The Shakti Gymnast

In the last week of January 2015 I quit Mission Valley Gymnastics and went to TRC South Gymnastics. At Mission Valley, my coach was telling me more things that I was doing wrong than right and I wasn't feeling that challenged. They also had a really big recreational program that got priority over the equipment, so we didn't get all of our events in each day we were there.  I really like my new gym! My coaches are really nice and positive. My team mates are really nice and always cheer for me.  I competed Level 6 earlier this year but had an injury right before state.  Now I'm training for Level 7 and will start competing in early December. Here are some pictures of my new gym:       The Beam Room Bars and Floor Area

I don't do dance, but dance leotards are a lot cheaper than gymnastics leotards. You can use dance leotards in gymnastics and my coach has been saying to all of my teammates that we should get dance leotards. So I went online to find some ballet leo's and they are so cool! They have strappy backs, camisole, tanks etc. I know that they don't have many colors on them, but the backs of the leo's are so cool that I don't even mind that they only made with 1-2 color fabrics. Here are a couple leo's that my mom recently ordered for me:        Natalie Girls Contrast Strap Tank Leotard      Danshuz Multi-Strap Back Tank Leotard I ended up only keeping the Danshuz Multi-Strap Back leo because it fit better.   Write in the comments below if you have a favorite place where you get the best prices on leos!

I am sure your coach gives you a conditioning list when you are on vacation, but if you lose your list then you can use this list:           Legs   3x100  heel raises    3x100  toe raises    3x50  mountain climbers(without jump)   3x50  sumo squats          Abs 30 hollow rocks, 30 v-ups, 30 toe touches, 30 booty lifts(all in 1 set) x2 3x1   minute hollow hold  3x1   minute arch hold  3x50  alternating v-ups          Arms 3x25 push ups, elbows in, wide and regular 3x1 minute handstand hold against wall 3x10 handstand push ups in half handstand 3x20 dips with hands on a table You can do one section of the list every day, and if the numbers are too high for you or if you don't have time to do all of the things on the list, you can cut the numbers however you'd like.

I know anyone who does bars in gymnastics HATES rips.  They are the worst! Here are some ways to heal rips quickly so you can do bars without pain.     1. Make sure the rip is clean and it always has some kind of oil on it. Some people say that petroleum jelly heals rips very quickly, but it clogs your pores and dries your skin out. It's like putting plastic over your skin. It can also seal in dirt and bacteria. I wouldn't use it. I recommend Coconut Oil if you want something inexpensive. If you want something that has more oils and butters in it, get " Booda Butter " (You can find it in health food stores). And if you want something specific for rips, you can get " Joshua Tree Skin Care Salve "  2. For pain and swelling relief, use warm tea bags. First put some pre-wrap around your hand, covering the rip.  Then place the tea bag that has been soaking in warm water over the top and wrap more pre-wrap over it.  Use herbal teas like Peppermint , ...

  These are some of my favorite snacks I pack in my backpack to take to practice.  Usually I don't have time to eat them at practice, I eat them on the way home in the car.  I'm usually really hungry and thirsty after practice ending at 8pm, so these are good.  I also pack some of these snacks for after meets, along with some fresh fruit.  The seaweed and coconut water are my favorites.  My mom gets them at Trader Joe's. What are your favorite snacks?

I thought I would like Victory Gymnastics but after two tryouts I decided I didn't feel comfortable there. I really liked Mission Valley Gymnastics at Toby Wells YMCA. My coach's name is Crystal and she is really nice and she was really patient the first couple of weeks since I was still adjusting to the the time zone change.  She coaches level 4 and up. Two weeks ago I had my Inter-squad Meet there.  They brought in a National judge and she was really harsh.  She gave low scores to everyone in levels 3-5.  Lots of 7's, but I got one of the few 8's on vault, which was awesome. I guess the USAG changed a lot of the things in the judging for compulsories and they have more things they can deduct points on.  A week ago Coach Crystal gave us a binder and told us that these were going to be our binders for goals, corrections and whatever else.  We also can earn "Gym Bucks" where we can buy stuff at the end of the ye...

  We were in San Diego this past month and we were looking at gyms because we are going to move.  I did a team evaluation at Poway gymnastics and I liked that one okay but we also found Victory Gymnastics and I think I like this one better even though I haven't done an evaluation here. They have the TOPS training  and they are an Elite gym.      This is what it looked like on the right hand side. It has a lot of encouraging signs on it like the gym I go to now. I like that my mom or dad can watch me from the floor instead of behind a closed room with windows.  The gym is also brighter and has fresh air because they can open the big roll top doors in the back of the gym. We move the first week of August so I'm looking forward to trying out Victory and taking a look at San Diego United Sports Training Center  where they have a Junior Olympic Development Team program.