This is the journal of

Sarah Torrence

March 17, 2004
Happy St. Patrick's Day! Yes, I did wear my green leo to workout today. We had a celebration complete with...yes, green salad and green Kool-Aid. Just what you'd expect, right? Well, it only comes once a year!

Training has been rough lately. I've just been tired. Trying to keep up with school has really worn me out, especially considering that this is my third school this year. I'm at Cathedral High now, and I definitely like it. Academics are rigorous but they're also understanding of my schedule concerns and have been providing tutoring. That's helpful because physics is really kicking my butt!

Peace,
Sarah

March 12, 2004
Well, it's been over a year since you last heard from me and a lot has changed in my life. Topo closed permanently. It was completely heartbreaking. The place where I'd become the athlete I'd always dreamed of being was gone.

So off I went to Cascade Locks. I don't know what made me think this was going to be better than last time. The whole thing was a mistake. I didn't do well there. The atmosphere wasn't what I needed. The gym was a lot less structured. I was out of shape physically, but even more out of shape mentally. Plus, I missed my family. It was so hard being across the country from them.

So I switched gyms again, this time going to Mass United. Finally, I feel like my life is back on track. Jennie and Alanna are both here and that makes all the difference in the world. Plus, I'm in the same time zone as my family, and only an hour flight from them. It may not sound like a big deal, but it is. I'm an east coast big city girl at heart, and I feel like I'm finally home.

Peace,
Sarah

January 27
Sarah is sick.

It was a great weekend - slogging through training and sleeping, basically. Which now means that I am hopelessly behind in my schoolwork. Sr. Kate is an absolute doll about it but my chem lab instructor is a tyrant. He's the only teacher I've ever had a problem with. He seems to hate the fact that I am partially tutored instead of going to school full-time. And he really hates the fact that gymnastics takes me out of school so much. So of course he's not going to have any patience with my getting the flu. Ugh. Just what I need.

Peace,
Sarah

January 23
Thursday! Thursdays are wonderful because I get to go to church choir practice. It's no big deal but it's a change of pace from school and gym and so that's really nice.

Peace,
Sarah

January 22
Jennie gots a boyfriend! Jennie gots a boyfriend! *runs and ducks under the covers as Jennie comes and pummels her with a pillow*

Um, gotta go.

Peace,
Sarah

January 21
Today was a pretty blah day. I had a good workout...Jennie's was pretty disastrous. I feel so bad for her. She's going to NY this weekend to compete and I so want her to do well! I'm a little disappointed that I'm not competing, but all in all I think the weekend off will be a good thing.

Peace,
Sarah

January 20
Well, today was a rather dramatic day. I was hanging out in our room doing homework when the phone rang. It was Jennie's sister Anna, and she sounded upset. I told Jennie about it when she got home... Turns out their dad is getting re-married. Talk about a shock. I can't even imagine what they're going through right now. I mean, my dad died two years ago and my mom hasn't started dating yet. I know I'm not ready for a stepfather. Ugh. In a lot of ways, it must be harder to have parents divorce than to have a parent die. I mean, at least I know my parents always loved each other, and loved my brothers and sisters and me. I think that makes me very, very lucky.

Peace,
Sarah

January 19
OK, truly, truly frightening news. Jennie is now a licensed driver. I am going to stay off the sidewalks and out of the cornfields for some time to come!
Peace,
Sarah

January 18
Oh...my...GOSH! I had such a fabulous meet today! I won my first ever AA title in a non-Topo meet! Even better, Jennie won silver! And Eva won bronze, which means Topo swept the senior division! And I also won silver medals on bars and beam. I'm liking Texas. Now I know what you're thinking - what's Sarah doing competing Senior? I could have sworn she was still a Junior. Well, the other day Lois called all the girls who were born in 1988 into a meeting (this is a lot of us - me, Marina, Rissa, Eva, Crystal, Brooke, Maddie, and Emily) and told us that since next year is an Olympic year, the rules change and anyone who turns 15 this year is eligible to turn senior this year...or stay junior. It's her choice. She said that for now, any girls who were competing in the Texas Flyers meet who were born in 1988 would compete as seniors, and that we could make our decisions in the next few days. I've decided that I'm going senior. I know this will make me pretty much the youngest senior (and that if I'd been born when I was supposed to, I wouldn't be eligible to go senior this year at all!), but I think I'm ready. I've had two successful seasons, I've been to Worlds and Olympics, won Topo Classic, and stood on the AA podium at Nationals 2 years in a row. I want a chance to go to Worlds this year.
Peace,
Sarah

January 16 #2
Wow. Workout today was friggin scary. Jennie was working her beam routine and missed her feet on her front aerial and pretty much faceplanted. Her head hit first and kind of bounced. She got up and seemed ok...for like two seconds. Then her eyes rolled back and she passed out. I screamed. Yes, screamed. Not good. It was so scary. But she's going to be OK - she's been cleared to compete. I hope she never does that to me again! Peace,
Sarah

January 16
Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Jennnnnnn---ieeeeee, happy birthday to youuuuuu! In case you couldn't guess, today is Jen's sweet 16th! That's the good news. The bad news is that she can now drive. The good news is that since I have ample warning, I can take cover in a secure area while she's on the road. I figure Indiana cornfields are a good place to learn to drive! So yeah, today is a day to celebrate the best roomie and best friend a girl could ever want. Happy birthday, Jen!
Peace,
Sarah

January 15
Today I did an extra private lesson on bars with Coach Nick. We worked a lot on making my swing smoother and more confident. I think it helped. I want to be more aggressive on all events. There are times where I could have made a skill but I second guessed myself or gave up too soon and ended up falling. Coach Nick also has me seeing a sports psychologist now. I fought him tooth and nail about it. He says I'm the stubbornest 14-year-old he's ever met. I take that as a compliment! :-) But anyhow, I finally agreed to go, and I think it was a good decision. If I'm going to lose a meet, I want to lose because someone else is a better gymnast than I am, not because I can't get my mental game together.
Peace,
Sarah

January 14
Well, today they announced the team for the Texas Flyers Invitational. I made the team and so did Jennie. We're going to Texas this weekend! And I plan to do better at this meet than I did at the intersquad. Period. No questions asked. Poor Jen. I have been in such a lousy mood these past few days. I feel so bad that I've been so impatient with her.
Peace,
Sarah

