For the Love of the Sport

I had a great conversation with Miss Melanie Ellsworth on Sunday about gymnastics, and she said something that really got me thinking: "really they just don't get it" This was said in reference to her parents, and I completely agree. Maybe they do, but it doesn't seem that they understand what its like to be in the gym. To work your butt off because you love it and there isn't anything you would want to be doing more right then, even if it does mean sacrificing ripped hands and bruised legs to make your kip on the bar (or even not doing your kip, but still trying), or getting a beam bite because you tried just a little bit harder to stay on.

It's different.

It's different then practicing at home. Doing a handstand in the hallway isn't anything like doing a handstand out on the mat. It's the same handstand, but yet it is so much different. It's family, I can spend just as much time talking to my coach about the results of the National Homeschool Debate tournament as I can just about anyone, and more so than I can most of the people that are in my family. There is a connection that is far different and in some ways far deeper. If I could I would spend my life at the gym... oh wait, I already do :-P

I want to spend the rest of my life doing gymnastics, and inspiring other people to do it as well. I want to own my own studio. I want to change the face of competition gymnastics. I want to take a bunch of 15 year old kids to the level 5 competition and kick butt! I want people to realize that motivation has two forms: fear, and love, and that the former should never be used. I want gymnastics to be a sport where you continue on for as long as your love of it continues. I want to compete level 8 when I am 40 years old, just to show them that it can be done. But for now its all just a dream. Maybe one day, it will become a reality.

A Season Ended

Well... Debate is over for the year. I learned a lot during Nationals, most of which had absolutely nothing to do with debate. It was fun, disappointing, but fun. We had the worst record I believe that we have had all year (2-4) and most of the club was in the same boat. Kirby and Stephanie on the other hand were 6-0 which was hecka sweet. Lots of IEs did well too. But, rain, dancing, sitting at the airport, having a life crisis ;-), and the go-zebo all made it a great tournament. Those are the things that I will remember. And the one thing that made the whole trip worth it: I got some hecka sweet shoes.

Almost there!!! ... rip

What a beautiful day. The judges may be a little weirded out by my handshake at Nationals if my hands don't heal soon... yeah, long hang kips. I almost have it, but not quite. I got these instead.

Finishing up

Well, I am going to try to get just about everything finished today (formatting, etc,) so that I can print everything tomorrow (which will probably take a lot of paper) and then spend Saturday, the part of Sunday that I am home, and some time on the plane on Monday reading everything... all a gazillion pages worth. Only 7 more briefs to go...

Prayer Request: sleep. I need it, and am not getting much of it.

Another Random Quotation

I love how this book is written, yeah, so it's not an intalectual book, but I needed something to do while I spend hours on debate this week (it's a book on CD)

"You know how Hemingway writes? He couldn't write about this girls face, because he would say something like 'it was a pretty face' and that wouldn't be enough. This face needs someone like Dickens or maybe Tolstoy. Someone who would take a whole page and spend some time on her eyebrows and her cheeks, or maybe notice the shape of her mouth when she's concentrating on walking with her cane."

"Their machines are big and shiny, and they whir and hum. But do they really know more than some stone-age which doctor with a rattle and a guard full of ground up frog bones?"
Things Not Seen - Andrew Clements