Third Meet

Last weekend was Sweet Pea's third meet of the year, and once again it was an in-person meet. But this time her competition began at 8 am, and since it was quite a long distance away she and I had to stay overnight at a nearby hotel.

I wasn't super comfortable staying at a hotel, but we kept to ourselves and made the most of it. I've never taken an overnight trip with just one of the kids before, so it was special for both of us. We walked on the beach (even though it was freezing cold and my toes went numb), wandered around to look at the sights, and took a dip in the (indoor, heated) pool before bedtime. 

First thing the next morning, we were up early to do hair and get to the meet. Once again, Sweet Pea put her game face on and focused her laser-sharp intensity on the task at hand. "You really need to stop talking so much," said her coach dryly.

When the day was done, Sweet Pea had run the table on silver. She took second in every event, and second all-around. She scored in the 9.5's for every event. Talk about consistency!

Notice her eyes are completely shut as she vaults? How fascinating!

(Interesting note: her point total actually tied her for first all-around. But in the event of a tie, the judges select the gymnast who had the highest point total in any one event. Since the other gymnast scored a 9.75 on bars, she got the all-around gold and Sweet Pea got the silver.)

There was an awards ceremony afterwards. Sweet Pea's coach encouraged us to participate, since it was her first time, and I'm glad we did. Sweet Pea came home with another five medals to add to her collection, and she heard her name announced over and over. She wasn't as excited about her results this time, because she didn't win any golds, but I reminded her that most of the girls don't get anything. Five silvers is amazing! (Additionally, she got the highest point total of all the 23 girls on her team. That's another thing to be proud of!)

Direct link to video: https://youtu.be/SK2JEe-zgSw

Congrats, Sweet Pea! It's so nice to see your hard work paying off!

Vault: 9.500 (2nd)
Bars: 9.525 (2nd)
Beam: 9.550 (2nd)
Floor: 9.500 (2nd)
All Around: 38.075 (2nd)