The Buy-In

As Incubus would sing, "Are you in?"

It's taken almost a year, many tears, many phone calls, many scowls, and many sore muscles. But the Level 4's have bought in.

Of all the levels, they have the best attendance. They come each day they're supposed to and sometimes extra. They're most likely to attend open gym sessions. A couple disappeared in the spring months but now they're back, consistently. They attend all the competitions. And they are doing well. Awards are won. Even with subpar performances, they can pulled 34's in the all-around. This is solid. This means a foundation is in place.

It took time for the parents. Some of them are easily rattled. They don't like to see the tears. They're not a fan of all the conditioning. I'm sure there will be future confrontations. But they're starting to like what they see: new skills (cartwheels on beam, back tucks on floor, kips on bars). Success at competitions. 9.0's, 9.2's, 9.5's. Standing on the podium. Yes, that sure feels good.