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?

KLI



Computer tech blog time! I decided on Monday night that I am NOT going to scratch my meet this Saturday. I mean how can you walk away from this?

 

 {yes, I did steal Justin's pictures.}

 

I know... So come what may, I'm competing. It may be rough but I'm not going down without a fight. I even bought a brand-spanken-new leo to wear on FRIDAY when I'm NOT AT SCHOOL and am WARMING UP with athletes from ALL OVER THE WORLD! whew! This keeps getting better! Except the whole taping/acebandaging/bracing the ankle thing. That's not so fun. But you do what you've got to do.

 

 

I'm pumped. I'm excited. I'm ready. My body on the other hand, is not. But tumbling is 99% mental anyway right? So my compeditors had better watch out!

 

Have you ever been so excited about something that you just can't even function. Ya, that's how I feel right now. It's a mix of relief that I am going to be able to compete, buckets and buckets of excitement, and well... nerves. (I know it's kinda early for nerves but AHHHH!) A great gymnast once said "If you loose the nerves, you loose the sport." And let me tell you, I haven't lost the sport.

 

So I hope you enjoyed that little rant on my meet this Saturday. I doubt anyone but my team mates and my mom have made it all the way through. So congrats if you did! I'm excited and the bell is about to ring. Love you all!

 

 

Feel my Sunlight

 

 



 

 

Sunday Photoshoot

http://whitneysuephotography.blogspot.com/

 

Feel my Sunlight

somber waiting.

I feel blessed. Not to say I don't struggle because really I do. I struggle all the time. I struggle watching my musical friends be on TV and not being part of it anymore. I struggle knowing the intense pain and sorrows of others I know. I struggle every time my small group of friends shrinks a little. I struggle kowing people have moved on. I struggle when my ankle hurts to much to tumble even when I'm wearing this----------------------->

 

It pains me to know that in the 6 years I have competed I will be missing my first competition ever this Saturday. All because of this stupid injury. It hurts knowing I might miss the next one as well. The Kalon Ludvigson Invitiational. The "international meet". The one I invited my 9th grade theatre teacher to. That hurts.

 

It takes everything in me not to tumble. Because I know I could push through it and I could get through my workouts. But by doing this I could risk further injury. I risk being out for the rest of the season. And that would be devistating.  I want to but I can't. It's out of my hands now and there is nothing I can do to make this go any faster. But that's life. I will do my best to strengthen it and help it heal as fast as I can, but it is ultimatly in the hands of God now and I just have to trust in his plan. I must wait.

 

But it helps when you have somebody else with you who also can't tumble. For the exact same injury. Same foot even. {ya I know, weird right?!} Even though it killed me to not tumble today I had a blast while we perfected our preschool skills, our handstands, conditioned, did our "ankle rehab", and worked stradle press handstands until my hip flexers screamed with pain. Lets just say Stirfry and I would die on a beam. It was a rough night, but this lifted my spirits a little bit, and now my hip flexers are crying.... I don't know what I would do without my team mates.

 

Now it's time to gather up our tears and use them to clean the dirt off of other peoples lives. I was in one of those moods that not even country music can solve. So the only thing I could do was turn to my EFY music {Because EFY music makes EVERYTHING all better.} write a blog post, and turn to my scriptures. The best medicine out there. Hope you will do the same.

 

 

 

feel my sunlight

 

 

 

 

p.s. Sorry for this somber post. I know it's not really like me.

 

p.s.s. Well, this basically garentees the fact that I won't be able to attend any school dances this year because State Championships falls on the day of Prom, and Regional Championships falls on the day of MORP. Oh well...

 

p.s.s.s. Hugs to you Kodee, I feel for ya. <3

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a chain reaction

Can anybody guess where I am? That's right! COMPUTER TECH! I just thought I'd write a quick post about kindness while I sit here in my cubical doing nothing.

I have felt much kindness today and it is only the third period of the day. Starting with the wonderful student that stands outside the seminary building and holds the door for everyone EVERY DAY without fail. You are fantastic. Thank you for taking your time to perform a service that may seem small enough to pass unnoticed, yet is truthfully monumental. Then to the people in my seminary class who didn't know me, yet made an effort to get to know me and to talk to me and make me feel welcome. I feel your love and send it right back to you. I also want to say thank you to the kids in my seminary class who talk to me outside of class. This realy helps bring us together as friends and helps me know there is someone else out there in this corrupt world that is living the same standards as me and that I can talk to. Then to the friend in my computer tech class who is always quick to pick up my book for me and is always so free with compliments. Your kindness warms my heart and I just love being around you because you always make an effort to put others first. You guys rock!

