Gymnatics

I want Tay to take Gymnastics and Dance and play softball and soccer and volleyball and basketball and play the piano and........ well you get the idea. Naturally I did ALL of this at one point in my life, some of it all at the same time! --EXCEPT soccer-that sport is Hubby's area of expertise. I remember leaving volleyball practice at school and changing clothes in the car while eating burger king on the way to either Gymnastics or Dancing!

I took Gymnastics from age 4 until I was about 12. I competed for most of that time. I don't think I was very good, but I LOVED it! I had so much fun with my teammates. We spent so much time together I knew them better than I did some of the kids I went to my school. We had practice just about every night, for 2-3 hours and meets on weekends, so we had lots of time to bond. We invited each other to our birthday parties. We had slumber parties and pizza parties. We did an exhibition show at the 1984 World's Fair in New Orleans. We basically grew up together. Quitting was one of the hardest things I ever did. (Sometimes, I secretly wish my parents had forced me to stay) I wanted more to life that Gymnastics. You see, I quit right about the time when "hanging out" with your friends and talking on the phone were the important things in life. I wanted to be able to go to the boy/girl parties, I wanted to be invited to the slumber parties where you prank called boys and talked about boys and watched movies and ate popcorn and pizza and ice cream. I felt as if I was missing something by ALWAYS being at the Gym. I mean....I wasn't gonna go to the Olympics! But for at least 4 years after I quit there was not a single day that went by that I did not miss it! To this day the smell of chalk (we used it on our hands) brings right back to the gym. *sigh* (When I buy a scanner I will upload some classic 80's gymnastics pictures!)

"Whatever the challenge, whatever the test, whatever you're striving for, give it your best!" I had a poster that hung in my room while I was growing up that had a girl doing a split on the balance beam that had this quote on it! I must have read this quote 5 million times!

No. 1. I am grateful that my parents gave us the freedom to make our own choices (within reason) growing up!
No. 2 I am grateful for the friendships I made while taking Gymnastics.
No. 3. I am grateful for the opportunity to pass on the life lessons, I learned while participating in a team sport, to my daughter.

Thanks for caring,

k