Balancing Act

Balancing Act — page 3 — performance With only a few moves left I was thankful for the energy their applause provided I danced from one end of the mat to the other keeping my feet soft and my landings light In rhythmic gymnastics and dance choreography and tumbling mixed together into one powerful routine That’s why I loved the sport so much Some athletes performed with a prop like a hoop ribbon or ball In my division dancers could perform freehand with no equipment When I first started training with Coach Amy I was five years old I never could have imagined that I would be where I was today Seconds away from finally clinching a spot in the state championships I finished my footwork and positioned myself in the corner of the mat making sure not to step on the red out-of-bounds line As the music picked up speed I snuck a quick peek at the sidelines 6

Balancing Act — page 4 — Coach Amy hovered nearby The other girls from my dance team crowded around her They had come to support me in the individual competition Behind them my family sat in the front row of the stands Dad’s head darted back and forth following my every move Mom shielded her face too nervous to watch Halmeoni my grandmother sat perfectly still her eyes on me I took a breath and visualized my final tumbling sequence Two forward somersaults followed by a no-handed cartwheel and finish with a forward leap into a middle split In addition to showing perfect form the key was to connect each element of the tumbling pass with little to no breaks It was a difficult sequence But I had practiced it hundreds of times over the past month for this very moment I could do this You got this Louie shouted Rana 7

Balancing Act — page 5 — Along with Maya and Alana Rana sat a few rows above my parents The girls were on their feet They waved a sign that read Louie Lin Dancing Dynamo I chuckled seeing it for the first time It must have been Rana’s idea Maya Alana Rana and I had been friends since kindergarten We did everything together Even though none of them danced they had never missed one of my competitions They smiled and enjoyed their own little dance party It was the morale booster I needed to finish my routine with a bang I glanced at the clock Ten seconds remained in my routine until time was up If I went even a millisecond over it would result in a point deduction I clenched my core launching my body forward into the first of two somersaults After 8

Balancing Act — page 6 — standing up I lifted my hands into the air Then I flung my body into a no-handed cartwheel and tucked my chin to avoid throwing my head back My feet hit the ground firmly I prepared for my forward leap crouching down slightly to help build momentum My hamstrings stretched and released as I jumped into the air one leg in front of me the other behind toes pointed To finish it all off I landed gracefully Then I slid seamlessly into a split I pulled my shoulders back and lifted my arms I flashed one final smile for the judges The audience erupted in applause as the final note faded into the air That’s my girl shouted Dad

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