From Tears to Cheers.

Last Monday Claire's gymnastic coaches put Claire in the seasoned group when they divided the girls up. Claire usually fluxuates between the seasoned and the unseasoned group. Claire enjoys being with the advanced group as they practice harder tricks (not "baby" stuff). However, Monday was a hard night. Claire's last event was beam and she and the other girls were asked to do something that I think is complicated. The girls have to stand up on their tippy toes, then stand on one leg on their tippy toes while the other leg scales back, then comes forward so the foot rests slightly above the other leg's ankle and quickly do a pivot turn and not wobble off the beam. Meanwhile one arm is out to the side, the other curved in and as they're doing their pivot turns the 2 arms come together so that the hands are touching--well more like the fingertips touch.

It's a very graceful turn, but one that seems to require a lot of balance and put a lot of sequencing together. While the other girls had practiced these lots of times, Claire had not. It was new and it frustrated her to no end. The coach gave instructions they had to stick 5 of those turns before they could move on to tuck jumps and handstands. Poor Claire did turn after turn but could rarely stick them. Then I noticed tears welling up in Claire's eyes. Then I saw them come. Claire has never, not ever, cried at a gym practice out of frustration. It's not really in her nature. In fact the only time she's ever cried was when she got her first bar blister and who wouldn't cry over that??!!

I hurt for her a lot. She would turn and look at me with these tears that she was trying to keep from falling. I would smile and try and tell her she was doing great. At one point I asked her if she wanted a hug. She shook her head no and kept plugging away at those turns while the tears came. It about broke my heart. Claire finally stuck 4 when it was about time to end class. Her coach let her do one handstand on the beam then dismissed the girls.

After practice Claire came over and I hugged her tight as she cried a bit. Her beam coach came over and mouthed, "Is everything ok?" I explained that she was upset because she couldn't get 5 of the turns down. "Oh." was the response I got. Then as I asked her some questions she finally said, "It's hard to do something you've never done before. Claire was in a harder group, but it's good for her to be pushed and challenged."

When we left I made sure Claire knew how proud I was of her. That I was super impressed she kept doing turn after turn after turn even though she kept falling off. I told her I was proud to be her mother and loved her determination to try and succeed. I also told her that I loved her even if she never learned how to get the turn on the beam. We then talked about other skills that Claire thought she'd never get and then one day, presto! She had them. We talked about disappointment and how it hurts and how this experience might help her be more understanding when she sees a friend disappointed about something. But mostly I just heaped on the praise as much as possible.

Then Friday rolled around and I wondered how gym would go for Claire. It can be hard to return to something when you've been discouraged. On the floor the coaches had the girls practicing T-in handstands to bridges then kick overs. Claire has been able to do the first 2 steps but hasn't managed to get a kick over by herself. It has frustrated her as most of the other girls have been able to do it. I told her as her flexibility increased one day she'd try it and she'd get it. Claire was doubtful. I thought this exercise might create another Monday experience. As I watched her do her handstand to bridge I saw her do a perfect kick over. I of course cheered as did several moms around me, but the best was Claire jumping up and down on the floor shouting "I did it, I did it." The coaches, who were subbing for the normal coaches, asked, "Is that your first one ever?" (What gave it away?!?!?)

Claire did several more after that and missed some too, but the missed ones mattered not. Claire was infused with energy and wouldn't stop bouncing the rest of the practice. After practice she came bolting over and she hugged me and started jumping all around. It cracked me up. Claire's only disappointment was that her "real" coaches didn't get to see it.

So today, Claire was anxious to get to practice in hopes they practiced kick overs. First however, they did the bar rotation. Claire's first assignment was to practice cast shoot-thru. This is when the gymnast is in a front support position then they cast, cast again but as they come back on that 2nd cast she shoots her favored leg through her 2 arms keeping the legs straight and pointy and holding their body off the bar the whole time. Claire had yet to get one and was nervous about them. Once she got her leg through and it caught her by surprise that she went sailing over the bar. She was fine--it was on the kid's low bar with mats--but I think it scared her. So tonight Claire got her leg through finally but couldn't stay up on the bar. Still, it was a big improvement over not getting the leg through at all. Claire was about to cast when her coach said, "Rotate!". Quickly Claire finished her turn, and lo and behold she did an almost perfect shoot-thru. Claire held the position and yelled for her coach who in turn said, "Good job Claire!" I of course clapped for her in the stands.

So Claire started bouncing again and she was so pumped up that she almost completed a front hip circle--wow! After bars she came running to me yelling, "I got it, I got it! I can't believe it!" One of her friends got her Mil circle for the first time and got to put a sticker on her skills chart. Claire said to me, "I should get to put one up too. Can I ask Coach Julie?" I told her that was up to her, but be prepared for a no because Coach Julie didn't actually see her do the entire thing. Claire ran over and asked and she came running back and reported she was getting a skills chart sticker too.

Then they moved to floor where Claire finally got to demonstrate she could do a kick over. When it was Claire's turn to show her hand stand, bridge, kick over, her coach again told her good job and held out her hand for a high five, which Claire slapped as hard as she could. After practice Lilly got to show her mom her Mil circle and Claire hopped up on the bar to show her shoot-thru. I wondered if she'd get it since she had only done it one time. But she nailed it. She hopped off and ran with Lilly to put those precious stickers on the chart.

Claire was very worn out but very happy on the way home. I am supposed to try and get some film of her doing those skills to put here, but I'm not sure it'll turn out well. But even if I can't, Claire is pleased with her progress and seems to have forgotten, well probably repressed a bit, the memory of that hard Monday. I was so glad to see those tears that broke my heart turn into cheers of joy and triumph.