The reality of it All
If you follow us on social media, you know our brand ambassadors. These gymnasts work hard both in and out of the gym and share their love for gymnastics and Snowflake leotards with the digital world. They are influential figures for gymnasts of all ages.
"Banana" is one of our ambassadors. She is a young gymnast working hard to achieve her gymnastics dreams. Her mom Lena wrote a short piece about her and her daughter's experiences with the current world situation. It's both relatable and encouraging to gymnasts and gym moms everywhere right now. Here's Lena's story:
"Banana" and her mom taking a silly photo after a gymnastics meet.
A New Normal
As a team mom and gym employee, along with the rest of the gymnastics community, our world came to a halt overnight. What we thought would initially be a 2-week shutdown is now entering an 8th week of sheltering in place. I became so overwhelmed with thoughts of what "normal" would look like when we returned back to the gym. Will our jobs be the same? Will I even have a job to go back to? Will the gym survive? Will my daughter (Banana) be able to continue doing what she loves? How will she deal with all this? Banana once told me that gymnastics makes her feel like her soul is on fire. The thought of that being ripped from her life so suddenly consumed my emotions.
I found myself crying one night as I thought the rest of my family slept. Then I heard that tiny voice. "Mommy, are you okay?" Embarrassed and caught off guard, I found it hard to speak through my tears. Banana hugged me and life came full circle when she said 6 words that changed the entire mood, "Fix that tiara. You got this!" Words that I've often said to her as we pretended to fix our crowns. Crowns that represented strength and confidence in yourself. I found such a profound moment of clarity as I looked at her water-filled eyes and genuine smile. At only 8 years old, Banana reminded me of what true strength and resilience looked like. Confused at how wise she was in that moment, I realized that the very thing we were all missing in our lives (gymnastics) was the very reason she was able to push through what was happening.
We often talk about the lessons that gymnastics provides our athletes and how the most important skills they learn have nothing to do with tumbling or even physical strength. One of the most important skills they learn is how to overcome struggle with a positive attitude. They don't just literally pick themselves up when they fall, they do it emotionally as well. Gymnasts practice until they can't do it wrong and are constantly chasing perfection while knowing that they may never be perfect. Whether it's a bad practice, a meet that didn't go their way, or a skill that they're struggling with, they work hard and are constantly pushing through. And they're expected to do it with grace and positivity. Being able to push through like that is a skill that they will take with them throughout their lives. It's the life skill that will carry them through all of this until they're able to return to the sport they love so much.
Throughout the past 8 weeks, we've had our ups and downs. We try to keep the mentality that every day may not be a good day but there's good in every day. Banana really misses her teammates and coaches but seeing the gymnastics community come together through all of this has been such a source of inspiration for us. Many vendors have been running fundraisers to help gyms through the financial hardships they're experiencing. Athletes are coming together to host group workouts and give advice on how to keep up their strength through all of this. It really does bring light to these uncertain times.
Some gyms are starting to open throughout the country and some, like us, are still waiting. We don't know what types of restrictions we'll face or how practices will have to be restructured. There will be days ahead that feel amazing and there will be days we'll wish we could hit the reset button on. It's all so unknown right now but there is one thing we do know. We know that our gymnasts are strong, both physically and mentally. So as we enter a "new normal" in the gymnastics world, I leave you with 6 words: "Fix that tiara. You got this!"
