Final day...

In a few short hours we'll enter Urbandale for Katherine's final practice there. Where has the time gone???

I remember a year ago when Mr. Tarry was her coach and she was begging to enter the big gym, but couldn't quite yet because she wasn't even 5. Heck, a year ago now they wouldn't even let her do a bridge because she wasn't old enough. What a difference a year makes.....

In the past year, she graduated from the little gym to the big gym, went from the recreational program to the competitive, and started at Chows. A year later, she is on the verge of quitting Urbandale and joining the TAG team at Chows. She's about to embark on a wonderful life experience that will take her as far as she has the drive and ability to go.

When I think back to a year ago, the thought of leaving Urbandale didn't even cross my mind. Quite honestly, I thought we'd be there for a long time..... maybe forever. I remember Tarry pulling me aside one day and telling me that if Katherine still loved gymnastics when she turned 6, as much as she did at that time, then I should take her to Chows... he thought she had the talent, drive and strength to make it there, and since it's one of the best gyms in the country, I owed it to her to give her a shot. I remember thinking -- Why? She loves it here....

However, a year later, our lives took a huge turn. She had an after school activity 4 nights a week (which is insanely ridiculous for a kindergartner) and I was ready to scale back. That's when Li took a look at Katherine and offered her a spot on the TAG team.

So tonight is the final chapter in one way and a new beginning in another. It's saying goodbye to the comfortable and familiar, and embarking on a new journey that can take her as far as she wants to go. Tonight is definitely a time for reflection. I'll be sad to leave the friends she made, the coaches she adored, the gym that taught her so much, and the place where she fell in love with the sport. Urbandale will always be a sweet spot for all us. With that being said, she's on the verge of one of the most wonderful opportunities of her life. She's been given the chance to train in a gym with the best equipment, the best coaches and the the best chance to succeed. She will have all the tools to make it as far as she wants to go. But, it's the unknown..... I'm sure she'll grow to love and feel as comfortable there as she does at Urbandale, but it's still the unknown. Just yesterday she was asking me exactly what they would be doing in class. She can't wait to meet her new coach and wonders what she'll be like. It's all the unanswered questions....

Anyway, tonight is the final time..... the final time she'll enter the gym as a superbunny, the final time she'll call them her coaches, the final time she'll have these girls as teammates, the final time she'll practice there..... So as happy as we all are to be going to Chow's, I'm sure I'll be walking out tonight with a heavy heart and a tear in my eye. At least she'll get to compete in the meet there this weekend.