January 13
As if things weren't bad enough, Madison has decided to leave. All I know is that she got in a fight with someone and doesn't think she can stay at Topo under the circumstances. Personally, I think that's silly. I mean, supposedly being a great gymnast is her biggest dream and Topo is certainly the place to make that happen! I hope she realizes that and changes her mind!
Peace,
Sarah

January 12
Ugh. Things are...well...not good. I am feeling really blah. I don't want to hang out with anyone, barely even Jen or Rissa. That's not normal for me! I've been training hard but I am getting depressed because it seems like no matter how well things go in practice, I can hardly ever deliver in a meet situation. I can't even keep my head together for a simple intersquad so how the heck am I supposed to be able to compete in invitationals and other, bigger meets? I'm within an inch of just asking Lois not to put me on any teams. I mean, what's the point if I'm just going to fall all over the place and embarrass myself and hurt the team?
Yuck.
Peace,
Sarah

January 11
Yay Saturday! Today I went for a really long run. It was really, really nice and gave me some time to just think about...stuff. It's been kind of a tough week. We've been assigned to training squads. I'm on Pop, training under Coach Nick and on the same squad as Jen! I'm glad we get to kick each other's butts in workout every day.
Peace,
Sarah

January 10
TGIF! I got a care package from Mom today. She sent some cookies from Sticky Fingers, the new vegan bakery in DC. Mom rocks! I had a much better workout today. School was good too. I think I did OK on my history test - we'll see! Peace, Sarah

January 9
Wow. I did so, so bad at yesterday's intersquad. I did really well on bars and OK on vault, but fell on beam on my Yang Bo (NOT even my hardest skill!) and on floor on my double layout. Yuck. There's no reason why I couldn't have scored over a 9.5 on bars, beam, and floor. It didn't happen. What good is it to consistently hit in practice if you can't do what's required come meet time? Ugh. I'm so, so frustrated. And of course, training when I'm this frustrated isn't worth much. Thank goodness tomorrow's Friday. I need a weekend! Peace, Sarah

January 8
Well, today is the first intersquad. I am a little nervous because this is the meet that will set the tone for the rest of the season and I want to get it started on the right foot! I am a little worried because due to a computer error this weekend I only got credit for doing the "slacker" workout on Sunday even though I did a full workout. It's a little frustrating that I didn't get the benefit of the doubt because I have never, never done the slacker workout in the entire time I've been here so why would I have done it that day as opposed to the real workout? But I know Lois had to do what she had to do and hopefully everything will be ok! Peace, Sarah

January 7
Well, today was kind of a sad day. My mom told me that one of the kittens we fostered this fall had to be put down. So depressing. But at least she was loved during her life, however short it was. *sigh* I don't know how my mom does it, but she does and I'm glad for it! Tomorrow is the intersquad meet. I am really nervous about it but I know I just need to do what I know I'm capable of doing. Peace, Sarah

January 6
Monday! Urggh. At least I've been back in school for a few days so it was a little easier on me than it was on, say, Jennie! Wow. I thought I wasn't a morning person. I guess I was wrong! School was pretty good today. I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to get out of dissecting a frog in bio lab. My mom has a cool letter drawn up so hopefully they'll just accept that and let me do the whole thing on a computer. The thought of dealing with a carcass really grosses me out! Peace, Sarah

January 5
My first Sunday back in Indiana! I was back at St. Therese this morning for the first time since this summer. I missed everything so much, especially Mrs. Doherty. She and her husband took me to brunch after Mass. I had oatmeal and a fruit cup. Yum! I hung out with Rissa a little this afternoon. It was great. I missed her sooooo much. I still miss everyone who's not here. But I am getting to know the new girls. Peace, Sarah

January 4
Happy Saturday! We're finally settled in our dorms and Jennie and I are roommates! Cool, huh? We stayed up waaaaay too late last night talking, but it was seriously cool. I love the way we have our room set up and I think it will be a lot of fun to room together.
Last night we had a party and I ate a little too much pizza but hey, I actually could use a few more pounds so it's not going to kill me!
I talked to Amy today and she said her ankle is feeling a lot better. I told her it's too bad she's a soccer player and not a gymnast because if you're a gymnast you can train at least a little pretty much no matter what is hurt. I mean, when I had surgery on my ankle I was swinging bars the very next day!
Peace,
Sarah

January 3
Happy Friday! Good news. The first set of gym rankings are up and I am ranked first! Yay! I am determined to get back on top fast and start winning again!'
Tonight we are having a party to celebrate our first Friday. Eva is bringing pizza, as usual. She can always be counted on for that! I asked for my usual lotsa-veggies-no-cheese pizza. I hope the pizza place gets it right! Pizza rules.
I talked to Mom today. She said Amy sprained her ankle in soccer practice yesterday. Poor kid. Sprained ankles are horrible! But the doctor said she should be back to normal within a week or so. I hope he's right!
Peace,
Sarah

January 2
Hello! Well, today was full of surprises. I was expecting a DeBrinski sister to come to Topo sooner or later, but I was expecting it to be Alana. Well, I was wrong! Sammi arrived late last night. I'm going to miss Alana, but it will be great having Sammi here. Alana is going to try to pursue a ballet career. I certainly wish her a lot of success!
Today was also the first day of school. I missed everyone so much! It doesn't look like I will be too far behind and I am very glad about that! I also worked with Sr. Kate for the first time. I missed her a lot. It's just great to have life back to some semblance of normalcy.
Peace,
Sarah

