Make It or Break It: London 2012

Part 11

The girls wake up and get ready the same as the day before. But this time, Payson doesn't ignore Lauren. Lauren tries to talk to Payson about their argument, but Payson waves it off and says she's ready to move on. She asks Lauren about her heart, and Lauren just smiles and says she feels ready to go.

In the other room, Kaylie and Jordan get ready in a storm of nerves and excitement. Kaylie confides in Jordan about getting back together with Austin the night before, and Jordan feels a swell of pride that Kaylie chose to confide in her before her Rock girls.

The four girls meet in the hallway to walk to the gym together. Just as the day before, they're given some practice time before competition.

Coach Mac is waiting for the girls when they walk into the gym. Each girl is standing taller and holding their head higher, and he grins when he sees their restored confidence.

"How is everyone feeling today?"

They all smile at him.

"We're ready, coach," Jordan says, and the other girls nod in agreement.

"My advice for you yesterday was to not practice, or at least to take it easy. That didn't work quite the way I planned. So, today I want you all to run your routines. Don't exhaust yourself, you'll need more energy than ever in order to medal today, but you should all practice your routines. And I'm here to help," he states.

The girls split up; Jordan walks directly to the bars, Lauren to the beam, and Kaylie and Payson to vault. As Jordan approaches the chalk box, she visualizes her landing, just as she had done the night before with Kaylie.

Jordan mounts the apparatus and flies between the bars with ease. Her body feels lighter, freer. When it's time for her dismount, she knows exactly where to release her grip. Her body somersaults once, twice, three times. Her feet land solidly on the mat and she throws her arms and head back with confidence, a grin spreading across her face.

Behind her, someone claps. She turns to see the excited and encouraging smile of her coach. "That's the best you've ever done it. If you can repeat that in the competition, you'll have no problem making a comeback."

"Thanks, coach," she says with unmistakable pride in her voice.

"Don't get cocky on me now," he reminds her. "We need to clean up that floor routine."

Heat rushes to her face as she follows her coach to the floor for practice.

Across the gym, Lauren pays no attention to her teammates. She can't afford any distractions, good or bad. She's poised on the beam; her eyes are closed, and her arms are straight out in front of her. Her heart is calm, but her mind isn't. Instead of dwelling on her concerns, she combats each thought, each fear, with logic. She won't fall. She'll be able to finish her events. Her heart is fine.

With that thought echoing in her mind, she begins to tumble across the beam and effortlessly transitions into her dance elements. By the time she sticks her dismount, her fears just a distant memory.

At the end of the run track for the vault, Kaylie and Payson stand, talking to each other.

"How's your back?" Kaylie asks.

Payson shrugs. "It feels okay right now, but... I don't know. It's too close. Our dream is so close, and I feel like I'm about to lose everything. What's wrong with me?"

"It's just fear, Pay," Kaylie says gently.

Payson sighs and puts her hands on her hips. "You know, Emily and I used to say 'no more fear. Just trust,'" she pauses. "I haven't thought about that in a long time."