February Post

The Beam

You stand there waiting. Waiting for the signal to begin your routine. Soon enough their hand comes up and you stare at it, the beam. A small 4 inch piece of leather and wood. You then complete your mount onto it. Next comes your turn. Standing on one foot completing a full 360 degrees turn. You have a little wobble.  No big deal, keep going, stay tight, and sharp. Next, you have your leap. Trying to create a full 180 degree split by taking just a few simple steps, then leaping off the only surface below you. Considering its small size, it doesn’t bring you much comfort coming back down. Land, pull your leg in and leap off and up again to complete your jump series. You back down a little unstable, and falter but don’t fall. You stay on and complete your choreography. Reluctantly, you realize your big series is next. You take so many deep breaths before you go just to stay confident. Then, you jump, but this time its not forward it is up and backwards. Next thing you know, you are upside down, supported only by your arms, and squeezing every muscle necessary. Just as you finish your back foot slips and down you fall. The fall feels like an eternity just to sense failure as you hit the cold mat below. But you climb back on determined to make the rest of your routine better than before. You strike your last pose and begin your dismount. You flip in the air for the last time and land on the mat below. You are determined to stick this skill. A feeling of relief washes over you as you do. You walk off the mat you are embraced by teammates at both your sides. They make you feel so much more positive about what you had just done. Then your comes your score.