Emma's Gymnastics Story

Same old New

A few months later we started working on back handsprings. We were trying to have good form because we could already do them.

I showed my coach my progress, I threw myself back and before I knew it I was standing up again.

"Make sure those toes are pointed!" Katie said.

I nodded and walked back into the mat and sat down with my friends. After the rest of my team did a back handspring Katie demonstrated to us how a back handspring with good form should look.

"Remember you have to have your legs together and they need to be straight with pointed toes." she said. "Got it?"

We all  said yes.

"Now let's try to a do a round off back handspring because you'll need to know to do that for your meet and to move on from level three." Katie said. "a round off back handspring is where do do a roundoff and go straight into a back handspring. That mean stop connect the round off to the back handspring. This is how it looks."

Katie ran did a strong hurdle into a roundoff. She connected it with two back handsprings.

"You only need to know how to do one, so give it a try!"

She told us to make space and spread out or else we'd just crash each other and it would just be a total fiasco. When it was time, I ran and did a roundoff, and had a short pause before doing a back handspring. I have to practice this skill because you shouldn't pause before doing back handsprings.

"Good job guys!" the coach said. "let's work on beam now!"

First we practiced our dismount so that when we practice our routine, we'll be able to do a perfect dismount. It was a side handstand dismount. It was a bit complicated because you turn your hands in a handstand to get off. But when you practice the skill a lot, you perfect it. And I finally felt comfortable doing it. Then we practiced handstands and leaps and it was then time for bars.

"So I would like you to take turns doing a front hip circle!" Katie exclaimed. "pick a partner and choose your bar in..3, 2, 1!!!"

"Amiyrah!" I said and we dashed to a bar because there are only four bars and 4 high bars so we had to go quick.

"Get in line with a bar that doesn't have much people!" Katie said.

"I'll go first." she said.

I nodded and watch her hop onto the bar. She did a front hip circle.

"Chest up, Miyrah!" Katie said to her.

"Yeah! Chest up!" I mimicked her.

Amiyrah laughed and put her chest in a higher position and tried again.

"Better."

She hopped off the bar and I then got on. I made sure my chest was up so I wouldn't get told that and then did a front hip circle. The coach said I did a good job and then we let the other people do it.

When everybody got a chance to do a front hip circle, the coach said to pick a different partner and this time to a single leg squat through. So I ran to Amber and we went behind Molly and Brenda.

"We were just too slow." Amber said and we laughed.

When Molly and Brenda did the skill, they let us go. Amber gladly let me go first this time! So I hopped onto the bar and swung a bit. Then she rushed me and told me do it already. So I did. Then I dismounted and let her go. After that we just played a few of our favorite games because Katie said we didn't need to practice vault, for it was the same thing as level 1 and 2.