Personal Narrative Of A Juggling Routine

Deep breaths… Okay- you got this. It’s just you and the vault. Nothing else matters. You have done this a million times before. Nick always here to catch me if I fall. Muscle memory takes over. When I am in the right mental state, anything seems possible. Any athlete would agree with me. All sports are half mental. AS I run down the runway, I know why I am a gymnast. Every bounding step I take I run farther and farther from everything happening in my life. Farther and farther from all the distractions. I can only hear my feet pounding into the springboard. Flying off the vault with a power I don’t even know I contain, everything zapped into slow motion. This is what it all comes down to. Every minute of training in the gym. Every wrist and

Just in the same way, the next evening we had a sermon and the worship band performed. Day two was going to be different though. After the band performed, it was time for the impromptu talent show. As soon as the band left, everyone stormed to the stairs at the bottom of the stage. Of course, everyone wants the chance to shine, but they only chose twenty kids randomly. Before long, I was picked to perform in the talent show. Undoubtedly I was thrilled to be picked, but anxious for the outcome.

Playing multiple sports when I was younger was great. My second favorite sport was soccer and I was great. I was the best on my team by far and I showed it when I played.

A couple of months later competition season came and I was so nervous to go out there and perform in front of a lot of people. After the first

I waited weary in anticipation of what name would break out of the happy-go-lucky collegiate cheerleader’s boisterous mouth as he was announcing the two lucky 2017 National Cheerleading Association All Americans out of all 4 Belton cheer squads. I replay this moment in my most vivid dreams, feeling the excitement of the halcyon moment grow greater and greater as the nerves and emotions grew stronger and stronger. A moment as imperative as this showed me in the most transparent way that hard, continuous work and growth pays off in many more ways than one.

Cheer Athletics in Plano is one of the most prestigious competition gyms in the country. There are other Cheer Athletics’ branches in other places like Frisco and Austin, but not one is as successful as Plano. It is the absolute best place to go for a serious cheerleader. The best and most experienced coaches work there and they are hungry to win. They expect every ounce of energy and athleticism to be left on the floor when we are finished performing. I have never had any problems with an authority figure until I started at Cheer Athletics.

Nerves and the adrenaline feeling rushed through my body like a jet going sonic boom ripping through the air. I was on a school bus headed to a wrestling meet in York, Nebraska on a cold winter day in December. I figured my wrestling meet would be like all the other wrestling meets in the past, win most, lose a few. Never really thought this meet would be the final meet for the season. This meet would change my way of thinking towards wrestling and affect my confidence level.

Ever since I was eight years old I have been wrestling all year, every year, almost daily. I never thought that my wrestling career would extend past junior high or even into high school. I started doing pretty good at tournaments and practices so I thought I might actually make it in high school and become a successful wrestler. Before I graduated from junior high, I had decided that the high school that I was going to be attending didn't have the best wrestling program so I moved to another school nearby which had a renowned wrestling program called Washington Community High School in Illinois. It was a tough decision, but I eventually told my parents that I wanted to move to Washington in order to keep wrestling. They agreed surprisingly and that's when the journey began.

This is my senior year and I still really want to twirl for the band at sporting events and in parades. Twirling is my passion and I have been doing it for 13 years! I am very good at impressing people with my amazing tricks. I do not want to join band class because believe me, you would not want me playing an instrument, nor do I know how to play one. Mr. Pickup and Mrs. Murphy verified that it was okay for me to have my open block during band class so that I could come in anytime that you needed me. After high school I want to continue twirling in college but before I can do that I need experience of what it is like in high school.

Football season just ended, meaning I had a couple weeks to recoup until my favorite season started--wrestling. Wrestling has run in the family for decades, each generation breaking a record or making it to state. With the few weeks to recoup, I picked up some extra hours at work. I clean at the local YMCA, so I don’t have much interaction with kids or anyone really, but I like it that way.

The countless hours of sweat I had spent on seemingly the hottest days of the summer and once again during the reopening of school, the occasional bruises I would receive when a flyer wasn’t able to hit her spot on time and came tumbling down into my arms, and of course the persistent itch I would feel along my neck from my body suit all served as reminders of one of the biggest aspects of my high school life till date — cheerleading. Ever since I had sat in the bleachers as an 8th grader during the first fall pep rally, I had been mesmerized by the way the uniformed bodies seemed to move in sync. The way they seemed to hit every step with precision, the way their glimmering bows sat atop their head, and the way that confidence radiated off

I am a small town girl who has attended a private school in Lebanon, TN my whole life. I have been involved in many things at school to get myself out there and make a difference in my community. To get out of my comfort zone I joined the soccer team my sophomore year and auditioned for plays my junior year. Cheerleading has been a part of my life since fifth grade. My job was always to choreograph the dances. These activities helped me grow as a person and take on leadership roles.

Growing up an athlete I had always been in above average shape. I was a healthy weight with toned muscles but, like most teenagers, I was eating garbage. I loved cheeseburgers and ice-cream and everything in between. For years I was telling myself this diet was ok due to the fact that I worked out. It wasn't until my sophomore year when I stated wondering how great I could be if I ate correctly. I decided to get a food tracker app and count calories. I was going to stick to a strict eating plan making sure I was only eating 1200 calories a day and eliminating snacking all together.

I am a juggler. For as long as I’ve juggled, I’ve dreamt of competing at the International Jugglers Association (IJA) stage. Where others saw engineering, math, and science, I saw that stage. My fascination with juggling and the way people worked with their props and music brought me to Quebec City in 2015 as a part of our 16 person Ultimate Club. Here I was, participating in the IJA Teams Stage Championships.

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.