Ivy At the Gym

Ivy woke up super early this morning before school to go to the gym. She is currently practicing for her gymnastics demonstration. Ivy missed the last two demonstrations, so she wants to do her best for this one.

With her denim jean purse over her shoulder, carrying her water bottle, some school things (she was leaving for school right afterwards) and a good luck charm, Ivy walked into the gym. She had splashed her face with cold water to get herself wide awake.

Coach Miranda was waiting for her.

"Hello Ivy, your mother called me to tell me you wanted to come in early today - excellent choice. A lot of the competitors have been choosing to come in before or after normal gym hours. I'm always glad to assist them."

"Thank You for coming to help me today," Ivy thanked her. She couldn't imagine how hard it must've been for her coach to get up early - she had two children that had also had to come with her (the husband was on a business trip).

Ivy kicked off the beam, launching into her first few moves of her routine.

She flipped and did a cartwheel. For some reason though, she felt unsteady.

But she landed on her feet - it was a little shaky though. Her new leotard seemed to be slowing her down. It had a skirt and everything, so it was possible that that was right.

She did some more routine practices, and she began to feel more balanced with each step she took....sort of.  

But then she shook a little bit.

But then caught her balance.

Now it was time for the hard part - she had to lift off the ground with her feet. Ivy managed to do it, but barely.

She then launched off the beam and into her dismount position.

"Well done, Ivy," Coach Miranda said.

"Thank you."

"Something did look a bit unnatural about it - you looked like you didn't know what was coming next. We're going to have to help you build up some more confidence on that beam. You have it in you - you just need to be sure of what you're doing," Coach Miranda told her seriously. "You may not even want to compete in this demonstration, since it is within this week. Maybe you should wait until next month's demonstration."

"No, I'll practice extra. I'll come in every morning. I need to be in this demonstration," Ivy told her.

"Okay, but you need to look confident too, and there aren't many more mornings left honey," Coach Miranda told her gently. She didn't want Ivy to be unsure of herself and get hurt in front of the crowd of parents and families.

"Awesome!" Ivy spun around to see Payton cheering her on as she launched back into her routine.

"Oh, uh, thanks," Ivy was sort of embarrassed, and she wondered how long Payton had been standing there.

"You're doing really great!" Payton smiled.

"Thanks! Oh, and I like your braces!" Ivy told her. She hadn't seen them yet, even though Payton had gotten them just yesterday.

"Thank You!"

"Ivy, please get back into your routine," Coach Miranda ordered from the sidelines.

Ivy knew her friend was watching, so she spun, and flipped, and flew. She did her best to look confident and to not mess up.

Down she went close to the beam...

And quickly shot up again

It was time for her dismount, so Ivy prepared. She could feel Payton and Coach Miranda staring at her intensely.