2008 USAs Preparation

News - Sat 17th May 2008 3. 10PM

My preparation for the USA Championships seems surreal. Ten weeks ago I suffered an injury to my thumb. My first thought was, "let's try to move my thumb, everything will be okay". After unsuccessfully trying to move my thumb I thought my career was over. I called up a friend and thirty minutes later I was told my x-rays were negative. Hope. A few days later I was told I suffered a major tear in the most important ligament in my thumb. My two options were: cast my thumb for four weeks, or train through it and it would take up to eight weeks to heal. With the qualifier for USAs only six weeks away my choice was easy; train through the pain. With the help of ATC Emery Hill, we got on a plan to heal my thumb and train for qualifier. Six weeks later I hit six for six at the US Qualifier, qualified to USA Championships and won the meet. Ten weeks ago I thought my eighteen year career was at an end and now I am more ready for USAs than I have ever been. The one thing I know for sure is that I am stronger now more than ever, having gone through the highs and lows of the past few years.

The photo for this post is from www.gymnastjournal.com, where I track my workouts and take notes. It shows my Hits/Misses from the last week of April until today, the 17th of May. I have hit 40 out of 46 six routines. This is the most consistent I have been in preparation for a competition. In less than a week, I will compete in Houston for USAs and my goal is to do my gymnastics the way I know how to do it. I am grateful for this opportunity and can't wait to compete.