Exhaust Your Joy

Hey there everyone,
So last time I posted a video from my phone on the blog and apparently it only likes to play if you are watching from a computer rather than your phone. I apologize for that, if I can figure out how to rectify that then I will do so.

On another note,
A couple weeks ago, I learned of the Teen Choice Live show that was supposed to be touring the country. There were going to be a number of Olympic gymnasts performing, some music artists, and a few other acts. I was contemplating taking The Munchkin Princess to see the three members of the Fierce Five who were headlining the tour. But since then the tour has been cancelled due to "scheduling conflicts" and this makes me wonder.... "What kind of life are these children having now that they are gold medal carrying Olympic gymnasts? I understand that leading up to the Olympics their lives were spent in the gym so much so that after a certain point home-school was the only logical choice for them, in order to meet their training needs. And I understand, with that would also come quite a bit of traveling to meets near and far at local, state, regional, national, world, levels. But after evaluating the schedule for this year's higher level competitions, most of these appear to happen during the summer time. Which in my mind allows the athletes a chance to rest, train, and regroup. I get that there is a huge appeal to winning the Olympics and being blessed with the subsequent endorsements, tours, (and pay checks) that follow. But I wonder how long do the grueling schedules last for these girls? And of course they have to find the time to get into the gym still. Between exhibition performances and keeping themselves in the running for the next Olympic season, I'm exhausted for them.

But I can see how actually living your dream can fuel your fire even through the most taxing of days and nights until it's all over. In fact I'm a little envious of these young ladies who are so young yet knew so early in their lives what their biggest passions were and had the drive, skill, and support to pursue that dream all the way. As an adult woman living "free" I cannot say that I know exactly what my passion is, let alone how to achieve the highest successes in that passion. Yet another reason why I am so in awe of The Munchkin Princess, my very own flesh and blood, actually being self aware enough to recognize what brings her joy and manage to place goals around what she loves all on her own.

Okay, so in the spirit of keeping this a learning blog I am choosing to add a definition and a visual of the skills/terms that I am learning the deeper we get into this. Tonight's word is:
Flic-FlacAlso known as a flip-flop or back handspring. Take off on one or two feet, jump backwards onto hands and land on feet. This element is used in a majority of tumbling passes on the floor exercise. It’s also used a great deal on the balance beam.

Image found at http://www.ivencia.com/dynamicarts/images/groundwork/flicflac.gif

What is your passion in life? What are you willing to do to life your passion and achieve success through your joy? Fly high and Stick It....whatever IT is for you. 

Learning Curves

Hey Ya'll,

So we had our first parent/coach meeting on Friday and it turned out to feel more like a parent/child meet and greet. Now don't get me wrong it is nice to know who is on your child's team and who those children belong to, but I was expecting something a little more substantial. I seemed to be the only parent who had any questions related to the kid's competing levels and advancement opportunities. All in all, like I determined during my research, this Xcel program is nice to introduce The Munchkin Princess to competition but I don't believe we will remain in this sector for more than the year. She may not go to the Olympics, but she will be given every opportunity to determine if that's is actually her dream and if so how to make it real. 

Although, at this stage it's still really fun to watch her try to acquire new skills. Albeit she catches on quick, but that initial learning curve cracks me up every time. I know she will hate me for this in about 10 years, but I thought it was so cute watching her try for the first time to execute her back bend on the balance beam. I'm going to share this with you, but just so you know she did have it by the time they were finished. My baby is in full Beast Mode at all times when it comes to the gym. She is in the black leotard on this day. 

After a full evening of training she still wants to go home and improve on her splits, strengthen her wrists, and strengthen the ligaments in her feet before bed. I have never been so proud to witness anyone's work ethic has I am of my own child. While the other children at any given time during training may piddle around and goof off she simply laughs at their jokes then keeps it moving; as opposed to joining in on the slacking. She gives her all because she truly loves what she is doing here and she inspires me to get up get out and get some. Maybe she will inspire one of you as well. 

Fly High and Stick It fans. 

