The Gymnast

Sicily is a born athlete.  She just has the right body for it.  Not to mention the energy.  I thought that given the overly aggressive spirit she's had since birth, she would end up in a team sport.  But the the soccer episode made it clear that team sports weren't for her.  She doesn't like to be led by a group.  She's Ms. Independent.  But she needs an aggression outlet.  She's just too feisty for her own good.  She loves to dance and she's a great dancer.  But she really needed something more.  So this fall we decided to give gymnastics a try.  Gold.  Pure gold, I tell you.

She took to the mat and bars like a monkey to a tree.  The girl has incredible upper body strength.  She can pull her self up and over the high bar with ease.  And yet she has grace enough to glide swiftly down the balance beam.  In the gym, she's fearless.  She flips and falls, tumbles and crashes, then gets up and tries it again, until she gets it right.  She loves it.  She absolutely loves being there.  My girl has found her sport.

This week she got to prove herself.  Thursday was her day to show off.  She got to work through the series of skills she's been working on in front of coaches and parents.  She was great.  At the end, she got her first medal and she was moved up to the next level.  She slept with her medal that night.  She was so proud of herself.  And so am I.  My beautiful little gymnast.