If you follow our social media (you should!), you've probably met our brand ambassadors. They represent our brand in gyms around the world and act as role models for their social media followers. We thought it would be fun to let them tell their favorite gymnastics story on our blog!
This week's blog post was written by Kirby, one of our ambassadors, and her mom. They wanted to share their story about how Kirby started gymnastics and how she's gotten to where she is today, with some advice for her fellow gymnasts!
"Each of us has a fire in our hearts for something. It's our goal in life to find it and keep it lit." - Mary Lou Retton
Kirby:
I started gymnastics right after the Rio Olympics, just before my 6th birthday. I loved watching those girls flip and tumble and I tried so hard to imitate them in my living room on a cardboard beam I made while wearing one of my sister's old leotards. I asked my mom if I could try doing gymnastics, too, because I wanted to be just like The Final Five.
Mom:
Kirby has always been determined. From a very young age, if she didn't want to do something, she wasn't going to do it. I knew that gymnastics would either be a big hit or a big no, and there would be no forcing her to just go to class if she didn't have the fire inside of her to want to do it. I also knew that if she wanted to be a gymnast, we had to start her soon, since most of the little girls on her team had been doing gymnastics or tumbling classes since they were 2 years old! We were "behind" already, but the goal was to take her to a class and see if it was her thing. It was. She already had some natural talent from watching and imitating her older sister who cheered and tumbled, but had no formal training, and had never taken a class. We walked out of the trial class with an invitation to join the Level 1 Tiny Team and this mom entered the unfamiliar world of competitive gymnastics overnight.
Kirby:
I love being in the gym. I ask my mom to take me every day, even if I don't have practice, but she tells me my body has to rest some, too. When I don't have practice in the gym, I practice on my equipment at home. My grandpa built me my first bar so I could practice pullovers and back hip circles at home. I also have a balance beam to work on and I use it every day. Whether I'm stretching or working on press handstands, or trying new turns on the beam, I'm always thinking about or doing gymnastics.
Mom:
This is all true. Our home has gymnastics equipment everywhere! I don't mind having it around because she is so passionate about what she does and she puts it to good use!
Kirby wearing her adorable personalized Fame leotard.
Kirby:
I like being on a competitive gymnastics team. I have always thought that gymnastics was fun, but I also wanted to work really hard. My favorite part about gymnastics is getting new skills and wearing my leotards. I have close to 50 leotards now, and getting a new one or wearing one of my favorites is so fun. Sometimes, they become lucky leotards after a great day in the gym. I love putting them on and remembering what I have learned in them and heading off to the gym to work hard again.
Mom:
Yes, she really has close to 50 leotards. We have bought her a lot and she has won some from contests on Instagram, too. It's hard to resist ordering more because they are so cute and she wears them every day! We feel so lucky that Kirby was chosen as one of the first Snowflake ambassadors, and has had the opportunity to represent this positive and supportive brand. The experience has truly wowed us from Day 1, from the personalized boxes with her name on them to the attention to detail to pick products that they knew she would love based on her interests and her Instagram feed. The Snowflake team and the Snowflake brand will always hold a special place in our hearts!
Kirby with her many Snowflake leotards and her ambassador gift box.
Advice from Kirby:
Just because one day is tough, I'm not going to quit. I know I have to go back to the gym because I have goals and things I want to accomplish. The hardest part is when I'm having an off day and just missing a skill that I know I can do and I get really frustrated. I keep telling myself I know I can do it. But at the end of the day, I just love gymnastics because it is fun and I hope one day I'll be a college gymnast that other little girls look up to and cheer on.
Advice from Mom:
Support your gymnast, no matter where they are on their journey. They put enough pressure on themselves and they don't need any more from us. The biggest thing I try to do is challenge her when appropriate, but also to be a safe space and a listening ear for her to share her frustrations. These gymnasts are their own toughest critics! Each week before a meet, we set goals. We talk about what success looks like and we squash any of these self-doubt gremlins that pop up. Keeping a positive mindset keeps her focused, and carefree, and helps her do her best. I also recognize that they are young and life outside of the gym is so important. We work hard to balance her hours of training with family activities, time with friends, and just time to rest and be a kid. She has a long road ahead of her if she wants to stay on this competitive track, and we are in no rush.
Ambassador Kirby and her mom.
Thank you to Kirby and her mom for writing this great post for us! You can see more from Kirby on her Instagram @miss_kirby_thegymnast.