So Much Information

Okay,
So I have been doing some research and there is just so much to learn about this sport that I found myself on overload a few times. It became too easy to try and learn about one thing and then inadvertently learn 4 other things instead. I am taking in as much as I can in increments. I am also more than sure that I will read and re-read the same bits of information over and over again as I claw my way through all of these rules, regulations, program overviews, age requirements, skill requirements, and costs. The bits I made an attempt to understand this past week were the differences between the Xcel Program and the standard leveled Junior Olympics Program. From what I gathered the largest difference is that the Xcel Program is supposed to be designed for affordability in an attempt to diversify the sport. I guess ultimately the USAGymnastics is looking for talent in groups of children that they don't typically get to see because of the expense associated with competing in their programs. I do wonder just how many kids are out there with amazing untapped talent that the world will never witness in our major competitions of the world all because they can't afford it. So, I do hope that this program accomplishes it's mission.
As far as the skill levels being adequately met, apparently the leveling system in the Xcel Program is "comparable" to Levels 1-7 of the Junior Olympic Program. My primary concern with this at the moment is that the Xcel Program is fairly new and just barely beginning to spread across the states so when competing, how long will it take for these children to really be challenged? Right now I am perfectly fine with the lower numbers of competitors because this is my daughter's first experience with competing in gymnastics and I don't want to scare her off. I'm looking at this program as a way to ease her into "the system". Then maybe she will stay with it longer. One can only hope, right? But at the end of the competing year I will have to re-evaluate just how long she should remain in this program and when to switch her over to the standard program. But we shall cross that bridge when we get to it. Until then...we learn.
The most amazing part of the competing world that I have found are the age limits. Children are really competing (or compulsory, a term I need to research further) as young as 4 years old. Now I guess there are PeeWee leagues of basketball, football, and tee-ball that start around that age. So, I'm not really sure why the gymnastics ages surprised me. Maybe it's because when I think about putting a child in a gymnastics meet I think about the hours of warming up, completing events, waiting for awards, and following dozens or rules all in just a single meet. If any of you know, or have, a 4 year old this is a lot to deal with in one day. And the idea of watching my 7 year old perform some of the skills necessary to compete at Level 7 would give me a heart attack every time. But I guess if the child has the skill and the drive and the parent has a cast iron stomach and the money, then it's all worth a try, right? To each his own, as the saying goes. I feel confident in the stages at which we are progressing, and I know my daughter is pushed appropriately outside of her comfort zone in her training. I think this will prove to be a successful year and we both will gain a much broader understanding of what to expect should she choose to continue.
I know I'm not supposed to, but in my head/heart I keep hearing "Olympics 2020 here we come" LOL
Oh well, Fly and Stick It Munchkin Princess!

Marathon Gymnastics

With the holiday season leaving tons of time to spend relaxing with the kiddo and Netflix offering television series to watch from beginning to end. The Munchkin and I ended up having a four day marathon of the ABC Family show Make It or Break It

Now, I know this show is designed for teenagers, but it is the only show that makes an attempt at depicting the life of a committed gymnast and my daughter was eager to watch it. If I am honest with myself I was eager to see what this show had to offer as well. So I made a deal with her, I stated that we would watch the show together and if there was anything that I was not comfortable with her seeing then we would turn it off. Now if you are ultra conservative with what you choose to discuss with your children, then this show is definitely for older viewers. I on the other hand choose to be very open and honest with my daughter about life and all of the challenges that are presented to us at varying stages. She has known exactly where babies come from since pre-school and we are currently going through the many conversations about puberty and what to expect as her body changes. I have no fear of discussing sex and the truths associated with the topic. I am not a fear monger nor do I encourage irresponsibility. I choose to be honest and in that I expect honesty from my daughter. This relationship that I am creating with her leads me to hope that once the difficult situations in her life arise she will trust me enough to not "lose it" on her and be the reasonable and understanding voice that she will need in that time.

Don't get me wrong, this show isn't grossly inappropriate or anything. It's just that I know some people are sensitive about subjects like sex, drugs, alcohol, lying, and cheating. But I find these topics necessary to address on a regular basis before they become common place in or children's lives. This series created some really intense relationships between the gymnasts, the parents, the coaches, doctors, and nutritionists everyone spent so much time together 5 sometimes 6 days out of the week that their lives all intersected and blended together. 

At some point the parents of the gymnasts in these stories made the decisions to move their families to an Elite Training Facility to allow their daughters to become full time gymnasts. These girls trained 8 hours a day, were home-schooled, and fund-raised to finance their dreams of making the Olympic team. Through all of the intensity of their training lives they still have to find their way out of the everyday drama of teenage life (with some self inflicted pain thrown in of course). Through our marathon so many questions, as a parent, came to mind that I am going to have to research to prepare myself accordingly. When will I be expected to make the decision about committing our lives, as a family, to her training? If this show is any indication of the time frame in which this decision is made, then I have maybe 3 years tops to choose whether or not we are all in, no holds bare on this. By middle school these girls know what they are working for and what they need to get there. 

Does the gym where she trains really make such a difference or if she has the skill will that carry her through most of the earlier levels in performance? If the gym that she trains in really is as important as it seems, then where are the best gyms? And how does one go about being accepted into one of these programs? When will the decision to home school need to be made? Just how much fundraising will be needed in order to finance our daughter's dream? Are the "politics" of gymnastics as frustrating to navigate as any other organization? If I am going to help The Munchkin Princess meet her goal of Olympics 2020 then I will need to find the answer to these questions so that I can plan accordingly with her. What I do know today is that she has her very first official practice on a competing team starting tomorrow and I am so excited to see her grow in her art. I'm ready to see her fly high and stick it!