January 1
Happy New Year! I am so, so happy to be back at Topo. It has been a crazy few months. First, I went home to DC. Started my sophomore year at Georgetown Visitation, trained at a local gym, spent time with my family...it was pretty great. But I missed serious gymn and had no idea if or when Topo would be reopening, so I headed to Cascade Locks. The best part about CL was that Jen was there (which is, of course, pretty great). But that gym was such a terrible fit for me. I felt like a fish out of water. Gymn was terrible. I hated the fact that I wasn't going to regular school. I stuck it out for a disastrous month, and then headed home for Christmas.
Christmas was pretty great. I got to spend the holidays with my family for the first time in two years, and that was amazing. Last year, Christmas came right before the Olympics (were the Olympics really a whole year ago? it doesn't seem like it!), so there really wasn't time to celebrate properly. This year made up for it. I also did a commercial for Children's Hospital and a few community events, like helping to hand out Christmas gifts to inner-city kids. One of the best things about becoming a well-known athlete has been the way it's allowed me to give back to the community. I loved it!
So now I'm back...and so is everyone else. I hadn't seen Rissa since August, and I missed her so much. It's just great to be back home. School starts tomorrow and I will be so glad to be back at Holy Rosary. Marie will be there with me - she's a freshman this year so we'll be in the same school. It's going to rock!
Peace,
Sarah

---

August 17
Today is the day I have been waiting for since last year - the 2002 Topopolilly Nationals. I'm really feeling the pressure this year. A silver medal in the AA last year was wonderful - more than I had ever dared to dream. But this year there is pressure to at least defend that and really to better it. I want to do well. I'm just not sure I'm up to the challenge. It's kind of scary!
Peace,
Sarah

August 5
Oh my gosh, this is a crisis! Rissa fell on a double layout and broke her fibula. She'll be out for at least two weeks and will probably miss Nationals. I feel so badly for her. I think she had a serious shot to medal at the meet and it's horrible that she won't get a chance. On a totally selfish note, she might not be traveling to France with us. What's Paris gonna be like without my Rissa (a native French speaker!) to translate? And it's gonna be horrible to not have her in the room across the hall from me! The Apparatus Masters meet has been changed to Saturday. I said I wanted to compete on either beam or bars. We'll see where Lois puts me. Either one is fine with me. Peace, Sarah

August 4
Today we have our weekly intersquad. Based on those results, the team for the Paris Internationale will be announced. I soooo want to make this team. But I can't let that distract me from just going out there today and hitting all of my routines. The Apparatus Masters meet will be held this week, too. I don't know what apparatus I want to compete...I'm thinking either beam or bars. I probably have a better chance of winning beam but I don't want that to be my only criteria for picking which event to do. Oh well. Peace, Sarah

August 3
Wow. The girls are kicking some major butt in the Junior Elite Olympic festival. Eva barely missed an AA medal...she was a heartbreaking .001 away from a bronze medal. But she came back strong and won silver on floor. Tia also had a great meet. She won silver on beam and bronze on floor. I am soooo proud of them. I just wish I could be competing too!
Peace,
Sarah

August 2
Depression. Why do I have to be dealing with a stupid injury anyway? It's so frustrating that I was rehabbing an injury while everyone else was off competing and gaining experience. I feel like it will take me months to make up for the less than two weeks I was gone. Blecch. Peace,

July 31
Wow. Brittany did sooo awesome at the Double Trouble meet! She won gold for team, AA, vault, beam, and floor, and silver on bars! I am soooo thrilled for her! Of course, at the same time I am frustrated because I never can do well at meets outside Topo. Does this make any sense? It's not that I don't want the other girls to do well. I am sooo proud of them when they do and I cheer them on the whole way. I just want to do well myself, for once. Is that too much to ask? Ack. Back to the gym.
Peace,
Sarah

July 31
OK, so I just could not sleep last night. So because of that, workout was a total disaster this morning. I feel like I was barely even there this morning and I am really lucky I didn't end up seriously hurt. I think Lois was really frustrated with me...she shows she's frustrated when she stops giving corrections and stuff. She doesn't throw people out of the gym but this is pretty much the same thing. Blecch. I'm going to try to take a nap and then go back and try this again!
Peace,
Sarah

July 30 #2
I'm a little depressed...I mean, I know I had to get my ankle fixed and the sooner the better, but it's still frustrating. Summer is the busiest time of the year in terms of meets and I just feel like I've missed out on a lot even with being away less than two weeks. Oh well. I just need to let this light a fire under me. I am determined to compete and do well!
Peace,
Sarah

July 30
Oh my gosh, I can't believe it! Jennie is the AA champion at the Return to the Storm meet! She had some trouble on beam but scored perfect 10's on bars and floor! How amazing is that? I am soooo proud of her and we are going to have to have a huge party to celebrate when she gets home! As for me, it's been the same old thing. Training, therapy, therapy, training...but if I do well in this weekend's intersquad then it will all be worthwhile. I am determined to improve my standing over last week...which shouldn't be too hard to do. In other news, Rissa has taken up diving. I think diving is a super cool sport and I have a lot of respect for her because I know I never would have time to train for two sports!
Peace,
Sarah

July 29
Wow. July is almost over. Where did it go? Oh well. On to other stuff. I'm getting anxious about upcoming meets. Apparatus Masters is coming up. I'm trying to decide if I should compete bars or beam. On the one hand, I seem to be more consistent on beam and it would be really nice to do well in the meet...on the other hand, it would be good to get more experience on bars and hopefully to do well and gain more confidence. Decisions, decisions!
Peace,
Sarah

July 28
Well, yesterday's intersquad was about what I expected. Actually, it could have been worse. I didn't finish last and neither did Opilly. All things considered, I can't be too crushed even though this is my worst placement in a Topo-only meet in as long as I can remember. But I can't be too hard on myself...THIS time. If I don't do better in the next meet, that will be a different story. I am determined to make the Paris meet, and then to do well at Nationals. I want another AA medal. That's all there is to it!
Peace,
Sarah

July 27
Happy Saturday! Today I found out an interesting tidbit of information. While I was gone and Lester was on the loose, apparently he made his way into good ol' B1 and snuggled himself right into my bed. Yippee. I kinda wasn't supposed to know about this but I kinda found out anyway. It's really no biggie. I actually kind of like snakes. I mean, I've never had a bad experience with one. So why should I dislike them?
I am seriously disappointed about all the meets I missed while I was gone. It seems like I never do well in meets that involve athletes from gyms other than Topo and I would really have liked the chance to gain more experience. Not that I think things would have gone well. Blecch.
Peace,
Sarah

