the gymnast

We missed out on participating in the spring invitational this year.  Lily was so bummed.
(Picture daily crying spells lasting a minimum of 15 minutes each).
Kindly, the coaches allowed her to come in on a Saturday and bring her fans with her.  She performed each of her routines and was scored by a coach.   She is fun to watch, I love her fearlessness and competitive streak.  Although the later has me a bit perplexed.  It's hard to know whether to tamp it down just a bit, or let it go (it's what drives her desire?)  After one particularly hard day, she confided in me and said that the main reason she was sad about missing the invitational is because she wouldn't get the chance to win a trophy again. ohhhh.  I replied with all the things you might think of, like how fun it is to be able to learn and develop your skills in gymnastics.  And how cool to be able to have your family come and watch you (without the crowd) perform.  And how competition isn't everything.  Sometimes you just need to be proud of your accomplishments without comparing yourself to others.  I wonder if anything sank in.  My own head has been full of thoughts.  Again with the extra-curricular theme from the last post...there are lessons around each corner...and mostly they have nothing to do with the sport itself. :)  One things for sure, I love this little 5 year old gymnast.