My First Gymnastics Competition
WORDS BY
Mei and Janna Morishima PHOTOGRAPHY BY
Kyo Morishima
My First Gymnastics Competition WORDS BY
Mei and Janna Morishima PHOTOGRAPHY BY
Kyo Morishima
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I am so excited. Tomorrow is my first gymnastics competition. My mom and dad and I just got to the hotel where we are staying. It is called the Trump Taj Mahal. That’s a very fancy name because it’s a very fancy hotel. I love fancy hotels. 2
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Look at the chandelier above the escalators! It’s so big. How did they hang it up there? 4
We are staying on the 33rd floor. I hope it’s a really nice room. I have to go to bed early so I am well rested for my competition tomorrow.
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Time to wake up! The first thing I’m doing is fixing my hair. I have to pull it very tight and flat, and then spray it with hairspray until it feels crunchy.
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Now I’m putting on my competition leotard. It’s shiny and purple and has diamonds all over it. (They’re not real diamonds, though.) It’s so tight that it’s hard to put on! But that’s OK. You have to have a perfect leotard with no wrinkles or bunches for the competition. I want to look good.
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Now I’m putting on my warm-up suit. It has the name of my gym on the back, and my name on the front.
It reminds me of what the Olympic gymnasts wear when they first walk into the arena. 11
We just arrived at the convention center where the competition is being held. The name of this competition is the “Starstruck Invitational.” I think that’s my favorite competition name. 12
I have to give the volunteers my name at the registration desk, and then they write my number on my hand. I have never been in such a big space for gymnastics before. 13
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I found my team! We start with warm-up exercises. Warming up is important so you don’t hurt yourself when you do your routines.
My coach, Ally, helps me change out of my warm-up suit when it’s time for the competition to start. 15
All of the teams in each division line up at the beginning of the competition. I am in the Copper division. We’re the beginners. 16
We have to salute the judges. We hold our hands up and point our fingers gracefully. 17
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We have to compete in four events: balance beam, floor, vault, and uneven bars. Our team is starting on the balance beam.
There’s a little time to practice before the judges start the competition. Our assistant coach, Brielle, has me practice my jump on the mat.
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Then we can practice on the beam. I do my jump again. I try to go as high as I can, but I have to have good form, too.
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When it’s time to stop practicing, Ally gives us some reminders. She tells us, “Keep your chin up, point your toes, and always do your best.”
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The competition has begun! When it’s my turn, I have to stand at attention until the judge signals that she is ready to watch me. I stand tall with my hands held out at my sides.
I felt a little scared when I did my jump, but I landed OK.
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I dismount with a roundoff. Oops, I didn’t keep my legs together during the dismount. The judge will take points off for that. 24
But I stick my landing and salute the judge proudly. I hope I get a good score. 25
Our next event is floor. Ally tells us in what order we’ll be doing our routines. 26
It’s practice time again. I practice my roundoff on a floor mat next to the competition area. 27
After practice time is over, the floor judge calls us over to her table so she can say hello to us. She is 28
friendly and says, “Good luck, guys!” When she’s finished talking, we give her our best salutes. 29
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Now it’s my turn. I show the judge I’m ready by saluting again, and then I walk into the middle of the floor.
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The song for our floor routine is Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance.” At the beginning of our routine, we have to shake our hips to the beat. It’s a fun way to start.
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At the end of the routine, I have to do a handstand. Like always, I have to keep my legs perfectly straight and point my toes.
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The next event is vault. Since we are beginners, we vault onto a pile of mats, not a vaulting table like the more advanced gymnasts. Vault is the hardest event for me. You have to sprint down the runway and then keep perfect form as you flip over in the air. Sometimes I have a hard time keeping my whole body perfectly straight.
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Wow, I can’t believe the competition is almost over! It’s time for our last event, which is uneven bars. I wish there were more events. I am having so much fun! 38
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Just like with the vault, we don’t use the equipment the same way as the advanced gymnasts. For the uneven bars, we only use the bottom bar, not both bars. When it’s my turn, I wait patiently until the judge is ready. Then I salute and begin.
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We start our bar routine with two back hip circles around the bar.
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We end with a soul circle: we open up our legs and put our feet on the bar, then jump off and land on both feet.
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Yay! I stuck my landing. I’m so excited. I got my highest score for the day on uneven bars. I got a 9.55!
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After our whole team is finished with the uneven bars, we change into our warm-up suits again and go out to meet our moms and dads and 46
grandparents. Everybody is taking pictures of us. Brielle gives all of us a big hug. She makes us feel great. 47
We have some time before the award ceremony, so we stay in the arena and watch some of the older girls compete. 48
That’s the Bronze team from our gym. We wave at them and cheer. They’re vaulting on the real vault. 49
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Now it’s time to walk over to the room where the organizers give out the awards. Our whole team sits together on the floor at the front of the room.
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Finally the announcements begin. I am so happy when they call my name and give me a medal.
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I got second place for balance beam and uneven bars, fifth place for floor, and fourth place all-around. 54
Our team won second place. I have so many medals around my neck. It feels great! 55
When it’s all over, we pose for pictures. 56
Of course we like to make silly faces together. 57
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I love my coaches Ally and Brielle. They are always helping me get better and cheering me on. I can’t wait to hang all my medals in my room at home. I hope I get lots more!
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I was so excited, I didn’t think I would fall asleep on the way home. But I guess I did.
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