July 26
It's just so good to be back here...but it was good to be home too. I went to Amy's soccer game...Connor's baseball game...helped out in Charlotte's gymn class...hung out with Laura and Dominic...it was great! But I'm glad to be at Topo again, with my sisters. I can't believe how much I missed them!
It looks like I missed a lot of excitement while I was gone! Don't get me wrong - I'm not anti-snake or anything. Heck, I love all animals. But the thing with Lester sounds a little freaky and frankly, I can't say I blame Britt for freaking out when Lester slithered into the shower with her! It was funny to hear about but I don't think I would have liked to be there!
Peace,
Sarah

July 24 #2
Wow, it looks like we have our work cut out for us! Opilly finished last in this week's intersquad. I can't really put the blame on myself since it wasn't my fault I had to have the surgery and besides, there are other girls on the team - but still, it's tough to go out there and compete with a reduced roster. I hope we can do better next week. Jen won the all-around competition. I'm really proud of her! She's been working so hard.
Guess what - Alana DeBrinski has joined the gym! I am soooo excited. She is definitely one of the coolest people. I think she and Jennie and I will be hanging out a lot. It's just cool to have so many good friends!
Peace,
Sarah

July 24
I'm back!!!!!! The surgery was a total success and my ankle is feeling soooooo much better! It wasn't even as bad as I expected. I was awake for the operation and was walking on it the next day and swinging bars that afternoon! It's amazing what a difference it made. The doctor said it was the biggest bone chip he had ever seen...and the littlest ankle he'd ever removed one from! So I guess that makes me pretty tough stuff!
The girls are all doing sooooo well in meets! I am sorry I had to miss them but I am so proud of my sisters! Jennie won about a zillion medals in the North American Gym Festivals meet. She really deserves all the success she's been having lately. I couldn't be more proud of her!
Our room is pretty much the same as it was when I left. Britt was mostly sleeping in the futon in Jen and Danielle's room and I think they had a lot of fun!
Well, I'm off! I'm having lunch with Rissa and then Jen and I are going for a walk. TTYL!
Peace,
Sarah

July 12
Yuck. I competed in the Summer Specialties meet and basically, it was a disaster. I fell and placed 15th...didn't even qualify for finals. Jen did even worse, which was horrible because she's reigning Olympic silver medalist on bars. I so wanted her to do well! It's kind of depressing because neither of us did well. We're here for one more day and then we return to Topo...and then I start packing and leave for home Tuesday. Yippee.
Peace,
Sarah

July 10
Geez oh pete, I'm tired. Every muscle in my body is protesting. I am going swimming this afternoon. That should help!
So, like, Jen's belly button ring is pretty much grossness! She has to pour this alcohol stuff on it twice a day and she says it doesn't hurt but I say to her LIAR LIAR PANTS ON FIRE!!! I can't imagine that it doesn't hurt! I mean, I know getting your ears pierced doesn't really hurt but that's your earlobes, not your navel!
We had an Opilly bonding session in our room today. It was fun. We hung out and painted each other's nails purple and silver (our squad colors) and made up silly cheers about Opilly. It was cool to bond with the girls like that!
Peace,
Sarah

July 9
Well, I got quite a surprise today! Jen came into our room this afternoon and guess what - she got her belly button pierced! I was kind of shocked and it looked pretty nasty but overall I think it's kind of cool. Not something I'd want to do, though...but that's just me. She says it doesn't really hurt but I don't believe her!
It looks like I will have miss several meets while I'm recovering from surgery. I'm totally bummed about that, but really, when is a good time to miss gymn time to have surgery? I just want the surgery over and to be back in top form to be competitive at Nationals. That's my major goal right now.
Peace,
Sarah

July 8
Well, the bad news is that Alyssa has left the gym. The good news is that Keshira is coming back! Yaaaay! Kiki and I were always really good friends and it looks like we will be on the Opilly squad together! How cool is that? So it's been a good day! :-)
Peace,
Sarah

July 7
Yecch. I had a rotten meet yesterday. I bombed beam and floor...sorta scraped by on bars...vault was actually pretty good and I tied for the second highest score of the meet there. Blecch. And Opilly kind of stinks now. It's depressing to look back at the newspaper article about Opilly back when we were on top and to think about how far we've fallen since then. Yuck. It stinks! I will be going to the Summer Specialties meet, competing on bars. I figure it will be a good meet to get some confidence back on bars - it's been lacking lately! Jen is competing bars too. It's so funny to hear the media go nuts about some sort of imagined "rivalry" between us. I mean, if they were actually around us at all, they'd know there's no rivalry at all! We're great friends and wouldn't have it any other way.
Peace,
Sarah

July 6
Happy Saturday! We have our intersquad today with the MEG-TC girls. I am determined to do better than I did the last time we competed together. Lois hung up a new banner outside the gym - it says "Where Winning Isn't Everything". This is quite a change from "Home of the World and Olympic Champion Teams". We'll see what it does for motivation and morale...especially mine!
Peace,
Sarah

July 5 #2
They've also announced the date for Nationals. It's going to be on August 17. I am really worried because this is only three weeks after I get back from my surgery. On the one hand, I don't want to rush my recovery, but on the other hand I really want a chance to win Nationals this year. Tough call...I think competing will win! I have the rest of my life to heal and I can sleep when I'm dead, lol!
Peace,
Sarah

July 5
It's been a very cool day. Today Lois announced that Jennie and Jess will be inducted into the Topopolilly Hall of Fame. I am soooo excited for them, especially Jen. She's had some incredible moments and also some really rough luck and I'm just glad all her hard work has paid off in this way. She deserves it more than anyone!
Next week is the MSGA Summer Specialties meet. It's going to be two gymnasts per event, and it's an event finals only meet. I'm hoping to compete on at least beam and/or bars. I think those are the events I would have the best chance of doing well on.
Peace,
Sarah

July 4
Happy Fourth of July! We went camping with the gymnasts from Russia last night and it was sooooo much fun! Cam and Kelly went off in search of snakes...Lois freaked because there was a critter in her sleeping bag...I just had fun! I love being out in the wilderness and being there with all my friends was even better!
I am determined to redeem myself from the disaster at the EVGA dual meet. There is no reason why I can't do these skills. I do them perfectly in practice and usually hit in intersquads. Why can't I seem to handle the pressure of dual and IFGA meets? It's so frustrating to know you're capable of so much more than you're putting out. Blecch.
Peace,
Sarah

