Ryleigh had a great showing at the State Championships for Level 5. She scored her first 9+ on the beam for this year. And Ryleigh hit above horizontal on her cast on the high bar (see the still picture in the video), which she was absolutely thrilled about. Ryleigh was on the podium twice when it was all said and done.
It was a tough season--the judging was harder, and scores lower than she was used to reflected that. But, Ryleigh learned a lot about not only what she can accomplish, but also about about being in charge of her routines and training, including going at the pace she is comfortable with. She's super glad she did Level 5. We are all excited to see what comes next with her return to her old gym. Ocean Tumblers' coaches know we are moving back and they are all excited to have her back on the team!
Now, please enjoy Ryleigh's last Washington State meet.
We had our last home meet and the last meet of this year's season before the state championships. Ryleigh had a terrific meet, walking away as all-around champion for her level/age group and 2 first places (on vault and bars) and 2 fifth places (on beam and floor). She was so very proud of herself for her best bars this year and sticking two landings on vault. And, of course, Mom and Dad (and even RJ) were super proud.
We traveled to Coeur d'Alene for Ryleigh's big out of state meet for this season. The weather was our friend on the way there, and we may good time across the State of Washington. Our first priority upon arrival was eating dinner at Chili's. Chips and salsa made everyone happy campers.
Ryleigh's group was first to compete Saturday morning, so we were there nice and early. While Ry was warming up, she started having severe pain in her right foot/ankle. She powered through on floor, but I could tell by the look on her face that she was in pain. So, she decided not to vault at the competition so she could rest and ice. Ryleigh then mustered the strength to compete bars and beam. She finally broke that elusive 9.0 ceiling on bars that she has been wanting so bad. Woohoo!
While her All Around score is low with that missing event, Ryleigh still did great! It was a fun meet for her and her teammates.
What was not fun was the weather. Given that Ryleigh was hurting and wasn't up to the afternoon activities we had planned, we heeded the weather warnings and decided to leave Idaho early. So, after Ryleigh competed, we had lunch, grabbed more Chili's chips and salsa for the road, packed up the hotel room, and headed out. Thankfully, we beat the snow. The next day, chains were required on Snoqualmie Pass. (Though we had our chains with us, we really weren't that excited to put them on.) We were so glad we made the decision we did. We all slept in and had a leisurely Sunday.
As for Ryleigh's foot, her coaches think she has Sever's Disease (not really a disease, but a growth issue lots of kids in gymnastics and other sports experience). So, I ordered ankle/heel supports designed for kid athletes with Sever's. Her coaches taped her with Sever's in mind for one practice, and that seemed to really help, so I'm hopeful that the supports will help once they arrive.
