Laughing With Di – September 2018

by | Aug 29, 2018 | Gifts from the Heart

Killer, Troll, Rocky, Bubbles, Kit Kat, Tigger, Campbell Soup, Care Bear . . . this is not the line up for the next GLOW (Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling) event. They are nicknames for a team of gymnasts ranging in age from seven to 10. There is nothing funny about gymnastics – it is serious business – so I guess I will have to silly it up.
Let’s have a laugh….
Our granddaughter’s Santa Clarita Gym recently held an in-house gymnastics meet where family and friends were invited.
You are in the realm of perfect hair buns in hair bands and matching leo’s on tiny little girls doing explosive, big things. They all stand together like a bevy of beauties talking, giggling and laughing… what can they be saying?
A variety of colored mats are arranged helter-skelter around the gym floor. Guests pick their spots and sit on the mats. As the events change from floor exercises to bars, to beams and to the vault, people and their mats just follow along. Everyone joins in to do the heavy lifting. Ever watched a line of ants picking up and moving a giant object? It’s the same when twenty little girls swarm around a huge mat and in unison lift it and move it while on tippy-toes. This is definitely the time for family to embarrass their girls by wearing T-shirts with sparkly words about how much they are loved, hoot and yell, make noise and take photos.
All of a sudden, a little leg appears from in between mats and you realize it belongs to a child (probably a brother) who emerges with a big grin on his face. Little brothers and sisters have to be very, very patient at a gym meet. They must be quiet as mice and occupy themselves for almost three hours. Impossible you say?
Our stars have moments on the bars and the beam of intense concentration when they are absolutely perfect. But then, a little body will wobble, miss a grip or lose balance always maintaining their smiling faces.
Floor exercises are expressive. As you move up a level, the dance routine music changes. Moms and dads now have a whole new tune they hear repeating over and over in their sleep. Three flips, a two-foot landing, a final flourish, falling gracefully to the floor; each performance ends with a tilt of the head and a “pretty hands” pose.
The vault? Scary. All practice first by running very fast and when they come to the vault they go either to the right or to the left, turn around, and run back. It is very loud and chaotic and they all laugh.
The event starts and our fearless gymnast raises both arms and she’s off and running to the “X” that marks the spot to jump, lift up, arms extended, hit the vault, do a back flip and stick the landing… without a bun hair out of place! 
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Dianne Walker