The feeling of flight
The Adrenalin
The Rush
The moment
A split second of thoughts,
That feels like a lifetime’s
You are immersed in your own world
A world where,
Only yourself,
And the mat below you matters
To someone looking on
It’s only that,
A moment,
It is simply a second in time
One that is blended into all the others
And individually,
Contains no real significance
But to a tumbler,
in all these little moments
Your stresses
Your worries,
And your fears disappear
That is,
Until you hit the mat below
And the feeling of success fades away
And all these little moments
Become just that,
Moments.
Patience is a man’s greatest virtue,
or so the saying goes.
A gymnast must have said it,
for a gymnast surely knows!
That in this funny sport of ours,
discouragement runs high.
And even the very best will find
this virtue has passed us by.
When hands are ripped and throbbing,
when every muscle’s sore,
will a gymnast still have patience
to limp in the gym for more?
When you’ve lost old moves
and progress seems slow,
will you still have faith in better days,
and not feel sad and low?
Can you admit your frightened,
yet not give in to fear?
Can you conquer pain and frustration
and often even tears?
When someone else does something,
you’ve tried so long to do…
can you still be happy for her,
or just self-pitty for you?
And when success seems far away,
your efforts all in vain,
can you force yourself to wear a smile
and disregaurd the pain?
If despite the pain and tribulations,
you can say “I won’t give in”
Maybe some day you’ll discover
that its now your time to win.
I wait and wait and there I go,
Jump out there but I start out slow.
Picking up speed
Hoping to take lead,
I go higher and higher
Feeling weightless
All eyes on me
Hoping to see
A winning smile,
While my life depends on this.
Nobody knows how I feel,
Making my way through the floor
Will I stick it or land short?
Almost done,
Here it comes
I feel my body sink,
But stand tall.
Smile, salute, wave,
These are the moments I crave
An excellent poem on a most important subject. Every competitive gymnastics coach can relate.
For gymnasts everywhere who for various reasons have had to move on…Hold on to all the good things this sport has given to you….and you will be courageous, focused, strong, confident, dedicated…you have been amazing…you will always be special…and you are ready for life’s challenges and adventures.
E-mail me if you need to know why I asked if the squirrel was blind
Charlie Amerosa
Just Like You
When we first met you were so little, too scared to utter a single word
Not much muscle and no split to speak of, as helpless as a baby bird
But there was a flicker in your eyes, a determined look on your face
And as your light grew brighter, your home became this place
Seven years later you’re a special young lady, with a strong and confident glow
And you have etched moments in my mind, some of which I’ve wanted you to know
Almost Three thousand hours of training, medals, podiums and now Jr. high
It has been quite amazing and sometimes painful, to watch you learn to fly
I would talk and you would just stare, your eyes wet and glistening
Not knowing what you were thinking, or if you were even listening
Watching you from afar, still on the floor when everyone else was done
Trying again and again to kick over from a bridge, to you this was serious fun
There was the stunned look on your face, after you made your first kip
And then the panic in your eyes, because what followed….your first rip
Watching front handspring front tuck, you landing on your behind
Finally you stood one up, I asked you if the squirrel was blind
Your working back tuck on floor kept me awake for a few nights
But you figured out the timing and I watched as you reached new heights
You would wipe your hands on your legs, while standing frozen on beam
You flew up and stuck a back-handspring, and asked me “Is this a dream?â€
When you’re being coached hard and your eyes get wet, but you refuse to cry
When you’re excited about a new skill and you keep asking for one more try
When you’re not grouped with your friends but still determined to have a great night
When you won’t look at me as I’m coaching you and I know we’re in for a fight
When I hear the thump, you’re on the ground, but you say it wasn’t you who fell
When I see you drag a suitcase bigger than you are, into the lobby of the hotel
When you’re on the podium leaning forward for your medal, such a beautiful smile
When you truly expressed yourself in your floor routine, it made it all worthwhile
When you knew what mat I like to use, so you always made sure it was in place
When you greet a competitor you’ve known for years, with a warm little gym embrace
When your beam routine looked like an oil painting, you were seriously in the zone
When I see that frustrated look on your face, and I know it means to leave you alone
When I overheard two young gymnasts who were sitting quietly watching you
One whispered, “I want to be just like her†and her teammate replied “ Oh me tooâ€
Then they darted off to the side, trying to imitate the dance in your routine
And I thought to myself, that is the greatest compliment I have ever seen
There have been so many great moments, and heartbreaking ones too
Your Mom’s face at a meet in the city, she has always been so proud of you
Walking perfectly in line with your teammates, you’ve been with them for so long
And they love you and treat you like a sister, to them you can do no wrong
So maybe you’re not as naturally gifted as some other girls may be
