Season

Gymnastics season is officially over. I should feel relieved. I do, but I am also sad. Now I don't have anything to look forward to. There isn't a meet to get ready for in a week or in a couple weeks. Now we are going to learn new skills for eight months. Eight months.
If you can do some basic math you can figure out that our season is four months. But our season is somewhat special and different from the lower levels. Since we are called "Optionals" we have a different season, for one thing the lower levels or "compulsories" have two seasons. One in the fall and one in the spring. The reason we don't have two seasons a year is because it takes us almost eight months to get all of our new skills, when it will take them two weeks to get their new skills. They also don't get to make up their routines, while we do. They are usually young and still come to gymnastics every day because they think its fun. They work every day in the hope that they can become an optional. In the hope that they can become us.
But a lot of them don't understand that while a lot of them have the drive and determination right now, it takes a lot to stay in this sport after level 5. It is hard to stay in this sport when you get past 6th grade. Especially in junior high and high school it is hard to stay in this sport. You want to join the volleyball team or do track. You want to do these other sports and if you are going to stay in gymnastics, you can't. Its just that simple, in order to get to the upper levels you cant do any other sports. You have to have all your time invested. All your focus on this sport.

Don't they wonder why there are only 5 Optionals? When in level 3 there are about 25? When in level 4 there are about 20? And in level 5 there are about 6. It gets harder and harder to stay in this sport. The tricks get harder and harder, everything gets more intense.  Bigger meets, more pressure, more stress.
As a level 8 I am the top level in my gym. Along with 3 of my other team mates. But one of them is leaving... getting pulled by the endless thoughts of wanting to do another sport.