Perfect

~Day 1~

As I step out of the car, I mentally make sure I have everything. Lucky light blue and white leo? Check. Water bottle? Check. Banana? Check. Grip bag? Check. Tape? Check. Good spirits? Check.

I push open the heavy metal door and walk through a short glass encased mud room, wiping the snow off my shoes on the blue doormat with black bold letters: TGT. I know this stands for Top Gymnastics Training, but some people just assume it's random lettering. I pull open the next large door, with white letters TGT on the glass. It would be really easy to know where you were if you were lost! As I step in to the gym, I see an sight that could almost be considered De-Ja-Vu. To my left is the front desk, with Mrs. Landers, Mrs. Caroll, and Aimee sitting at it. Aimee is by far the most welcoming. She's very into manners, which can be scary if you forget a please or thank you, but she insists nothing is too formal. That's why we call her Aimee instead of Mrs. Fullmer, although she makes sure everyone addresses every other adult with 'Mr' or 'Mrs'. Susan Landers and Jessica Caroll are much less welcoming, but I have to hand it to them. The two of them and Aimee do all the behind the scenes work for our gym. The owner, Mark Muller, basically selects and trains the optional gymnasts, from level 7 to elite. 

To my right is the Pro Shop. Most serious gyms have one. It basically sells leotards, snacks, and other gymnastics equipment like grips, water bottles, scrunchies, tiger paws(wrist guards), athletic tape, pre wrap, etc. I walk past the pro shop. To my are rows of short cubbies, about 4 feet tall, and beyond that the gym. To my right is the coaches lounge, break room, some mysterious door that really only Aimee knows what's inside, the bathroom, and the team locker rooms. I enter the door marked LOCKER ROOMS with the smaller words TEAM GYMNASTS ONLY underneath. Inside, there are various other doors- LEVEL 2-4 LOCKERS, LEVEL 5-6 LOCKERS, LEVEL 7-8 LOCKERS, LEVEL 9-ELITE LOCKERS, XCEL LOCKERS, READY ROOM. Xcel is basically a gymnastics program that allows gymnasts to train less, but at the same levels as 5-8. It may seem confusing, and most people argue that if you are that good you should do it as much as possible, but usually the Xcel kids are really good at other sports as well. For example, Eliza. I was with her from team training to level 4, but it got to be too much for her. Eliza is a really, really good swimmer. Last year, she qualified for nationals! I can understand why Eliza wants to do both, because she's a really talented gymnast as well. 

I head into the door marked LEVEL 7-8 lockers and set my bag down. I find my locker, number 83, and pull out my leo. It's blue and white, my lucky leo. 

I head out of the 7-8 locker room and into the ready room, which is basically a bathroom and place where gymnasts of all levels can socialize and just be normal kids. I change, briefly say hi to Olivia, my cousin, and head out to practice.

I warm up quickly and start working beam. I really want to add a new combination this year- front handspring step in, back handspring step in back layout step out. Coach Mark approved it, but said I could only work on it before and after practice. I start working a front handspring step in to a back handspring. Then I do back handspring step in back layout step out. Finally, I connect them all. I have to show Mark three stuck in a row to be allowed to put it in my routine, and I only am allowed to show him once every month. I stick three in a row by myself, but I try to do more and fall. Not the day to show Coach Mark. I head to the big blue floor, slipping on my black Nike tennis shoes and a sweatshirt. If I'm not going to be working beam, I may as well get in a decent warm up.

While I'm stretching, three other girls come out onto the floor. I recognize them as Level 9's. I'd rather have the floor to myself, but they're a higher level than me and it's sort of an unspoken rule that anyone in a higher level gets priority. I like it when it works in my favor, but hate it when it doesn't. Another reason to push for elite. Not like I'm ever going to get there. It seems like I've been stuck in the level 7-8 group forever while everyone else moves on around me.

There are four level nine girls in the group. I only know two of them; Macie and Claire. The other two are Sage and Payton, but I was never in a level with them. They always just seemed intimidating. Macie offers me a quick wave before returning to the conversation. She's quiet, but not necessarily shy. Claire is a bit harder to figure out. She's really nice once you get to know her, but you have to really get to know her before she's nice. And if you start getting less close for any reason, she goes back to ignoring you, but not really in a bad way. That happened to me, because she moved up and I didn't. 

I begin in depth stretching, working all the little muscles to try and prevent any injury. I start with the muscles in my neck, and try to get lost in my own world and not eavesdrop, but it's really hard and I end up giving up and just listening. "I heard he was coming next week." Payton says. "Well yeah, but where'd you hear that?" Sage asks. "Gabby told me." There's a moment of silence and a small grunt. I'm not sure who it came from, but I'm pretty sure all the girls are having the same thoughts. Her mom, Jessica Caroll, works at the front desk and gets a lot of insider information. It makes Gabby super stuck up, and she thinks that she's on a different level than everyone else. "She's annoying, but she does get insider information." Payton confides. "Who even is he, really?" Claire asks. "Oh, only a scout from one of the best camps in the country! He's looking for gymnasts he can spruce up, maybe even turn elite, that he could train at his gym and send to the ranch and elite competitions and nationals and stuff like that. And he will be looking at US!" I notice that Macie has stayed quiet, biting her nails the whole exchange. If anyone had a shot at being recruited by this guy, it would be her instead of any of the other competitive girls. "Who's he even looking at?" Payton asks. "The 9-10s and elite girls. Need someone who's at least GOOD." Claire says, shooting a quick glance at me. I pretend to be deep in a pike stretch,but I can make out her face. Claire and I haven't been friends in a while, but I can detect a hint of sorry in her eyes. She turns away quickly, as if she didn't consider me at all. Finally, Macie speaks. "If he picks someone, will they still be able to train here and represent TGT?" Macie asks, and all the girls hush. They're considering the consequences of getting picked. I have plenty of questions myself, but I don't want to be the weird girl who listens in. 

A line of girls from levels 2-5 run onto the floor and start their running warm up around us.  I hear Sage snort, and she, Payton and Claire walk over to the rod floor to start warming up. I move to the rec floor, so I don't look like I'm following them. To my surprise, Macie walks over to me and begins stretching. "Did you hear about the scout?" She asks me. I shake my head. "Did you hear our conversation?" I hesitate, then say, "I didn't mean to, but I guess I sorta listened in. Sorry." Macie shrugs. "I felt like I was listening in too. I don't like the level 9 girls. I wish I didn't move up. Mark pushes me so hard." "It's only because you're good. If anyone had a chance at being picked by the scout, it would be you. You have perfect lines, big skills, power, grace, the full package." Macie blushes and quickly presses her face to her knee in her split. I giggle. "Ya know, Mace, it's been four years and you still can't take a compliment. She lifts her head, laughing a bit. "And you still can't do a backwards roll." We both start laughing. I don't know why, but the concept of doing a back somersault doesn't resonate with me. I flunked level 2 twice because of it. "I can throw a new series on beam and land it four times out of five, but I can't pull my feet over my head." Macie laughs harder now. Practice is already starting to seem better.