My Gymnastics Life

For five years I was a gymnast, it was basically the most important thing in my life. I loved it. I made friends, I learned what courage and perseverance and patience really are. My journey in the sport started when I was nine, I began competing at ten. I had to switch gyms a few times though, and each time I did the transition was harder. I spent two of the happiest years of my life at a gym in Keller. And one of the most difficult decisions I have had to make was leaving my friends there and switching gyms yet again. It was hard, but I did it, and after that a new story was written that goes like this: 

730 days ago, exactly 2 years, a girl dressed in black stepped into the building on Clay Avenue in Haltom City and said she was there for a trial. She was shy, nervous, and unconfident. Gymnastics had been her sport for 3 years and she wanted this dream to continue a year longer. All she wanted was to push herself harder, become stronger, and see how far she could go, but realized that this year would probably be her last. So she wasn't looking for a home. She wasn't looking for friends. She looked only for someplace that could make her improve and show her who she really was. A few moments later she met a coach, a person who would shape her life in a huge way, and she knew it. The trial was scary, the girls in the back whispered about her potential as she went through the events showing off her skills. When it was over, she went to her old gym, bearing the knowledge that she would be leaving it soon. This was the day that changed that young girl's life forever. This day, May 3, 2016, set into motion events that would leave a lasting impact. 6 days later it was decided that WOG would be the place she would spend the next year. So she worked, just that introverted, intelligent, honest child, struggling to prove that she belonged there. She wasn't looking for friends and didn't find them. She never worked to earn praise or admiration from anyone, the knowledge that she did well was all she wanted. So one competition season came, and went. She pushed forward. Fighting was the only thing she knew, the only way she thought she could escape the turmoil in her home and in her heart. She didn’t consider where the journey was taking her, only that it couldn’t end yet. But she hesitated before paying for the next competition season, she knew she would only get worse, she wouldn’t improve any more. The pain in her life had caused an uncertainty that led to a mental block which held her back from making progress. But, knowing all of this, she still chose to compete another season. That decision caused suffering that would last for years and would almost defeat her. But it also brought an everlasting joy and change that would last her lifetime.

It was never easy, but the respect was already there giving her a platform for friendships that could actually last and be meaningful. There was a love she had begun to give and receive. A change had overcome her and given her confidence. And those feelings made it worth it to continue to the end of the second season with WOG.

 Now, at the end of two years, this girl knows what friendships are. This girl has found her voice and is no longer shy or unconfident. She found her life. She found love. She found who she was, Elaine Marie Csoros. Never a champion, but she is a contender. And she will always fight. Because I know how hard I can push myself, I made progress, and I changed my life the day I walked into that building.

Have you ever gotten a chance to push yourself like this? Have you been shoved into a difficult situation and come out of stronger? I hope so. Pressure builds diamonds and gymnastics has been a part of that pressure for me. I challenge you: Put yourself under pressure and watch yourself grow.