July 3
I had the most disastrous meet yesterday. We had a dual against Endo and I literally fell on every event except vault. It was unbelievably pathetic. I am so disgusted with myself.
In other news, we are having snake issues in the gym! More to come later...
Peace,
Sarah

July 2
Wow, I am sooooo tired. It's not even funny. I slogged through workout today...not even sure how I did it. Yecch. I need to start getting more sleep. Right now Lois and Grandma Benni don't really enforce a lights-out time but I have a feeling that could change soon because way too many of us have been dragging in the gym lately. Some of us think squad workouts should be later...I mean, the point of 6:30 AM workouts was so that we could get to school by 10 but it's summer now so...
Peace,
Sarah

July 1
Rabbit, rabbit! Today was a kinda-weird day. I was feeling a little anti-social and didn't really hang out with anyone today. I mostly hung out outside and read. I'm reading the fourth book in the Harry Potter series...how pathetic is it that I'm just now getting around to reading it? Oh well. Better late than never!
I had an interesting experience in workout today. I was vaulting into the pit and out popped Lester...Cam and Kelly's stuffed snake! I thought it was a pretty great prank to play. Now...what can I do...?
Hehe!
Peace,
Sarah

June 30 #2
We've started planning what we're going to do for the Fourth of July. I think we're going to do a cookout and fireworks and the rest of the water balloons! It is going to be soooo much fun! I'm also going to Texas sometime soon (probably after I have my surgery) with Rissa to visit her family. I'll train at Brown's for that weekend. It will be soooo much fun. What's depressing is that Lara was supposed to go too. I just can't get used to her not being here! But the good news is that Krista is coming back and she and Rissa will be roomies.
Peace,
Sarah

June 29 #2
I had such a fun afternoon! We had a continuation of the water balloon fight and I got soaked and soaked everyone else too! Poor Grandma Benni got stuck in the middle of it and then she ended up throwing more balloons than anyone else! The funniest was when Cam was walking under my window and I dropped one out the window on her head! I don't think she knew it was me but I'm a little nervous cause Cam doesn't get mad, she gets even!
Peace,
Sarah

June 29
Happy Saturday! I talked to my mom for a long time today. We talked about my coming home to have surgery and rehab my ankle. We decided we're going to make some time for family stuff too while I'm gone. How pathetic is it that I need to have surgery to get some quasi-relaxed time with my family? Oh well. I'm planning to see Amy's soccer game and Connor and Dominic's baseball games and hang out with Charlotte and Laura. My mom also got tickets to a concert at Wolf Trap. It's going to be really cool. Even with surgery thrown in. Weird, huh?
Peace,
Sarah

June 28 #2
Well, it seems a rumor has started that I was trying to beat Jennie with a silver platter! How random is that? I think between that and the water balloon fight, we all seem to have a little too much time on our hands! I hope Lois doesn't decide to send us to summer school because we're being a little too active!
It's funny because some critics of elite gymnastics say we're deprived of a normal teenage experience. Really, what could be more normal than a bunch of teenage girls having a water balloon fight? I wish those people could actually see us living and training and see that our lives are actually pretty darned good. In fact, I would't trade my life for anything! :-)
Peace,
Sarah

June 28
It's been a *very* exciting day. We had our weekly intersquad today instead of over the weekend and I won! It's the first meetI've won since the gym reopened. This should give me a push toward trying to stay on top consistently. We also had a major water balloon fight. Poor Britt, she seemed to get the worst of it! A water balloon Morgan tried to hit me with ended up hitting Britt instead! It was really funny and Britt was a good sport about it but I think Morgan felt pretty bad about it!
I also went to the doctor today to have my ankle looked at. He did an MRI and found a bone chip in there, though it doesn't look very big. I've scheduled surgery to have it cleaned out for July 17. I'll be going home to Maryland to have that done and the same orthopedic surgeon who works on the Redskins and the Washington Freedom will do the surgery. For some reason I get a feeling he's not quite used to dealing with ankles as small as mine but he knows how to work with athletes so I'm not too worried. And I should only be out of the gym for a week and a half so that's good. I will be cleaned out and healed up well before Nationals!
Peace,
Sarah

June 27 #2
We have another intersquad tomorrow. I wish I were more confident about how I will do. I am kind of concerned about how my ankle will take it.
Randa's been sick this week but she still plans to compete. I have no idea how she does it. I hope she does well - she deserves it!
Tonight Jen and Rissa and I are planning on hanging out together. It's not the same without Lara but I am grateful for the friends I still have here.
Peace,
Sarah

June 27
It's been a rough day today. Eva is grumpy and Jen is rightfully mad at her and frankly I'm pretty annoyed too. Blecch.We had a water balloon fight yesterday. It was really fun. I got Britt with one while she was brushing her teeth last night! I was pretty proud of myself!Tomorrow I am going to get my ankle looked at by the doctor. We'll see how it goes. If there's a problem, I want to get it taken care of right away. I don't want to wait because Nationals are still a month away and if I get it fixed now I'll still have a chance to be recovered by Nats. Having said that, it's also possible it's nothing. We'll see.

June 26
It's been a long time since I last wrote! Not much has changed here. Cincinnati was fun and my kitties did get adopted! A really nice couple adopted them and it was so wonderful! They got a framed, autographed picture of me and the kitties. I wore my Topo leo and Olympic gold medal in the pic. I was so happy to see everyone else so happy! Unfortunately the meet didn't go as well as I had hoped it would. I am hoping I can kick my butt into gear soon and it will pay off!
Peace,
Sarah

June 22
Today is the Pet Power Festival. We've been in Cincinnati since last night. When we got here yesterday we changed into our team leotards and posed with our pets. I posed in a side split with my torso on the floor and the kitties on either side of my face. The pics came out really good and I autographed one that will be given to whoever adopts these little kitties. It was really fun!
Peace,
Sarah

