It didn’t quite feel like an important competition until my dad and I made our way into the coliseum; I got a rush of adrenaline as I saw the hundreds of determined athletes, thousands of chairs, and the big screen in the middle that would display the scores. The parents were starting to gather in the seats, fighting over the ones in front, and the gymnasts and coaches were on the floor preparing for the competition to begin. Every one of the gymnasts was judgmental of the people around them, convinced that they were the best. I could practically feel the cruel glares being sent my way as I descended the stairs to the floor of the arena. When I got to the bottom I paused for a moment to pray before I went to go meet up with my team; “Dear God, please help me to perform my very best despite my ankle. Please give me the power to push through the pain, the concentration to block out the deafening noise and focus on my own actions, and please keep me and all the competitors safe today as we do what we love. Thank you for this opportunity and help me to just have fun no matter what the outcome is. Amen.” I then spotted my teammate Grace waving to me from across the floor with her glowing smile and I ran over to her excited for the competition to start. When I got to her we hugged and I said, “Hey girl! We’re going to do great. I’m super excited,
It didn’t quite feel like an important competition until my dad and I made our way into the coliseum; I got a rush of adrenaline as I saw the hundreds of determined athletes, thousands of chairs, and the big screen in the middle that would display the scores. The parents were starting to gather in the seats, fighting over the ones in front, and the gymnasts and coaches were on the floor preparing for the competition to begin. Every one of the gymnasts was judgmental of the people around them, convinced that they were the best. I could practically feel the cruel glares being sent my way as I descended the stairs to the floor of the arena. When I got to the bottom I paused for a moment to pray before I went to go meet up with my team; “Dear God, please help me to perform my very best despite my ankle. Please give me the power to push through the pain, the concentration to block out the deafening noise and focus on my own actions, and please keep me and all the competitors safe today as we do what we love. Thank you for this opportunity and help me to just have fun no matter what the outcome is. Amen.” I then spotted my teammate Grace waving to me from across the floor with her glowing smile and I ran over to her excited for the competition to start. When I got to her we hugged and I said, “Hey girl! We’re going to do great. I’m super excited,