A Solid End to the Season...Now it's Time to Sleep!

So, last week I raved about how I'd gotten to relax and catch up. It was wonderful. This week? Well this week was a completely different story. It's a good thing I had that catch-up week, because this last one was a doozy. Where do I even begin?


Last Monday, we had a training day at school. Gymnastics was canceled at the last minute, so Charley and I took it easy most of the night. Students came back to school on Tuesday, and that was interesting, as I had expected. You never know what you're going to get, when students return from a break, and the week started off with a bang. My kids were actually pretty good, they were just out of their routine, so re-establishing expectations was one of my top priorities. At some point during the day, I got a phone call asking if I could coach after school. Most of the time, I limit myself to coaching two nights a week, but my girls had their state meet this weekend, and I wanted to make sure they got practice time in, so I agreed... I was also asked to get my USAG certification so I could be on the floor for the competition. Generally, I go to meets to watch, and stand on the sidelines coaching from a distance like a backseat driver. That leaves me with the flexibility to leave, when Charley starts to get antsy. So, I started my USAG certification, which includes a couple of online classes and a background check. The classes took a couple of hours (because I have so much spare time), but I knew the background check would be an issue. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a criminal and I'm not worried about passing a background check. But I've lived in three counties in the last seven years, and all three counties have to report to USAG before a background check will go through. When I started working at the school, it took three weeks to clear! So I knew it would be a long shot to have the certification cleared before Friday, but it was worth a shot.

Anyway, Tuesdays are not usually a gym night for me, so agreeing to coach meant I had to leave school, go straight to pick up Charley and race to the gym at 4:30. I coached as long as I could, then threw Charley's dance clothes on her and flew out the door to drive 45 minutes to dance. We got there late, but it didn't matter, because the girls were all trying on their recital costumes which were totally adorable.  As crazy as the day was, watching Charley dance made it all worth it. She was so adorable in her little costume, dancing away with a huge smile on her face. She was pretty good, too!

Wednesday and Thursday were busier than usual. School was getting back in the swing of things, but I ended up coaching both nights, trying to prepare the gymnasts I work with for their last meet of the season, and I really had a lot to do to make sure they were ready. I had a parent tell me today, "You were amazing at practice last week. You were correcting one girl on bars, then another on floor, then someone on vault, all in the same breath!" Well...that's coaching. It's all about multi-tasking. "It's a good thing I have ADHD and can concentrate on 30 things at the same time," I replied, and she just laughed. I was grateful for the compliment, particularly because I felt like I was kind of all over the place last week. The girls worked hard, but I didn't necessarily get a chance to give ALL of them the one-on-one attention I would've like to, because there were so many girls and so little time!

When Friday rolled around, I felt like I was as prepared as I could be. I knew it would be a long day, because I had to find a sub at the school, and be on the competition floor at the Minneapolis Convention Center by 8 a.m. I dropped Charley off at school, and headed toward the cities. This competition was different from many others, because the girls are broken up by levels AND age groups, which meant that I basically had girls in every session...all weekend. Friday started out great. The most advanced girls I work with competed throughout the day, and they did really well. They made small changes, applied corrections, and their scores reflected those improvements. I was proud to be a part of that day with them. By 5:00, I had to leave to pick up Charley, and when we got home, all we did was relax on the couch and play Memory. It was perfect.

Charley choreographs her own routines when she tags along...

Saturday, we were back at it at 8 a.m. Charley had to tag along, because she doesn't have child care on the weekend, and honestly...she LOVES going to meets. Saturday's competition went well, but there wasn't as much excitement as Friday, because there weren't as many girls competing at a time. That said, they also did really well and made a lot of improvements. We got home around 8:30 last night, and went straight to bed knowing we'd have to be back in Minneapolis at 8:00 this morning. I slept like a rock last night and woke up with a lot more energy than I did yesterday.

Charley and I got to the gym just before the girls started their warmup. They were nervous, but excited and definitely ready to go. I had two groups competing today, and most of the girls who competed this morning were my little ones, some as young as 6. They are so stinking cute, even if they mess up it doesn't matter because they're just so little and adorable. Overall, they did incredibly well. I wouldn't say it was anybody's best meet ever. They were definitely more nervous than they'd been in the past, but they did a wonderful job. In fact, today's girls, most of whom had never competed before this year, took second place in the state as a team. That was pretty incredible, and a nice reminder as to why I love to coach. At the end of the weekend, several girls I work with finished with first place awards, many placed in the top ten, and almost everyone walked away with an award. Overall, it was a very successful weekend.

We went to my dad and Scott's after the meet, and visited for awhile. Charley talked my dad into taking her to pick up a cupcake at her favorite bakery, that's just around the corner from his house. She's very convincing when there's a cupcake to be had. It was nice to catch up, and since we made it home we've been planted on the couch. I wouldn't be surprised if we both crash here all night. It's just so comfortable... Ha! I texted one of my coaching friends and asked if she thought anybody would mind if I canceled practiced tomorrow night. While I could definitely make it into the gym, my mom-guilt is settling in, and I think I need a night at home with Charley. She is such a trooper and tags along with me all the time...and she really does love the excitement of being in the gym. But let's face it, my life has been pretty much consumed with gymnastics for nearly an entire week and I haven't gotten to spend the quality time with her that I wanted to. Actually, that's the reason I'd stayed out of coaching competitive gymnastics for so long, since she and I moved back to MN. It's very consuming of my time and energy. But I love it. As much as I've tried to distance myself from coaching at different points in my career, it's something I really love to do, and I'm not sure I'll ever be out of the game. However...Tomorrow night, Charley and I will be at home. No gymnastics for one night. I'm not sure if we'll be playing Candyland or dress-up, but one way or another we'll be having fun. On that note, it's 7:30 and I'm... ready for bed? Actually...yeah! Have a great week, everybody!