Lessons from our friends from accross the pond

This weekend I learned a lesson about sportsmanship from our friends from accross the pond, and I believe we taught them about one in return.


This weekend was the Third Annual Kalon Ludvigson Invitational. This is was an international meet held in my own state not too far from my house. Before I go into how the actual meet was I want to share with you something I learned from the Brittish.

As a result to the fact that this meet lasted about 5 hours on Friday, and 12 hours on Saturday and the fact that awards were held at the very end we ended up sitting for a very.... long.... time. Although this ordeal was painstakingly long, it proved to be one of my favorite meets I have ever been to.

Yesterday I competed early in the morning and had to wait all day for my little sister who competed in the very last flight of the night. Like I said before we spent a lot of time sitting. Well, yesterday I sat by some very fun people with cool accents. The British team.

I talked with them for a bit {because well...  they're BRITISH!} We talked about the difference in the way things in the tumbling world are run between the two countries. One thing that realy stuck out to me was the way we recieve our awards. One of the British moms asked why we salute on the podium. I trulthfully didn't know. I had never thought of it before It's just something everybody did. I guessed it was for pictures. We also talked about how when we recieve awards we don't hug and shake hands like the British do. When you watch the British competitors recieve their award you see them either shake hands or hug every competitor that has already recieved an award before they stand on their place on the podium. I had seen this done before when watching Olympic awards ceramonies, but had never seen it done at a normal meet. In one particular awards ceramony I watched a few international competitors recieve their awards and show this act of sportsmanship, but then as I watched one of our Americans recieve an award and walk strait to her spot on the podium it seemed quite cold to me even though I know it's not a custom here in America. One of my favorite moments was when one of the young British competitors recieved first place. She was very excited as any young athlete is when they recieve gold. She gave every single competitor a hug as she climbed up the podium, then climbed down the other side to hug the rest of the girls before making the climb again to stand on her place at the top. This small act took time, but it realy showed her sportsmanship in the way she acknowledged her competitors. I think we Americans could learn from their example.

As I talked to these competitors they told me that they were very suprized and thankful for how friendly everybody is durring competition. They said that at home competitors are usualy more resurve and keep to them selves, where as here all the competitors talk to eachother and encourage each other during the competition wether or not they know each other. I thought this was cool that this was the impression we left on them and that they didn't think Americans were totally cold hearted.

I was talking to one girl and she jokingly said "ya we kind of keep to our selves durring the competition, but then get friendly on the podium telling everyone well done." {now read that as if you are one of the children from Narnia and you will know just about how that conversation sounded!}

I think there is something anybody could learn from this. Be friendly like the Americans, and show good soprtsmanship like the Brittish.

Now I know you are all dying to know how I did at this fantastic meet. So I will tell you.

I placed 7th out of 20 girls. I was proud of this seems how I have a sprained ankle, and with the magnitude of this meet. I had some fantastic competition and would like to say thanks to everyone who helped me get here. {including my doc for not telling me I have to stay off my ankle, because my mom would have enforce it had you said it.} I would also like to say thanks to Justen and Kalon for putting this meet on and for all the hard work that was put in to make this meet work. It was a great meet and I can't wait until next year!









Feel my Sunlight





p.s. Anyone want to do my homework for me?