January 19, 2019

Let's talk gymnastics...it's been awhile since we've had a heart to heart.  As my one, maybe two readers might know, Riley has some mental blocks when it comes to gymnastics.  And the more stressful life is for her, the worse the mental blocks get.  She currently has multiple mental blocks on 3 of the 4 rotations.  I don't know who is more frustrated...her parents (ie me), her high school coach (ie me), her regular coaches or her.  We have tried ignoring it, bargaining, begging, offering money and goods ;), getting mad, getting frustrated...but that girl is stubborn.  And them more we push, the more she digs her heels in.   

Some of her blocks are on vault....vault...the event she excels in.  A couple of months ago, she stopped vaulting at the height she would normally put the table.  That makes it really hard to land your vault correctly.  We have worked our way back up almost to where we were and she's winning but she can't push through that last bit.  She has a new vault that will make it possible to get through sectionals to regionals.  She can't practice it though because she can't make herself go over the vault table with it and I can't push because I don't want to set back all the way to where we were a few months ago.  SO whaddya do?

Bars are going well.  She's working her way up but has a lot of work to do.  Currently she's working a release move on bars and she just added a switch kip.

Beam is a hot mess.  She has two key moves that she needs but refuses to do.  I'm hoping some day that ends but for now, it is what it is.

And floor...she just found out that the full that she's been working on for a year is being turned in the wrong direction.  I have nothing.

She had open gym today so I was there trying to help.  I can offer some advice and I can video tape and I can encourage.  But I can also get frustrated.

She sent me a note the other day outlining the things that are stressing her out.  She has solo and ensemble in a couple of weeks.  She is doing both a solo AND an ensemble and they are both Group 1 songs.  That means that if she gets a 1 rating, she'll go on to state.  Rick is in charge of music, I'm in charge of gymnastics.  So she is getting pulled in both directions right now.  He wants her to skip practices in order to practice with her group or do her lesson.  I need her at practice and as I explain as nicely as possible...if she had a real high school coach, she wouldn't be able to skip out.  And then there is school.  She is currently taking two college level courses (AP Psych and AP English).  We meet with her counselor on Monday to schedule her senior year.  And then there is Senior year and college applications and ACT and SAT and senior pictures and jobs and oh yeah, weight training and prom.  She's the kind of kid who worries about C and D before A and B happen.

I'll keep the two of you updated. :)