For many of you, you know how important gymnastics has become in our family. From very early on, we could "tell" Katerina was going to be a gymnast. And she is, and LOVES being a gymnast. Moving to Okinawa was very hard for a variety of reasons, but one of the most challenging parts of being there was gymnastics for Katerina. And as I reflect on that now, I can see, that the Typhoon Twisters was just not a good fit for her. There are two rules of thought on how to "practice". You can either practice until you do it right, or you can practice until you can't do it wrong. Katerina enjoys the discipline of doing it until you can't do it wrong. It's just in her makeup. I think i kept trying to make gymnastics in Okinawa what she wanted it to be. I know a few of my other gym mom friends out there wanted it to be different, too. But, that just wasn't going to happen. Unfortunately, like in so many other places here in the states, we didn't have any other options. So I learned A LOT about the sport. SO much so that I started coaching. I read and re-read the JO handbook. I studied the scorebooks. I learned what free hips and aerials are, and the degrees that your legs must be separated in a leap! All of which I can take away as a positive. So gymnastics wasn't the disciplined sport there that Katerina grew up with. Poway Gymnastics is. They have VERY strict policies on when you are "ready" to compete. They do not put girls on an event that don't have the skill perfected to the point that they won't do it wrong.
What does all this boil down too? Katerina is competing level 5 this fall. This is the level that she competed at one meet on a friday, and then went to the next level two days later. And then level 7 three months after that. She needs to regain the perfect form and strength that is required of her to move to the next level at her current gym. And it's exactly where she needs to be. Get better at the basics so you have the building blocks to move on.
Katerina LOVES to win. She wants that opportunity. She did get to learn more skills, she was able to make some Great friends. She got to be a leader. She figured out what she likes and doesn't like. She was able to be a part of a team. She wants to coach, and she's picked up on techniques she will and won't use. Now, she'll be able to compete to win, not just compete.
I know there are many girls in Okinawa who found gymnastics and were also able to be on a team. The Typhoon Twisters may have provided them with the opportunity to do that where they wouldn't here in the states. Or they wouldn't want to. Learning how to do to a back tuck is pretty cool. Being able to say you made the team, is a great thing to work towards. Working out for over 3 hours a day, 4 days a week is really not for everyone. And that's okay too. They all had some great experiences out there. Before we went to Okinawa, I don't think she knew how awesome having gymnast friends would be. She's looking into developing those friendships with her current team.
I knew that she would most likely not be able to compete level 7 when she came back, if she went to Poway Gymnastics. I tried to talk her into looking at other gyms. She didn't want to. That's another pretty cool thing about this sport, there are different avenues to try, different levels of commitment. More than likely, she'll be able to compete either level 6 or 7 in the spring. She wants to do the one that she's more likely to be successful. She has to score 2 36s in this competition season. She will also have to have the skills, perfected, that Poway gym requires of their athletes. So, we get to see 2 seasons of gymnastics in one year. Double bonus. I love watching her compete. I love watching her visualize her routines before her turn. I love the happiness in her face when she finishes and knows she "nailed it".
To all those still in Oki, just make the best of it. Keep the girls working hard, but realize that the level they attain in okinawa, is really not going to matter when they get back. Each gym is going to be different. If it keeps them happy and motivated to "level out", so be it. As long as they are safe. The part that matters is the happiness being at the gym, and being on the team brings them. It's the friendships when family is so far away.
