All this hard work culminated in 6AA sectionals last weekend. It was at Minnetonka High School and the meet included: Hopkins, Minnetonka, Eden Prairie, Southwest, Washburn and St Louis Park. To qualify for state you need to either: 1) be one of the top 3 in all around or... 2) be one of the top 3 for each individual event. Considering Minnetonka and EP are HUGE schools AND all these programs have at least 1 really good gymnast, making it to state isnt a "Give Me". Kay was going to have to work really hard. Especially as a freshman.
Since we were expressly NOT invited to come see her compete at sectionals (we had negotiated with her that we wouldn't attend away meets and sectionals was technically an away meet - good reminder for our negotiations next year ...) one of the other parents took videos for us and sent us text updates.
Kay did great and had her 2nd best all around score! We are a little unclear about where she landed from a "placing" perspective but we did find out ...*drum roll ... that she tied for 2nd place all around with a score of 35.42 and was going to state!! Woo Hoo! We were so proud of her!! In fact, her team took 3rd place overall , their highest placing position in years and she is the only one from her team that made it to state.
And, she got an academic athlete excellence award for a GPA 3.66 - this is crazy because (just the week before) she had 2 F's and a D. All missing homework. Thanks to a lot of encouragement (nagging and threatening) by her dear parents, she managed to get it all in and now has all A's and B's. Go figure. You hand in your homework, you get good grades. Crazy talk, I know. BUT ... she did manage to pull it all together to an amazing showing...
Tied for 2nd on the podium!
I think this was 4th place bars...
The team came over for pizza and to celebrate after the meet
A hungry and good group of girls
Awesome!!
Thats our Kay - hardworking, smart and a procrastinator Here are the videos we were able to admire from afar ...
Bars - 9.2 - looked gorgeous!
Vault - 8.775 best of the year!
Floor - 9.075 such a fun routine
Unfortunately, no one got her Beam routine (8.8 score and didnt fall but didnt make her connection). However, she WAS on the Kare11 5 o'clock and 6 o'clock news! They showed a quick high school sports news segment which featured Kay's beam dismount and her team surrounding her with hugs. Our text/voicemail went nuts with friends that saw the segment. Unfortunately, we missed that too and when we watched the 10 o'clock news, they didnt replay it. Tracy did contact Kare11 to see if we can get a copy but... haven't heard back yet. More to come.
Because she made it to state, she's also invited to a banquet to celebrate all the competing gymnasts. She is adamant that she doesnt want to go. We aren't sure what to do. We dont want to force her but we also want her to enjoy and celebrate this big accomplishment. She wants nothing to do with it "sounds boring" "my friends won't be there" etc...
Not wanting us at meets and not wanting to go to the banquet are probably signs of her anxiety coming out in full force. Its hard to watch as a parent. She puts so much pressure on herself and has such a hard time enjoying her success. I struggle with whats the right answer ... I'm sure there isnt one. We just want to take it minute by minute.
The other big part of going to state, which we haven't told Kay yet is .... she has to ride a bus. By herself. They school as a bus ordered to take her to the meet (insurance reasons, we can't take her and drop her off) as well as a bus ordered to take her teammates to go watch her. We are a little worried about how ballistic she'll go when she realizes that she's on the bus. By herself. At least they can all ride home together.
Finally, she is begrundginly letting us attend state to watch her. However, Tracy will be out of town with Billy since HIS state meet is in Iowa this year and ON THE EXACT SAME DAY. Good god. I think she's secretly thrilled that Tracy won't be there and is probably sticking voodoo pins in Tom's doll in the hopes that he'll get sick and not be able to attend.
Ah ... all good fodder for our counseling sessions. (ours now and hers in the future)
More to come on how she (and Billy) does at state!!
