carry on

It hasn't felt the same.  Meet Season 2020: Soft Landing, RMI... Beach is only competing in one event. 

It's like a rock concert raging in the night has been turned turn to a gentle hum inside an elevator. 

The stress of how she is doing every day has been our main event.  

Practice has been the proving ground.  We bounce between the chiropractor and PT.  

Beach balances her workload at the gym hour by hour, day by day. Meets have become some strange pageant she's not really participating in. 

And yet the final numbers at PT were good. She is stronger and more flexible. Armed with exercises to keep her back and core strong and healthy. She was released to carry on, encouraged to fight. She is winning back one event at a time. Climbing back up the skills ladder.

Not only is she adding skills but doing it while getting her pain under control. 

No, it's not the same when you have an injured athlete.  You watch the clock working against you. The game isn't much fun.  The lessons are longer.  The work slow.  The progress never fast enough.

I am finding as we enter Travel Season it is the same.  It starts with lists of things to buy and do. House sitters, weather patterns, car snacks, Leo's... the same.  The same questions and even the same excitement. 

I hate the moments before the unknown.  The tight smiles and nervous legs. The long walk to the venues.  The first looks, the last looks, the goodbyes and good lucks.

I don't know if her watered-down vault can get her a number she would be proud of.  I know for me, seeing the last 2 scores made my heart sink. I was so sad for her.  Never disappointed but yeah, honestly sad.  It's hard to watch.

She competed a pike in the last 2 Meets (9.7 start value) both scored well below at 9.0.  Rumor is she might attempt a layout at Lady Luck. 

Each day she gets stronger.  Each day she makes gains. Little by little the Beach I know is returning. 

Snow is in the forecast for the first half of the drive. We plan to drive through it in the thinnest forecasted window we can find.  After that, well, who knows but I find myself brave enough to hope for sunny skies. 

To All the Little Giants of GTC,

Good Luck at Lady Luck! 

See you in Vegas!!!