As My Feet Hit The Spring Board, Time Feels Like It Has

It was a normal spring night and my baseball game had just started. It was senior night and I was pitching, we had just finish the first half of the first inning. My teammate struck out, it was my turn to hit, I swung for the ball and my leg popped twice. I went down and didn't get back up, My leg was stuck to my chest and I couldn't move it. The visiting team's coach was an EMT he ran over and said ¨this is going to hurt¨ and pulled my leg straight. What had happened was when I swung the bat my leg didn't move and my kneecap dislocated and instead of my ligaments tearing, they stretched and broke my kneecap. This was a challenge for me because this was the first time I had never broken a bone in my life. I went to the doctor and he said nothing was wrong, so my

Luckily, I had a group of girls who I could always rely on to cheer me up and to give me advice. The older girls would share their high school experiences with me and would answer any questions I had, and as I grew older, I unknowingly obtained a leadership position as I was the one others looked up to. I may not have a brother that I could see all the time, but I gained a whole team of sisters who were always there for me. I owe it to my teammates for allowing me to open up and discover who I really am. The first week of practice, when I was known around the gym for being the new girl or shy girl, my coach told me something that I’ll never forget: “We’re all crazy here, and it’s ok because being normal is boring.” Gymnastics is a sanctuary to me; I am everything I am today because gymnastics gave me the courage to voice my personality and my opinions. My practices allow me to relax, to relieve myself of the stresses that have built up during the day, and to be someone that I am truly proud of. It also has impacted my academics and social life at

Imagine walking on a four-inch piece of wood that is four feet off the ground, or flying through the air performing skills people only dream of doing. Gymnastics is a sport that taught me many things including, how to preserve through difficult situations and how to overcome my fears. I did gymnastics for ten years before I decided that the sport was too stressful and time consuming.

I wouldn’t be in this place if it weren’t for gymnastics, I highly love gymnastics and It really makes me work hard for the things I want to happen!

For my report I decided to do it on gymnastics. My report will include the history about gymnastics. I will talk about how to do gymnastics and the benefits for doing gymnastics. I will also explain how I am involved in gymnastics. In the late eighteenth-and the early nineteenth-century gymnastics began. It started in Germany. Johann Friedrich Gutsmuths and Friedrich Ludwig Jahn created gymnastics. It is different now because back then they did not have all of the things that we have now. To do gymnastics, you need lots strength and flexibility. Some of The rules for gymnastics are that on floor you have to stay inside the line so if you are doing flips on the floor when you land you must be inside the line Gymnastics is good for you because

When that moment came i was running through the town of Waukee, Iowa with my friends. i jumped a fence when i felt and heard that pop. It was a familiar feeling, i remembered it from the first time my ACL tered, i remembered how its the worse pain i have ever felt. i was yelling “Guys, wait up!” as i sat down on the soggy grass holding my knee, thinking “not this again”. i wondered if i would ever fully recover, if messing around was really worth it. I spent the whole night wondering.

In November of 2010, I was playing basketball in the fifth game of my senior season. It was just like any other game. However, I would soon find out otherwise. It was late in the game; I drove into the lane and got fouled hard. I was knocked so off-balance that I speared the floor with my knee. As soon as my knee hit the floor I heard a “snap” that I will never forget for the rest of my life. Little did I know at the time, that would be the last shot of my high school basketball career. Not long after my injury, I consulted a doctor. After getting an x-ray and an MRI, the doctor informed me that I had completely torn my ACL and would need to have surgery. An ACL tear can be a very devastating injury. The anterior cruciate

This was me a year ago, someone who wished they could change the past. As an early adolescent I felt that I was not in control of my life. Gymnastics had that control. I started gymnastics at the age of 3 and rapidly progressed. From the age of 6 I was in the gym seventeen hours a week - even longer as I got older and was moved up to the higher levels. It was an environment where there was no crying, no whining and no quitting - we wanted to so badly, especially me. I was injured multiple times a week and my body ached, but still kept strong and did not quit. While homework was

The gym was my home. I spent more time with my teammates than I did my family. I spent more time in myteam room strewn with ankle weights and uneven bar grips than I did my own bedroom. I spent more time visualizing every detail of my routines before competitions than I did studying before tests in school. Gymnastics was my passion. It was the only sport I’d ever known and loved. From 2 years of age, no matter how much every other aspect of my life changed, gymnastics was my constant. The bumps and bruises that covered my shins were proof of my hard work. The countless ice baths to soothe my aching muscles never got old as they reflected the hours I’d spent at the gym. The stinging and bloody rips on my hands were simply reminders of the sport I loved so much. I couldn’t wait to challenge both my body and my mind at practice every single day. I absolutely loved every element of gymnastics, yet, I still remember the day that my perspective was completely altered.

I have done gymnastics since I was a little girl but, I wasn't always in classes. When I was around four years old I loved jumping and flipping around the house. My parents thought as I grew up I got better, better, and better with all my hard work. Finally, when I was eleven years old they put me in classes at 20-mile athletic center. When you join gymnastics you get put in the lowest rec class which is called a beginner. Mike Billy, which was my gymnastics coach, taught me all I know. After being in beginner for a few months I learned all the basics and I was moved up to intermediate. To get into intermediate I had to have a mini tryout to see if I had all the skills and was ready for the move up

Final minutes of the first half winding down, my team was marching down the field with a purpose. Across the gridiron was our rival team, Mayfield, who we had beat the previous year in the state championship game. It was a cold November night and the stage was set, playing on their home field, “The Field of Dreams,” in Las Cruses, New Mexico in the semi-finals of the state tournament. Up 14-0, we had the ball and were trying to score before going into halftime. I was handed the ball for a running play and then it happened. Falling to the ground as if I had been shot, I had completely torn my hamstring. I was in complete shock as I lay on the ground. As the pain

As I sat there and let the doctor examine my knee and diagnosis me with a “left knee sprain”. I started to cry. I already knew the outcome that I had a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament). I tried to continue to play on it until one time I was playing in a tournament, and I went up to block a girls shot and landed on my

My brain goes silent. I forget my problems, my issues, my struggles, and everything that makes me feel dead inside. Nothing gives me more hope and happiness, then running on floor to hanging on a bar. From the darkness inside comes a light that feels like an eternal flame that can never be extinguished. Nothing can stop me from feeling more alive. Starting gymnastics has been the best decision I have ever made and has made me the person I am today. With every move, every skill, and every moment, gymnastics makes me feel alive.

Taking up gymnastics is one of the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. While I was in Nigeria, I saw an American gymnastics television show “Make it or break it”. When I saw those athletes use their bodies to gracefully propel themselves up in the air, I was in awe. Although I never really understood what the sport encompasses, I became captivated by it. While in the U.S., my friend who is also a gymnast informed me about the sport and I jumped at this opportunity and enrolled. Gymnastics- I realized after my first two practices- requires a great deal of dedication and skill, and with great dedication comes the skills. This realization did not pose any problems to me due to my unwavering commitment to my education. Gymnastic incorporates

Gymnastics is the world’s hardest sport. As a child, I was naturally drawn to it. My mother noticed that I would jump and climb all over the place. She enrolled me in toddler classes at 18 months, which ended when I was three years old. At the age of five, after begging my mother, I returned to gymnastics. I still love participating in the sport as a high school senior.