Thursday I checked the kids out at 2 because Mo was getting on the road with her daddy and I. It was State time and we decided to leave the T and H with Mimi and Boo Boo. Turner wanted to go, but we decided to drive to Knoxville, compete, and head straight home. That didn't sound like something a 6 year old would enjoy to me. He also didn't need to miss another day of school.
This is the first time we have gone somewhere with only 1 kid in tow. I think Maddie enjoyed the 1 on 1 time and it made the drive a breeze. We stopped in Linden at the Log Cabin for dinner. It was good and Maddie had an upset stomach. This year nerves have definitely gotten the best of her. We had to stop a few times on the way. We got to the hotel around 10:30 and didn't wasted any time getting ready for bed.
We all slept till about 8 and I was so glad Maddie got a good night's rest. Daddy took her to breakfast while I got ready. Once everyone was ready we headed to the convention center. Her meet started at 11. She was nervous but ready to go. She started on bars, beam, floor, and ended on vault.
It was an emotional meet. She did great on bars and floor and placed 2nd in both. Beam has been a huge struggle for her this year. She has to fight to stay on and the last meet she managed to do so, but did the wrong dismount. Friday she hung on the whole time and did the right dismount. We were screaming, jumping with joy proud of her, and almost in tears. The smile on her face said it all-she was so proud of herself. Then we saw her score....8.4. It was her lowest score of the season, lower than when she had fallen in the past. We still don't know why she scored so low, but it definitely hurt her feelings.
She managed to pick herself up and do well on the floor and then came vault. I have watched it on tape 20 times and still don't know what went wrong. But she scored an 8.95, her lowest vault score to date. After that score, the crying began. It is a big deal for gymnasts to keep a positive attitude and not fall apart during a competition. You dont want to rattle the other gymnasts and it is important to be a good sport. I kept looking at her and trying to tell her it was ok from across the gym. She looked defeated and it broke our heart.
She ended up 5th overall and this was her least successful meet of the season. You can't win all the time. You aren't going to win all the time. It is a good lesson for our very competitive, determined daughter to learn. She looked so sour on the stage getting her 11th place vault medal and 9th place beam medal. I could have strangled her. All season we have talked about the importance of both winning and losing gracefully. I say this all the time, but it is so important to me that she be humble and proud of herself through the wins and losses. She didn't place high on the beam, but she did what was asked of her and tried her best. You can't do or ask for anything else.
All that to say, I don't know what is next for her. She has talked of quitting and we have the week off from gym. Next week we have a parents meeting to see what the year will bring. The manager called me a few weeks ago saying they wanted her to start training level 5. They thought she would be able to skip level 4, but would decide for sure in the fall. I haven't told Maddie this yet and don't know how it would affect her decision. We are just praying for clarity, for what would be best for not only Maddie, but our whole family.
Glad to have the week of Easter off and just be at home as a family.
After the meet we headed home. We ate lunch at Cracker Barrell and were ready to see T and H. About an hour from home traffic stopped. We did not move for 2 HOURS. I can't tell you how thankful I was to only have 1 kid with us and not 3. It was not fun. A cargo truck caught on fire and I pray everyone was ok. It was almost 11 before we made it home and Turner and Harper stayed an extra night at Mimi and Boo Boo's. We headed to bed because M and T's first soccer game was in the morning.
It has been a busy few months of traveling and looking forward to weekends at home.
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