:55

"You're barely at fifty seconds," I say as Amy lands her dismount. "Let's try again."

She nods and climbs back onto the beam.

At the USAIGC bronze level, routines must fall between :50 and 1:30. The undertime penalty is a five-tenth deduction.

When my girls wobble or struggle to remember their routines, they easily make this range. When they hit and move confidently? That's when they're on the brink.

I like insurance. "Let's add a few poses. And how about a handstand?"

I'm afraid that the "few poses" are beginning to look the same across the board for the girls. A flexed knee, a hand on the hip. I try to be exotic. Add some interesting arm and hand shapes.

Amy looks at me blankly.

Back to the hand on the hip.

Brittany, on the other beam, asks about poses we made up a month ago. "What do I do here?"

I've made up seven more routines since Brittany's for the new batch of USAIGC girls. "I have no idea," I say honestly. "When in doubt, make something up."

"I like that," she says. "That's going to be my motto."

It's true. Some of the girls become lost if they're off with their floor music -- either before or ahead. Others keep moving, making up poses, maintaining a serene face that pretends, I'm supposed to be doing this until they're back on beat.

Amy tries her routine again with the new poses and the handstand. It's all a bit awkward, but she stays on. "1:05," I say. "You pass."