heels. "Alexandra Raisman , I want to see your floor routine first " the woman remarks, Loud and proud. I'm super nervous , this is this years Olympic director, I stare at coach in awe. " mckayla Maroney, I want to see her vault" Mckayla is right behind me. " Gabrielle Douglas, your bars and Aliya Mustafina your beam" the woman finishes. So I haven't just been singled out, it's all of us.
Floor is my favourite apparatus. " Alexandra I want to see four tumbling passes" thats all I hear from the woman in black. My Irish folk music has started. My first tumbling pass goes outright and hard. A cartwheel, double Arabian twist, round off, Arabian pike and finishing off with a absolutely perfect landed punch layout. Coach is yelling something I can't hear. Second tumbling pass round off , back-handspring, back handspring, back handspring and double back layout. I stumble into the red zone, I feel a lump in my throat. I continue with my front leap and change leap before starting my third tumbling pass. Cartwheel , double back , back Ariel and back whip. I'm about to start with my fourth pass when the woman in black calls. " I've seen enough" she says " Mckayla Maroney to vault". Mckayla does her first vault landing it perfectly, the woman claps and tells her one single improvement. I'm confused , why had I not been able to finish my fourth tumbling pass. Then I realise as Gabby does an exchange between high and low bars that I wasn't good enough for the woman in black. I don't speak to Mckayla or Gabby when Aliya starts her beam. " are you okay" Gabby asks me, before I get to answer she turns around to gabble to Mckayla. After Aliya's routine the woman waves all of us over. We walk over in a bunch. She huddles us around her. " Alexandra your elite now , McKayla your very close, gabby your past elite in bars and Aliya your further away from the others to come to elite" the woman tells us. I'm amazed i think I might faint, am I seriously elite already. The woman straightens up " you'll all need to go through trials so there's no story's of favouritism , but I'll do everything I can to make sure your in London" she says eagerly. We squeal jumping around in circles. Silently the woman leaves us. Coach jogs over " girls that's fantastic news, this gymnasium has now produced seven Olympians in eleven years".
Practice makes perfect is my absolute favourite quote. When the woman said she'd seen enough she had obviously meant I'd seen enough of my greatness. Coach particularly favours me it think , I'm really not sure though. We stretch properly now, calfs , thighs, neck, shoulders , legs and especially arms. Gabby is complaining to coach about her sore ankle. " but coach it's been sore for weeks now" she whines. " well, we will tape it and see to it before trials" he replies toughly. They walk off , in gabby's case limp. "So aly , I didn't think you would get in , didn't we all" Mckayla crows loudly. " I didn't think you would get in , Mckayla, with your faulty Arabian twist" I laugh, not laughing kindly but coldly. " don't you think we should practise" Aliya butts in. " go practise" I swivel around to face her, she's younger then all of us only 16. She backs away slowly , tripping over the low beam. I don't wait to see what happens next. Mckayla pokes me in the chest " you won't steal a single gold from me , little chicky" I glare at her. We both go off on different directions. I join Aliya at beam. " what was that all about" Aliya asks carefully. " nothing just Mckayla being a absolute bitch" I say loud enough for her to hear. Aliya looks up to gabby and I she doesn't like Mckayla either. Mckayla just seems to think she has all power over us because she's eighteen. Gabby and I share our birthday on the 24th of April , turning seventeen. Aliya is 16 the youngest of us all.
Coach and gabby come back , gabby has taper around her ankle. "Better" I yell to gabby, while doing a back Ariel on beam. " yep" she yells back on her way to the floor. Fairy music blasts out from the speakers. Mckayla and gabby are besties. Gabby is kind and nice to everybody though. The ten second mark beeps for gabby's routine, I take that as my mark to dismount. Round off, double back sault. I land funnily on my ankle. The pain is searing. I scream my head off , coach comes running. "Aly what did you do" he demands. "Cracked my ankle on dismount" I shiver. "MEDICS" coach screams, a man and two woman come running. They approach equipped with matching red and white boxes. The man who is an obvious doctor checks my ankle carefully. " not broken but sprained , you'll be ok in a week , maybe two" the doctor says , all doctorly like. " a week is ages" I complain. " no floor , no beam ok" the doctor orders wrapping up my ankle. The doctor leaves with the two nurses scurrying behind him. I lay on the floor sobbing , it's silent around me. "Alexandra , it's just one week, baby girl" consoles coach. I continue to sob , one by one everyone leaves except Aliya. "are you gonna be ok" she asks adjusting her bun. " yeah" I sniff, sitting up. " ok" she says backing away , tripping over the low beam again. Remaining with very little courage I lift my weight of the ground and limp to bars, practically the only thing I can do. The gym doors fling open crashing, I lose my grip on the bar and face plant into the ground.
