The reason I was in Cincinnati last week was because Trevor had qualified for the Junior Olympics National Gymnastics competition. It’s where the best of the best come to compete at the end of each competitive season. There are a lot of coaches there, from different gyms and colleges, and there is a lot of pressure. Even if you’ve had a great season, one step, one tiny bobble and you’ve earned yourself a deduction. This shirt pretty much sums it up.
Trevor was definitely nervous. There were a lot of roosters at the meet crowing and strutting their stuff in an attempt to show that they were the alphas and that everyone else should back off. In a competition like this, there is a lot to see and there is a lot of waiting time where you watch. You watch some moves that you didn’t even think were humanly possible, and you watch kids fall and stumble, fighting back tears as they see chances lost. Gymnastics is nothing short of a tough, unforgiving sport.
In the end though, Trevor stepped up to the plate. He held his own and I got to see my chick fly through the air if only for seconds at a time.
Trevor had a few missteps and a few shaky landings. But he also had some incredible moves on his routines. Not the best meet he’s ever had but, by far, not the worst. It was, without doubt something of which he could hold his head high.
And when you are competing against the best in the United States, where even a spot on the bench is considered an honor – at the end of the day, no matter how you look at it, it’s a job well done.
