Dear Diary, My First Rhythmic Gymnastics Class
I've wanted to try rhythmic gymnastics for a year now and for my birthday I finally got to! As with ballet, I enjoy watching rhythmic gymnastics routines and competitions, but my favorite thing to watch is what goes on behind the scenes. It's fun seeing the incredible balance, flexibility, strength, and control that rhythmic gymnasts display in competitions, but seeing how they got there is much more entertaining to me. I decided I was finally going to try it out for myself, even if it would only be once.
Unfortunately, there's no where to learn rhythmic gymnastics in my town. The nearest gym was miles away and the drive there took nearly two hours. In the evening rush hour, traffic seemed to be moving an inch every two minutes or so at it's fastest. I could tell the drive was something my mom was willing to put up with for my birthday, but not something I should come to expect frequently.
When we got to the gym I felt a mix of nervousness and excitement in the pit of my stomach. Of course this would be something I'd never tried before, but I was more than ready to give it my absolute best effort. I wasn't expecting to walk out of the gym at the end of the lesson with Margarita Mamun's skills, or really any skills to be honest, but I was walking in ready for whatever would lie ahead.
The gym was massive and crowded with girls who were, for the most part, much younger than me and much much more experienced. Before my lesson began the coach gave me time to stretch and warm up, and then evaluated what skills I did have. Even though this was my first time ever in a rhythmic gymnastics class, I still felt extremely welcome. When it came to learning how to use the apparatuses, the coach was very patient and even complimented me and said I was a fast learner occasionally! I did meet one girl who was older than me, and she was incredibly kind. Another girl who was young enough to be one of the kids I babysit for tried teaching me how to perform a trick with the rope. Even though I failed over and over, she somehow managed to stay patient and continue helping me and give constructive criticism and tips.
While I would love to start taking rhythmic gymnastics multiple times a week, right now that's not a realistic expectation. Fortunately my mom has agreed to take me at least once a month if I can keep my grades up and my dad seems open to driving me to classes also. Best case scenario would be being able to drive myself and take enough classes to be able to compete by this time next year. Ah, a girl can dream!
If you take anything away from this post, I hope it's the motivation to go for whatever it is you want to do. Even if it is only once, it's better than never getting to try it at all! If I lived in a perfect world I'd live right across the street from my ballet studio and the gym I visited, I'd never have to go to school, and I could spend all day every day practicing and perfecting these sports that I love so dearly. This world isn't perfect though, but it's real and I'm beyond grateful that I'm able to have the opportunities that I do.