June 21 #2
Tomorrow is the Pet Power intersquad meet. I am really, really looking forward to this meet. Not that I think I will do particularly well - I have had a rough series of meets lately and don't have much hope for a miracle now - this meet should still be really exciting. We're having an auction to benefit the shelter and I am donating a bunch of items - an autographed workout leo from the Olympics, several autographed photos, and a bunch of other things. We're also auctioning off a couple of autographed photos of the World and Olympic Champion teams and photos of the all-around medalists on the podium. I am really glad that my success in gymnastics allows me to help animals in this way.
Peace,
Sarah

June 21
I'm still kind of waiting for things to look up. I think most of the reason I'm so down is because of Lara's not being here anymore. I miss her so, so much. I mean, I know she made the right decision for her by retiring, but it doesn't mean I don't miss her!
Peace,
Sarah

June 19
Blecch. What a disaster. I had the worst workout this morning. It seemed as though nothing was going right. I love summer because without school there is one less thing putting the pressure on but at least when school is in session then at least even if I have a horrible workout, if school goes OK then I have at least had a pretty good day overall...
The latest news is that due to recent events in IFGA and IVGCC meets, we aren't likely to be attending any of those meets in the near future. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I guess it doesn't matter what I think because it isn't my decision to make...and frankly, stuff with the IFGA has been so messed up that I guess I will be just as glad not to be attending the meets. I dunno...
Peace,
Sarah

June 18
Things are not going well. Quite simply, I am wiped. Too much travel, too much competing. My ankle is killing me. But there's no way I can cut back on training. I have to work harder to regain my ranking in the gym. Things did not go well in Russia and I need to redeem myself. I can't believe I floundered so badly on the world stage. It's the sort of thing that makes me wonder if I am even close to having what it takes to be successful in elite-level gymnastics. I have to work harder. I have to start doing well again. I'm too young to start slipping like this. My career is not over!
Peace,
Sarah

June 16
Home at last! Moscow was wonderful but it is good to be home. I'm really not feeling well now...which is no surprise since I usually get sick when I travel...but I can't bring myself to care! I had such a wonderful time and learned soooo much! It will be great to put what I have learned into practice in the future!
I had a long talk with my mom today. It was great to talk with her again. I miss my family sooooo much...I miss seeing Amy's soccer games and Connor's baseball games and Dom's T-ball games and seeing Charlotte and Laura grow up...but it has been worth it, I think. My mom is so cool about everything.
Peace,
Sarah

June 14 #2
I have learned soooo much here. The coaches and athletes are incredible. I've made friends with a lot of them and also rekindled and I've become good friends with girls I really didn't even know before. I'm still sad that Randa and I aren't rooming together anymore (no offense to Britt), but we have had a ton of fun hanging out together and we are becoming even better friends than we ever were. Friendship is such a wonderful thing and I am so lucky to have these girls!
Peace,
Sarah

June 14
Happy Flag Day! Today we celebrated by wearing our flag patterned leos. It was fun to do even in Russia. Which reminds me...

June 12
Hello from Moscow! It is really amazing here. It is such a privilege to be working alongside the Russian gymnasts. They are so incredibly hard-working. I pretty much thought I was going to die after conditioning yesterday morning! I don't think I had ever worked so hard in my life! We have a meet against them this weekend. I'm hoping I can do well. It's kind of funny because as a team we've actually beaten the Russian girls before...but still, they are sooooo good!
It's also been fun hanging out with everyone between workouts and in the evening. I'm getting to know the Russian girls and even though I only speak a few words of Russian, they speak English well enough that we can communicate pretty well. Gymnastics and ballet are languages we have in common, though.
Peace,
Sarah

June 8th
Wow. I am tired. I'm back home now, and today is Summerfest 2002. I am not feeling too secure about this meet. Too much travel and competing for one week. But I'm glad to have the chance to compete and who knows how things will work out.
Peace,
Sarah

June 7
I am really enjoying being in Switzerland. It is so beautiful here and we have had wonderful weather. Even with all the competing we have still had a couple of hours a day to see the city, plus we have our bus ride back and forth from the hotel to the gym.
I am a little worried about the next few days. Tonight we fly back to Indianapolis. We'll be getting back around midnight. Then tomorrow (yes, tomorrow), we compete in Summerfest 2002. Then Sunday we leave again...for Moscow. I have a funny feeling I won't know whether I'm coming or going by the time we get to Russia. I'm just hoping I will still be able to post respectable results at the upcoming meets. It's a little hard to have the pressure of being one of the gym's leaders but at least there's not the pressure of being the top ranked athlete.
Having said all that, I miss my gym sisters. A lot. And I am very eager to get back to see them. And I feel very fortunate to have all the opportunities I do!
Peace,
Sarah

June 4th #2
I am in the air on the way to Zurich! I can't wait to get there. I have heard about how beautiful it is there. I got a huge rip on my hands today on bars, but that's no biggie.
Peace,Sarah

June 4th
Today we leave for the Swiss Cup. I am really excited. I have heard about how beautiful Switzerland is and I can't wait to experience it for myself!I am pretty pleased with my performance in the last intersquad meet. I didn't win - I placed 3rd. But it's an improvement over last week. I haven't been below 4th, which is good. And this week I was only .07 out of first place. The meet was very, very close. The bad part is that Opilly lost. We placed 2nd, behind Lilly. That just means we will have to work harder before the next meet.
Peace,Sarah

June 3
I had a very sad experience today. I found an injured bird outside so I brought him in and tried to call someone to help but he died while I was trying to dial the phone. I buried him in the lawn. It was sad but at least I know I did what I could to help him.
Peace,
Sarah

June 2 #2
Another day, another workout. I'm trying to get my routines up to snuff, since we're leaving for Zurich and the Swiss Cup on Tuesday. Then after that comes Topopolilly Summerfest...then we leave for five days in Moscow! OK, so I have every reason to be tired, lol! But it's easier now that summer is here and school is out for the year. I am also so, so lucky that jet lag never seems to really affect me that badly. One decent night's sleep and I am usually fine. Besides, traveling is sooooo much fun!
Peace,
Sarah

June 2
Oh my gosh! I just found out the most incredible news! We are going to Moscow next month! How amazing is that? All my life, one of my biggest dreams has been to go to Russia and I am finally going! Wow. How lucky am I? :-)
Peace,
Sarah

