Emma's Gymnastics Story

First Comp and Best Comp

It was our first competition today and we were performing our level 4 skills although we already had a meet for it. Hopefully I still was as good as before...

"Time to condition, girls!" Katie said and called us over.

We were performing in San Francisco National Gymnasium. I already live in California, so it wasn't that far, but it was still far from my area as California is a big state.

"Ugh, I hate conditioning!" Amiyrah exclaimed as we did handstand hops all across the gym floor.

"Me too, but this is a cool big gym, isn't it?" I said.

"Totally!" Bree said happily as we conditioned.

"Go to the bars—thirty pull-ups!" Katie yelled to our team and we all ran to the bars.

I sighed as I jumped onto the bar and started my session of pull ups—I was already exhausted from all of this!

Later, conditioning was done. Finally. It felt like it was forever! Right now, we were just watching other teams compete. Oh dang! One of the gymnasts just fell on their elbow! That must've hurt...

After that team, it was our turn. First up was Liliana on floor.

"Good luck, Lily!" I said, wishing her the best of luck as she went.

People performed at the same time, so for vault, Molly went, beam was Shay, and... bars was ME?!? Nooooo! I wasn't ready.

"It's okay, Em, you'll do good!" Paige told me comfortingly and I took a deep breath and headed to the bars area.

Bars was my least favorite event, and I have to perform it first? Ugh.

I looked at the judges and soon they told me I could start. Nervously, I hopped onto the bar and swung into my first skill, a glide kip. This was one of the skills that took me the most time to achieve. Then from there I did a back hip circle and a long hang kip. After that, I finished my routine off with a squat on and cast to horizontal. And I did my dismount and saluted to the judges.

"Great job, Emmy!" Katie congratulated me while high fiving my hand.

After that, it was time for my vault—a front handspring and I felt pretty confident about this event. I saluted and then ran powerfully and jumped up on the vault bench, doing a front handspring and making sure my legs were together, arms by my ears, and pointed toes. And amazingly, I stuck my vault! I happily saluted and decided not to do a second vault cause I thought my first one was already perfect.

Soon, it was time for floor. I was most scared for this event, although it was my favorite event and easiest event. I sat into the position I do for my floor routine and then hurt the beep in the music, so I knew it was time to go.

I started off with walking around and doing my dance moves and doing what I like to call the tipsy. Then I did a back walkover to a back extension roll and saluted. And I did some more graceful dance moves and did a straddle jump with the widest legs possible and nice pointed toes. I then ran into a front handspring and I could feel my legs touch which was a good sign because it showed that my legs were actually together. After that, going along my floor music, I danced a little and then took a deep breath, about to do my last tumbling pass and last moves of my floor routine. So... it needed to be perfect.

"You can do this, Em!" I heard my teammates yell to me for motivation.

I took a deep breath and ran into a round off back handspring back handspring and rebounded on the floor and then saluted. Finally I finished my floor routine.