Sophomore Season soon to start - August 2016

Well, Emily decided to compete CARA (Colorado Association of Recreational Athletics) this summer to keep in shape for High School Gymnastics this Fall

Still plagued with knee issues, she's actually having fun with the sport.  After having to suffer with the stress of USAG competitions, finally this girl is enjoying herself.  These kids put so much on themselves.  I never wanted her to be super competitive, but it is part of her DNA.  Her dad from what I experienced, was always super competitive.

So, as I believe that putting a kid in some kind of activity is important,  it's important to find the best fit for that child.  My eldest daughter Anne had two left feet.  We tried softball, we tried ice skating, we tried dance.  No sport worked well for her.  She was always a bookworm, but I had to figure a way of getting her out in the world to experience new things.  So she learned how to act and model. To this day Anne still does community theater every chance she gets.  My middle child Kathleen was a soccer kid.  Kathleen was not flexible enough to do gymnastics but still a very active child.  You really need to allow your child to find their own interests,  believe me you can't make them do a sport just because you want them to.  My daughter Anne played the violin in Middle School, my daughter Kathleen played the Viola throughout High School.  Emily has been playing the Cello since third grade, but this year she intends to try her hand at theater and play the Cello in her second semester.

Emily still enjoys Gymnastics and bonding with her team mates.  She may never compete Gymnastics at the Olympics, but hopefully we'll get to the 2020 Olympics as spectators to cheer on Team USA!

9th Grade Junior Varsity in High School

Of course Emily couldn't wait to get back into the Gym after 3 years out.  The season is now over, but she did podium at least once - for Beam.

She feels her high school team mates do not include her as a team member and frankly I have to agree from what I've seen.

The Coach knows that Emily's strong suit is tumbling and beam yet for the entire season she competed for the most part on bars.  She performed one floor routine several times on the beam.  She actually made the podium in one meet.

Emily's skills are for the most part gone at this point, she still has her dance moves, but lost her kip, has it back, lost her twist, still working on that one and she finally got her split back... but she loves gymnastics and will continue to improve her skills at her home club for next season.  We'll see how it goes.  What's more important to me is that she does well academically and it seems that gymnastics keeps her on track in that department.

Emily is still playing the Cello, she is second chair.  Tonight at her high school the freshmen performed together for the first time ever.  I am attaching a video of their final piece which is American Landscape by Soon Hee Newbold.  In this final piece of this concert, he moved all of the instruments around so that the students would get a different perspective of the music.  In this piece Emily is in the back row,
AWHS Freshman String Orchestra

Emily is turning into quite the young lady.

Eighth grade - wow.  She's not a baby anymore.  Emily is playing the piano, the ukeleli, the cello and more.

She can draw.  Wow can this kid ever draw!

 She's got a gift.

Dancing into a new school year, Emily is now trying Hip-Hop!

Well, haven't been here for a while.  Emily started 7th grade at a new brick and mortar school.  She decided no more home school since she's not doing gymnastics so no need for home school option, and she wanted to be around kids her own age.

Emily is now trying Hip Hop one day a week and trying to keep from re-injuring the knees.  I was not able to find a good swim option for her so she played with the neighborhood kids all summer.  No stress, no pressure.  It was a good summer.

Emily has thrown in the towel on Gymnastics.

After a very long and painful battle with Osgood-Schlatter's Disease, approximately 8 months total on crutches, Emily has decided to end her gymnastics career and save what's left of her knees. This decision was not made lightly, and with much pain and tears.  Emily loves gymnastics, but sadly her body is growing too fast for her to keep going in the sport. It's a shame really, being in the gym is such a good thing for girls.

Now she'd like to pursue swimming!  So down to Sports Authority I go, credit card in hand.  New Speedo swimsuit, new goggles, gym bag.  She started out at the local swim club, only to have the building condemned within the first week of her training.  Sheesh! Back to the drawing board.

Everyone is suggesting diving for her, since she has a background in Gymnastics, but that's not what Emily wants to do.  She wants to swim laps.  Ok!  I am with her on this one.  I still picture Greg Louganis hitting his head on the springboard during competition.  OMG that was a parent's worst nightmare!  It's a wonder it didn't knock him out completely. No, I can't imagine Emily diving.  It was hard enough for me to watch her tumbling in Gymnastics. Coming back from a brain injury is no fun at all , this one I have first-hand experience with.

 So far we've not been able to get her involved in swimming, but I am still looking for a good fit. Maybe I can get her into dance if it's not too stressful on her knees.. we'll see.

Back at Gymnastika!

 After that horrendous knee injury, and over 4 months out of the gym and on crutches,  Emily's back with her friends over at Gymnastika!  I had her at Highland Hills and hoped she would want to stay there a little longer because it's not such a far drive, but the moment the doc released her, she begged to go back to Gay Lindsay's.  She loves her coach.  Even though the ortho doc hates girls in gymnastics, Emily has other ideas as to what she wants to do with herself.   Emily's  been working beam and bars and  working hard on conditioning.  It won't be long before she's back in competition form.

One month back in the gym, so far, so good

Well, Emily's been back in the gym for a full month, and still on very light duty.  She's lost her kip and desperate to get that back, she has not performed any tumbling on the floor yet and gets cleared from the doctor on December 7th.  We'll see how it goes. 

Meanwhile Emily has grown one inch, gained about 15 lbs and her shoe size has gone from a 2 to a size 4 children's, 5 ladies.  She's really growing fast, wider in the shoulders and a little taller but I fear if she doesn't grow soon, she'll be lucky if she makes it to 5 feet tall.  She takes after her Grandma June I fear.  Both her and Kerry Anne, her cousin are going to be the shrimps of the family.

Christmas is only 26 days away!  Happy holidays everyone!