Random Writing 29.09.2017

Dangerous sports banned? I think not! All sports have a manner of danger within them, so then all sports would be banned. A few examples of ‘dangerous’ sports are gymnastics; gymnastics is classified as a ‘dangerous’ because you have to have extreme strength to be able to flip yourself around. You spend anywhere from 12 to 30 hours a week training skills that if you don’t do correctly you can severely injure yourself but it isn’t as ‘dangerous’ as everyone thinks because in your trainings you learn how to protect yourself and how to do these skills properly. Cheerleading is also classified as a ‘dangerous’ sport; cheerleading you need to be strong in order to lift your teammate but as it is in gymnastics you spend so many hours learning the correct technique so you don’t put yourself or your team members in danger. Being a flyer in cheerleading you need to have extreme flexibility. Even netball, football, and rugby has danger within it, rugby you tackle people to the ground, football you are kicking a ball as hard as you can and netball you are passing a ball as fast as possible and trying to get it off the opposing team, which can result in contact. All sports have danger in them if you ban one you’ll have to ban them all.

Big Break.

Walking into the newly built gymnasium with Kenzie, it was terrifying, all we could see were gymnasts warming their skills up, coaches standing around watching. We both looked at each other. I whispered to her “We’ve got this. This is just like training. Easy as! Trust yourself and our training. We’ve got this.” I started thinking to myself “this is the start.” The start of the addiction. For the first time since the accident I’d got back on the beam I'd be risking it all. The first time the skills I’d trained on the floor beam would happen, or maybe they wouldn’t. Gymnastics hadn’t felt the same since the accident, I hadn’t been the same. I never had the strength or courage to get back on beam, I never thought I would either.

We started walking onto the floor, Kenzie and I held hands. We stood there nervously waiting, waiting for our names to be called. Over the big speakers we finally heard, “Representing Christchurch School Of Gymnastics West, Kenzie Smith and Haylee Goodman.” We stepped forward, waved our hands around. The crowd cheering us on. It never gets old, it never gets boring, we both love it so much! The rotation was announced, we have beam first. My stomach dropped, I felt so sick, everything started spinning. We slowly walk towards the beam, I nervously look at Kenz, she grabs my hand, gives it a squeeze and smiles at me, everything feels okay for a brief moment.

It was my turn. I slowly walked over to the beam. I looked at the newly branded beam, trying to control my emotions and fear. I look up at the judges, and smile. The flag goes up, and I zone out. All I can see is the beam, next thing I know, my arms are in the air presenting to the judges. I jump into my mount. It feels as if everyone had stopped everything just to watch my beam. I’d stuck my first two skills, my eyes getting blurrier and blurrier with every dance move closer to my back handspring. The last dance move, it was time for my final skill, I looked down at the beam for what felt like an eternity, I felt the warm tear drops roll down my face, I watched as they hit the beam. My left foot moves behind my right, my arms swing beside my ears. I cleared my mind.

I started to count down “3-2-1” I didn’t move, I started again “5-4- my arms swung by my face, “-3-” hit my legs, swinging back towards my face; “-2-1” I felt my feet leave the beam. Thud. My arms hit the beam, I felt like I was floating, like nothing bad could happen. My head moved, I started to watch my feet come down. My head lifted, my arms swung into a present. The crowd started to cheer, the judges put their heads down writing away, my scorecard went to my coach, she glanced down to have a peep; I watched the smile on her face form. As my coach looked up at me, I felt the butterflies start to come back; she didn’t say anything.

We walked to floor for prize giving. Kenz and I sat next to each other, she grabbed my hand and said “We’ll be okay,” She paused, looking around “Everything is going to be okay, you’ve done amazing!” Everyone started coming down from upstairs. The gym suddenly felt tiny, and for the first time today I felt like I wasn’t in control, I hated feeling like that. They started announcing the placings on Bar, then went to Beam; everything felt like it went blurry, I couldn’t feel anything then someone grabs me from behind, and whispers “You’ve got this in the bag.” I couldn’t work out who it was. It clicked, my old coach Tammy, came down to watch. They started with Gold, then went onto announce Elite, they’d finished. Everything went back into slow motion, Age Group finally got announced. “In third place for Beam from Christchurch School Of Gymnastics Zoe Donnelly, in second place for Beam from Christchurch School Of Gymnastics Kenzie Smith, and in first place for Beam from Christchurch School Of Gymnastics Haylee Goodman!” All three of us got up to get our medals, we waved at the crowd as they cheered us on.