:)

Last weekend I had a get-together, well a mini get-together with my old gymnastics friends. By old I mean we have been friends for a long time and not so much that we are old……

We were 4 including myself, one of which I see on a regular basis and the other two every some odd years. However no matter how long it’s been it never feels like anything has changed. In a matter of minutes it’s like we’re 10 years old again (minus the pink spandex) talking about our next competition, our coaches, the other girls on the team…..wondering what we shouldn’t eat but the fabulous thing now is that we can eat whatever we want and not be forced into a spandex gym suit afterwards.....

People ask me if I’ll ever enroll my kids in gym. Then I ask I have kids??? I didn’t know this!!! (kidding) So my imaginary maybe in the future daughters will I place them in a sport that makes you hate your body, makes you feel insecure about yourself and how you look to the point where you’ll never be normal again…..a sport that takes 150% of your free time……my answer is YES every time. Not because of all the evils of what it is to practice a competitive and highly image-based sport but because I can honestly say that my years in gymnastics were some of the happiest in my life.


The fact is I love the sport, were there days when I didn’t want to go to practice and once there was lazy and just wanted to leave? Sure not just days but weeks and months really but then there were those when it was just you and your apparatus and your music and just a sort of free expression of who you are. All this combined with all the great moments with the girls you grow up with, I think I saw some of my gym-mates more than my mom at times. Something about having this sportsmanship in common makes for a very unique type of bond.


Today our lives have changed so much but something about our dynamic when we are together is very much the same. So one of us is now the proud owner of a ranch (well 2 horses for now) where we gathered for the weekend. We watched old videos and laughed at ourselves recalling all those little details that made it so special…..God I hated that suit, God I hated that music and this routine was terrible! I was sick that day…..remember that day ******** couldn’t stop yelling at me…..wow I wish I had practiced more for this comp. Why didn’t we compete more with our group routine? Why was I wearing pink spandex at an age where pink spandex is beyond acceptable…..oh God I tucked my sweat pants into my boots…..and so many more.

Erika thank you for hosting at your very beautiful place and I look forward to many more gatherings