Emma's Gymnastics Story

Friends for Days

In the middle of practice when we were practicing doing back tucks, which I couldn't do yet, I looked at my best friend Amiyrah, and thought to tell her about my lie that I made. Out of all my friends I've ever had, I trust her the most to not tell anybody about my secret.

"Amiyrah, can I tell you something?" I asked her quietly as I practiced doing sets for a back tuck.

She nodded and replied to me,"Duh! Tell me anything, Emma!"

I sighed and whispered into her ear, pausing my practice. "I just got released out of the hospital yesterday and the doctor said I would have to wait weeks or months until I can do gymnastics again, but I lied to my mom so that I could go to gymnastics earlier than the doctor said. And now since I'm behind all of you, Katie wants me to get my back tuck before Thursday!"

Amiyrah looked at me with bulging eyes and gasped,"Oh my gosh! You are such a rebel! I can believe sweet little Emma did that! You know what though, I'll help you get your back tuck."

I sighed and said,"Thanks, Miy."

She smiled at me and then I saw Paige and Bree walk over to me. I glanced over at Amiyrah and put my finger on my lips, motioning for her to shh to keep my secret safe.

"Me and Paige can help you get your back tuck, too!" Bree exclaimed enthusiastically to me.

"Okay, thanks." I replied politely to my friends.

Amiyrah showed me the easy way to set for a back tuck by putting her right leg in a kneeling motion and then pushed hard on her left foot into a back tuck. Then Paige helped me push harder on the floor while I attempted a back tuck and Bree spotted me well.

"Did I do it?!" I said excitedly, remembering going backwards on the floor.

"You did!" they all exclaimed to me, happy for me.

Then I tried it again when the girls helped me and I landed it, but bounced a few times on the spring floor on my landing. Bree gasped and exclaimed to me,"You did it without me spotting you! Try it again without any of our help!"

I was so happy that it took me less than ten minutes to get my back tuck all because of my best friends. I then tried it again. I put my right leg in the air a bit, and then pushed my left leg hard, and then threw myself up backwards, tucking my legs in the air, and touching my legs towards the end of the flip. And then I landed perfectly on the spring floor, sticking my back tuck. My right leg started to ache bad, but I hid my pain from everyone so they didn't think I was lying about my recovery. Instead, I put a smile on my face.

Katie saw me and smiled. Then she went over to me and told me,"I'm so proud of you, Emma! You already got your back tuck! Before the time on floor runs out, would you like to try your front tuck next?"

My heart raced. The front tuck was the cause of my injury, that's what caused me to have to go the hospital. The flashback of it popped into my mind.

I went first and I ran and jumped into a front tuck, making sure I had enough height, and that my legs were tucked to my head. And then I slipped on my landing on the mat. I slipped on my elbow.

I swallowed a lump in my throat and nodded at Katie, pretending I was perfectly fine by doing a front tuck on the floor. I ran for it on the spring floor and did a tuck jump, jumping into my flip, and held onto my legs carefully as I went upside down high up in the air, and landed perfectly on my feet to my surprise. I couldn't believe it. I stuck it at my first try on the floor. I gasped and everybody in my team clapped at me and ran to hug me. It felt good.

The rest of the practice went by pretty fast. I almost got my kip in bars, I was working on straightening my front handspring for vault, and I almost got my back walkover on high beam.

When I got home, I told my mom all the good news about today's practice.

"Oh my, that's wonderful, Emmy Lemmy!" she exclaimed, bringing me into a little hug. "I always knew you were a natural at gymnastics!"

I smiled big, happy for myself too. My leg started aching. It couldn't handle all the work that I've done, involved with it, today. I felt sad for lying to my mom and I knew it was wrong especially because of all the pain I was going through right now. I had nobody to tell it too, which is kind of dangerous, and it showed that I really wasn't ready to do gymnastics yet.