These wonderful people have inspired me to pass it on and to strive to be a better person. To try say hi, to compliment people without thinking about it, to be kind. I make this challenge to you. Start a chain reaction and see what happens.

I have this theory               

        that if one person

can go out of their way           

          to show compassion,

          then it will start a chain reaction

          of the same.                       

                        People will never know

 how far a little kindness        

                 can go.

                                              --Rachel Scott

Feel my Sunlight



p.s. Is anyone else as excited as I am to have school off tomorrow?! haha sorry juniors...

It's a gymnastics day

Just finished watching American Cup. It was great. Congrats to Jake Dalton and Katelyn Ohashi on their wins. This new upcoming bunch rocks and I can't wait to see what they bring to the sport over the next four years. More about that on my other blog http://eatsleeptumble.blogspot.com.

Now I am watching the tri-meet between the Utah Utes, BYU, and North Carolina State. I am kind of bummed I haven't been able to attend any Utes home meets this year. Go Utes!

Like I have mentioned before I have the Kalon Ludvigson Invitational in Salt Lake in T-13 days. AHHH! I would love it if people came so if any of you friends and family would like to come let me know!

So that propbubly a boring post for most of you, but hey, it's my blog right?



Feel my Sunlight


p.s. My little sister has my USA gymnastics number memorized... don't ask me why, she did it on her own. ha!

Blueberries & Cranberries & the Occasional Pineapple

Life is not meant to be stressed over. Okay well, maybe a little... but when you know there is nothing in your control that you can do, the best think you can do is let go and stop worrying!
In English right now we are reading Cry, the Beloved Country and I sometimes truggle to do my reading. We have quizzes every day on the chapters that we read. Well on Tuesday I was in class and hadn't finished my reading. I Read the last question that was something to the likes of...

10. What did the people pray for? 

 

well I thought "I'm going to fail this anyway right? I might as well enjoy doing it." So I answered...

"They prayed that the refreshments would nourish and strengthen their bodies, that all the people that weren't there that week would be there next week, and that when the time comes they would drive home in safety. "

 

 

YOLO.


...and then I drew a pineapple...


Which brings me to my second subject...PSYCH! Who watched the season premier? Wasn't it great? I mean what other TV show have you seen where they destroy a blueberry and a cranberry in the same episode?! These writers are genius.

And speaking of berries, I thought I'd share with you a little conversation I had a while ago. My dad was the ward mission leader and the missionaries were over for dinner one night. My mom had made a fruit salad berries in it. My sister asked me to pass the fruit salad when I looked at her and said all matter of factly
                                        "It's a berry salad."

Then after I thought for a second I said... "Wait, are berries fruit?"

I have never lived that down.

I really am so excited for this season of Psych and I am hoping and praying that they don't pull the whole "lets make a big deal about the new season, then only air 6 episodes before we take a break" like they did last season. I am telling you all the psychos will go psycho. And we sure don't want that now so we.

So this week I have been going psycho with this whole not being able to tumble thing. It's killing me. I tried to jump on the trampoline the other day to show my kids how to do strait jumps with their arms by their ears and well, it hurt. So I have been here. In my house. And that eventually resulted in me watching Snow White and a British documentaries about Anorexia and kids with Progeria {I can't get over how cute they  are} ... ya, don't ask. I got my brace yesterday and wore it all day today. The swelling has gone down {after like 6 whole days} and to tell you the truth it now looks flat and weird. Well, that's a good sign I guess.

I have one more story for ya before I go clean. The other day I was talking to my mom and my little sister when we started talking about all the great people in the world who failed and were rejected before they finally became successful. Such as JK Rawling whos book was rejected 12 times before it was accepted and eventually became the most successfull book in history, or the two brothers who were fired from their home improvement jobs before they dreamed up the idea of the Home Depot. So we were all sitting there and my sister says...

"Michael Jackson didn't make his high school basketball team."

I was laughing so hard I was almost crying. 





Feel my Sunlight



p.s. I have an "international" meet in 15 days.... AHH!