June 1
Rabbit, rabbit! Happy June! The school year is officially over! Yaaaay! I am no longer a freshman! Things are good here. I'm getting to be good friends with Jennie and Tia, which is wonderful. They are really cool...but I just never really knew Jen and Tia is new. I am really glad to be getting to know my teammates...we really are a family here!
Peace,
Sarah

May 30
Home at last! I'm a little jet lagged and very tired but glad to be back. Today was the last day of school. I am officially no longer a freshman! That's pretty cool in my book! :-) I'm a little worried about tomorrow's intersquad. I am afraid that with traveling and everything, I may not be able to do well. Things have changed a lot since Topo reopened. I was so used to Jess and me being 1-2...ok, so I was usually #2, but I was comfortable there. It's not like that any more and it's a little strange. It's a totally new dynamic. I am glad I have been hanging on to a top-5 ranking. I am hoping I can at least earn a reputation for consistency and for leading by example. But I am determined to do a lot of things. I am going to win Nationals this year. And these most recent Olympics will not be my last. I am determined that my career is just beginning and there are great things in store for me!
Peace,
Sarah

May 29
Today we compete in the European Classic. I am nervous but determined to do well in this meet. I think determination is what it's going to come down to in this meet! I had a loooong talk with Randa last night. I don't think I actually realized just how much I missed her. It's tough because Britt and I have been good friends for a long time and as much as I miss Randa, rooming with Britt is cool too. So it's not like I got a raw deal. I miss Randa but that's nothing against Britt at all. Randa is rooming with Tia now and Tia is a total stranger so it's hard for her. I dunno...I think it's hard for both of us, just harder for her. We'd been roomies forever...
Peace,
Sarah

May 28
This is going to be quite a week! Yesterday we got back from California, where we competed in a dual meet against Snowflake. Tomorrow after workout, we leave for the European Classic. That means I'll be in school today and then not again until Friday. Even though Sr. Kate will be traveling with me to help me keep up with my schoolwork, it's still pretty stressful to be away from school. But then, if I did it for two months when the gym was closed, I can certainly do it for three days. I'm a little nervous about this meet because it's a qualifier to the Grand Prix final. That means the stakes are a little higher - it's not just this meet at stake. There is more good news - Randa is back!!!! She's rooming with Tia. Christiana has left. Christiana and I were squad mates but I really didn't know her too well. It's going to be a little weird not rooming with Randa but rooming with Britt is great to so....I can't go wrong!
Peace,
Sarah

May 27
Hi. It's been sort of a weird and not very good couple of days. I placed fourth in the intersquad, a drop of two places from last week. That's not acceptable. I need to work harder in the gym if I want to improve and I've been really slacking lately. This weekend I found out some information that really upset me but I can't write about it here. I know, what kind of journal is this if I can't tell me deepest, darkest secrets here? But trust me on this one. I can't tell! They also posted a bunch of meet rosters this morning. I'm on the teams for the European Classic (as you already know) and the Swiss Cup but missed making the team for the dual meet against Aurora and the US Challenge. I'm most disappointed about missing the US Challenge but I am grateful for making the meets I did make. Now I just need to go to the gym and work harder!
Peace,
Sarah

May 25
Hi! I'm sorry it's been a few days since the last time I wrote. The team for the dual meet against Snowflake has been announced. I'll be competing along with Tia, Brittany, and Amanda. Arika and Christiana will travel as alternates. I am really excited about this meet! I know we can win. Tia just admitted to us all why she is afraid to fly. Her mom died in a plane crash when she was 5 and her dad and brother were on one of the planes that crashed on 9/11. I feel so bad for her - I can't even imagine what that must be like. I remember how scared Dominic was to get in the car after Daddy died. He had to spend a lot of time working with a child therapist before he was ok with riding in the car again. But of course, how did he get to therapy appointments? In the car, of course. Maybe it's just easier with cars than with planes.
Peace,
Sarah

May 23
Today Lois is going to announce the competing team and alternates for the dual meet against Snowflake. I am a little nervous because I really want to compete but I know there's nothing I can do about it except hit the gym and work hard!
Peace,
Sarah

May 22
Hi! Tomorrow they will be announcing the team for this weekend's dual meet against Snowflake. It will be made up of the top 4 Opilly gymnasts as of tomorrow's rankings. I am nervous because I really want to compete. All six of us will travel regardless but it will be a little embarrassing not to compete so I want to be in the mix!
Peace,
Sarah

May 20 #2
Wow, I am so excited! I am going to see Spider Man tonight with Rissa and Lara and some of Rissa's school friends. It is going to be so much fun! Sometimes I feel guilty stealing time from schoolwork to just have fun but it's not such a big deal as long as it only happens once in a while. So I am determined to have a lot of fun tonight! We went to the store and bought some cool dried fruit snacks so we don't have to eat candy at the theater so that's a good thing!
Peace,
Sarah

May 20
The Opilly squad is PUMPED cause we rocked the house on Saturday! Tia and I went 1-2 in the AA!!! And Opilly won! Yippee! I am so proud of Tia for winning her first meet ever as a Topo gymnast! She was really amazing.School was pretty good today. I had a religion test and I think I did pretty well on it! I will be glad when the school year is over, though - and it will be soon!On Friday we are having a party to celebrate Eva's fourteenth birthday. I still haven't decided what I am getting her but it needs to be something great to celebrate her being back after so long!
Peace,
Sarah

May 19
Hi there! It's been a pretty good weekend. I placed second in the intersquad so that's pretty good. Now I just have to work harder so I win the next one! Britt and I have decided to decorate our room with lavender flowered wallpaper. I love girly stuff like that! This was also my first Sunday back at St. Therese and it was really cool to see everyone again. So it's been a really good couple of days! :-)
Peace,
Sarah

May 17
TGIF! I had a pretty good day today. We have an intersquad meet tomorrow and I am pretty nervous about it, considering that I am the reigning Classic champion so the pressure is sort of on in that regard. But hopefully I will be able to handle it. It's going to be the squads against each other as well as the individual athletes so that will be cool too. Today I found out that Krista is trying to come back to Topo. She had been training at Snowflake. I hope she comes back to Topo! I have missed her.
Peace,
Sarah