You’ve had to work a lot harder, you’re skills never came for free
But the results are truly astounding, in both your body and your mind
You’re strong and fit and focused, your stars are all perfectly aligned
But lately…I could feel that something was just not right
You seemed a little unhappy during training each night
It was becoming clear, you didn’t want to be here
And every now and then, I thought I might have seen a tear
I knew your knee was giving you some pain
The doctor said maybe it was a ligament sprain
But you weren’t working too hard, even after a month of rest
And I wondered to myself why you seemed to be depressed
I asked you if maybe it was about having some fears
And as you answered me, you had to fight off some tears
“I’m not afraid of giants if that’s what you thinkâ€
“I will be ok†you assured me, and you gave me a wink
And now a few weeks later you say you think you’re done
That it’s not in your heart anymore, its no longer any fun
“I’m almost 13 now, there are other things in my lifeâ€
And hearing those words, cut through me like a knife
I know how important your friends are to you
How it feels good to chat and go out at night too
I know the gym can be hard, some nights don’t go so well
And you can’t remember the last time, you rang the new skill bell
How your body hurts at night and the next day at school
How some coaches can sometimes seem a little bit cruel
But it’s being a gymnast that has separated you from the rest
And for years, after so much hard work, you have passed every test
I know I can’t change your mind, so I’ll take your picture off my shelf
Because this isn’t the kind of sport you can do for anyone but yourself
So you’re free from the hard work and pressure, now go and have some fun
But remember it will be hard to compare, to what you already have done
Please for the rest of your life, be proud of what you have achieved
And I will always be proud of you, and grateful for the gifts I received
The pure gift of knowing you and coaching you, I learned so much as you grew
Under “This is how a gymnast behavesâ€, the textbook shows…a picture of you!
You’ve been gone for a few weeks now and the gyms not the same
Your teammates are a little quiet, they don’t mention your name
Not because they are angry or disappointed, its just part of healing
You were a joy and a role model to them, they have an empty feeling
I’m going to miss you amazing girl, especially your warm smile
I’m sure I’ll feel better about it, but it’s going to take a little while
A new season is approaching, and of course there’s a new baby bird
And last night, just like you, the little one…didn’t utter a single word
Thanks and Happy New Year to Charlie Amerosa who submitted a poem describing the experience of a gymnast overcoming a fear problem.
The Beast
Homework is done, time to get in the car
Back out of the driveway, the gym’s not that far
Heading down the road, my stomach’s in a knot
What group will I have, do they know I need a spot?
Slouching in the back seat, staring out into space
I used to be excited, but now that’s not the case
Mom interrupts, “let’s go honey, we’re running a bit lateâ€
I snap out of my trance, not feeling too great.
Walking through the door, my palms feeling wet
Nodding at some friends, stretch hasn’t started just yet
Put my bag in the cubby, then on the floor to run,
My eyes glance at beam, this wont be much fun
You see I’m level 7 now and struggling with a new skill
I’m not even 12 years old, but I feel over the hill
It’s the back handspring on beam that’s dragging me down
Haven’t smiled in weeks, have a permanent frown
The groups have been split, level 7’s to BEAM
It could not have been worse, it’s like a bad dream
As we walk on over, I stare at the beast
Of all the events, I love you the least
Coach’s eyes meet mine, “go warm up your backâ€
“What a great opportunity, to get you on trackâ€
Does he know that I’m scared, having a panic attack?
I have the desire, it’s the courage I lack
It’s my turn to go, I’m trying not to cry
My eyes feel wet, my throat is so dry
As I climb on the beam, my mind filled with fears
I set to go and….get nothing but tears
As a tear hits the beam, I’m in a frozen trance
My heart wants to go, my mind says no chance
Coach says “get down, let me explain something to youâ€
“When level 10’s are afraid, this is what they doâ€
“They SET and they GO, they don’t stop to thinkâ€
“Their arms go up, they jump back in a blinkâ€
“They tighten their mind, if they hesitate they knowâ€
“The fear will get in, then they just won’t goâ€
“Use your natural ability, you’ll know what to doâ€
“You have to trust yourself, as much as we trust youâ€
“Take a deep breath, and so there’s no misunderstandingâ€
“The only thought you should have, is to stick your landingâ€
Back up on the beam, moving kind of slow
My mind starts racing, then I hear “Set…goâ€
Wipe my hands on my legs, raise my arms over head
This is the moment I always freeze, but this time, instead..
I flew up, arched back, my hands hit just right
As I fly over, I push hard and I fight to stay tight
And in an instant, and to the amazement of all
I had done a back handspring, I did not fall!
My teammates are all cheering, from coach a warm smile
I stuck it, I stuck it, I’m staying up here a while!
So the beast is gone, and now I love beam
It was in me the whole time, or so it would seem
Even though “SET…GO helped me, to get over my fear
There was something special, that I needed to hear
I knew all along, what I was supposed to do
But what really gave me courage, were the words “We trust youâ€
