whole holes

She is standing at the floor beam in the middle of her people.  Beloved coach standing off to her right side she takes her place on the beam preparing to do a back-step-out which as far as I can tell is a back-hand-spring on beam.  It is super important her hands land just so to insure her elbows don’t collapse and she smack her head on the beam.  She readjusts her hands three times panics and dismounts the beam. 

Insert unexpected:  The new gym-manger-imported-super-coach is standing about 12 feet away to her left watching.  He calls out to her, wants her back on the beam certain he knows what the issue is but she can’t find him.  A whole grown man lost in the gaps in her vision.

From across the row of high beams her other beloved coach begins directing her to where he is.  “Beach, Derik is talking to you.  Go to Derik.”  She can’t see him.  Her head scans side to side seemingly looking through him (have you heard this before?).  The coaxing continues and still he is not in her sights.  Soon both beloved coaches are offering their verbal attempts to help her see.  She is calm and so is him.  He is watching her: the child he was told had serious vision issues and yet the gymnast who makes that hard to believe. 

Finally the question is asked to me as the coach physical moves in to direct her to the man standing right in front of her, “Can she really not see him?” but I don’t have to answer….yes, she really can’t.

The reason is simple Beach uses so much of her mind to see she can’t fill in what she doesn’t expect to be there.  She didn’t expect him and I am pretty certain he didn’t expect her.

When she finally saw him he was calm and focused on the fix for the fear. 

After he worked with her she moved on leaving her people behind working out their fear & form on the floor beam and she took her back-step-out to higher beams never missing a hand or a foot nailing every single one of them until break was called.

Oddly enough I am grateful for little mishaps like this to happen from time to time.  From my point of view it may not matter whether she can or cannot see any of us what matter is that we can clearly see who she is.

~Wishing all her beloved coaches, past, present, & future, good luck in Reno learning the new routines!!! Work hard and don't forget to have fun.~