5th at State!

PHOTOS: By Brady Held

Well, we have now survived our first State Tumbling meet. We learned alot about our girl- her tenacity, grace and sportsmanship. We arrived Saturday morning to Vets Auditorium in Des Moines. It's a large auditorium where concerts and state touneys are held. Her eyes were wide as she walked in and saw the crowd and size. First up was tramp- an event she is very strong in. I could only walk her to the door & she was on her own with a couple of teammates but literally could not smile any wider if she tried. Her pass was beautiful however her nervousness caused her to lose track & she did one skill twice. Unfortunately, her score stopped there (mid-way). She knew immediately and sat down & hugged her knees while my heart broke. But not for long as within a few minutes her teammate was terminated and in tears. Kenzie was immediately more concerned for Kelly's tears- patting her and reassuring her they would be back next year. The afternoon was the double mini and the flip dismount which has caused her so much trouble this year. Again, she was just pleased as punch just to be there and all smiles as she was called. Pass 1 was strong & pass 2 was even better but alas she just could not get up the nerve to flip off on pass 3. She reassured us she was OK and seemed to be. We talked about doing her very best and trying, even if she needed spotted. As long as she felt she did her best, we couldn't be prouder. So Sunday dawned & it was the day for floor- a tough event. Again, she surprised us with a sunny attitude and determination. She astounded us with two strong passes- much better than we had seen her do this event ever. She was rewarded with 5th place and she was tickled pink. She was even more thrilled when an older teammate became a 3X state champ as well as one of the 6 year olds on her team. While she won't be going to nationals (her dream), she gained a great deal of experience & is already planning her summer at the gym.

Now that this is through, she is concentrating on singing her solo this Sunday at 4pm at Redeemer Idol. She practiced yesterday with her pianist and "miked up." She shocked her Sunday School teacher who couldn't help but peek in to watch. The pianist just happened to have a beautiful arrangement of America the Beautiful written for her age. I was a bit nervous as the piano does not follow the melody but she nailed it. To sing, she will be front & center on the altar. She is a bit nervous but very excited.

Brady has started Little League practices and cannot WAIT for May.

Hey Jules- cute boy :).

See ya!