ROCKS GYMNASTICS

Last Summer when I met Dublin Coffman High School's head Gymnastics Coach, Julie Kayser, I had no idea that the offer to be her Assistant Coach would be something that I loved and treasured so much. At the time, I knew I was going to be swamped with my job as I don't work your standard 9-5, and I knew it had been a LONG time (12 years) since I'd stepped foot near an uneven bar (beam or vault for that matter)!! But there's one thing I knew for sure; that I loved gymnastics dearly & after being a competitive gymnast for 16 years, I was ready to give it my best shot! Luckily, the 10.0 start value didn't change in high school as it has at the college & Olympic level & MOST things have stayed the same (judges now pick the best vault between the two vs. averaging the scores & alot of A's are now B's & B's C's, etc) but that's nothing my handy dandy red rule book cant figure out for me. I've had the pleasure of putting my creativity to use & choreographing many of the Dublin Jerome & Coffman girls floor routines & have surprisingly not 'lost it' as much as I thought I would. After about the fifth trial of attempting old skills, I learned that I'm already too old & too out of shape to even 'go there', which is sad. BUT, my #1 goal this year was to do a kip, and I did it the second try. So BOOM, take that old decrepit bod. HA!

Turns out, the girls are so sweet & beyond talented. They are receptive to corrections & work hard. We have so much more talent than I ever expected & are currently tied for 1st in the OCC with Olentangy which we'll know who takes first this Saturday after our OCC Championship meet. I've learned how to be a coach who balances being focused & being strict with one who has fun & personalizes with the girls. Going into it, I thought it would be alot like club, but its actually FUN & much less abrasive, which is a relief in the world of Gymnastics.

I've been the most surprised at how much I love these girls. They have all taken on many relationship forms from friend to sister to daughter-like, & i'm warmed each time they ask me (frequently) if i'm coming back next year. When I say 'of course, the only way I'm leaving is if my job demands that of me', they all begin to form ideas of why I should stay for always, which makes my heart swell. Dear God, please send me a girl oneday. I've always known I wanted a girl (or 2 or 3, ha) but that's now a MUST after working with these wonderful ladies. It's been a long season & I'm ready to have more than a day a week spent with my husband, but demanding schedule aside, I'm already looking forward to next season.

GO SHAMROCKS!!