May 16
I had a pretty frustrating floor workout this morning. My tumbling just isn't working. But maybe it is just a temporary thing, Last night we had a team meeting. I learned how to do some stuff for the gym's website so that was pretty cool. I also got to know Tia a little which is really cool since we are teammates on the Opilly squad now. I miss Pop but I know I will like Opilly once I am used to being on that squad. School was pretty good today. I had a really good history class and Sr. Kate and I got a lot of math work done so that should leave me in a good place for now. I have to make some serious plans for the weekend...plans that involve something other than gymn, lol! Peace,
Sarah

May 15 #2
Me again! It's been a long day. I had a really good dance workout this evening and then worked with Sr. Kate for a couple of hours. I missed her so much! Somehow she just makes things make sense. Then I hung out with Rissa and Larzy. I can't believe how much I missed them. It was so weird not to run across the hall and hang out with my best friends in the evening. It's just good to have the normal routine back and everything. Of course, it will be better when school is out. I love school but it will be cool to be done with formal school for the summer. I will still work with Sr. Kate a few hours a week (the courses I do tutoring for I take on a calendar year) but some extra free time will be nice!
Peace,
Sarah

May 15
Good news today! Vada is back! And Randa might be coming back! I don't know what I will do roommate-wise if she does come back. I guess I will make a decision then. Things have changed a lot here. It's a little weird to be doing squad workouts first thing in the morning. It also means there is only half an hour between squad workout and when the van leaves for school which is an adjustment. But that's ok. We have an intersquad meet on Saturday. I am really nervous about it. But I think the new system where we will be competing every weekend is good. I think more competition experience can only be a good thing. Workout went pretty well today. It's just plain bizarre not training with Rissa but I will get used to it. Training with Britt is cool too because she is so much more powerful that I am. It's good because she pushes me to overcome my own wimpiness!
Peace,
Sarah

May 14 #3
More changes! I got to the gym for squad workout and it turns out the squads have been reassigned. We're on a squad with our roomies...I am not convinced that is a good thing. It was cool to be rooming with girls who weren't necessarily our squad mates because then we sort of got to branch out and hang out with other girls. But this is cool too. I'm an Opilly girl now with Britt, Amanda, Arika, Christiana, and Tia. I'll miss being on a squad with Rissa but that's OK. She and Larzy are still right across the hall!
Peace,
Sarah

May 14 #2
Hi again. Today was also my first day back at Holy Rosary in two months. It was great to see everyone again. This evening I will work with Sr. Kate again. I have missed her tons, being away. It was super hard to keep up with classes while I was gone. Here, it just seems like everything is easier because things are so well organized. I am a little worried about some of the changes that have been made to the points system. I had things pretty well under control before and now I will have to re-learn a lot of things if I want to stay on top. My goal is to win Nationals this year. I know I can do it. But I also want to have fun with gymn - which I am certainly doing! It's just great to have things kind of back to normal. It's sad because Randa and Keshira and Vada and Caitie are gone but it is really good to be rooming with Britty. So I am happy. And I will adjust to the changes.
Peace,
Sarah

May 14
Topopolilly has reopened! Yaaaaay! I am sooooo happy to be back here! It was great to be back with my family, but I am happy to be back with my gym sisters now! While Topo was closed, I trained at Elegance and lived with my family but competed for Vega Twisters. I went to the World Championships, Romanian International, and Pacific Alliance. I made AA finals in the Pacific Alliance but didn't do well in finals. In the Romanian International I made floor finals but reinjured my ankle in training the day before finals and had to withdraw. It was horribly disappointing but I had achieved my goal of finally making an individual final in an IFGA meet so that sort of softened the blow. Now that I am back at Topo, a lot has changed. Randa has left the gym, which I am really sad about. I will miss her a lot. The good news is that Lara is back!!! And so is Brittany - AND Brittany and I are roomies! We will have soooo much fun together!
Peace,
Sarah

March 22
Hi there. Wow, what a rough week it has been. On Wednesday I was so sick I got sent home from school early and didn't even do squad workout. In the nine months I have been here, I have never missed a squad workout. But there was nothing I could do...I was feeling too sick to even climb the stairs to my dorm, much less tumble. But I am feeling much better now. Physically, at least. I am so, so sad that Lara has left. I don't know what I am going to do without her around...it is so sad. She is going home to Jacksonville and hasn't decided yet whether to retire or train at another gym...

March 18
Hi there! Wow, it has been a long time since I last wrote. Things have not been going too well here...training just wasn't what it needed to be last week. Hopefully I am back on track now and things will start getting better for me. I can't afford to slack off because meets aren't going to stop happening any time soon and I need to be prepared to take advantage of opportunities! I was able to focus better on school, which was cool. Sr. Kate and I blew through a lot of French and Latin so I am glad to be caught up there. Sometimes it all feels so overwhelming but I am still grateful for all the opportunities I have!
Peace,
Sarah

March 6
I had a really good day today. It was my first day of full training since Friday so that was really cool. I am so happy with how my new vault is coming and with any luck I will be able to throw it in a meet soon! School was pretty good today. I had physical science lab which is always kind of cool. I usually do science with Sr. Kate but every few weeks I do lab at school so I can keep up with requirements more easily. I like it because it gives me more chance to interact with my classmates and get to know them than a traditional lecture does.
Peace,
Sarah

March 5
Hi! I am starting to feel better and actually had a totally disaster-free workout today! Woo-hoo! I am glad because I don't like having to just do extra conditioning. It makes me look and feel like a slacker. So it's good to be literally back in the swing of things! School was pretty good today. I have a ton of homework and it is really kicking my butt but I know I can handle it. I mean, if I can throw a Hristakieva on bars I can certainly handle a few history essays!
Peace,
Sarah

March 4
Hi. Unfortunately I am feeling even worse today. I almost had a disastrous workout because I was so dizzy I had no sense of where I was in the air. Luckily for me, Lois kind of noticed and wouldn't let me vault. I did some floor dance work and extra conditioning instead. Conditioning is sort of boring but I pretty much had no choice. So I sort of slogged through school and squad workout and am going to bed early tonight. Hopefully things will be better in the morning.
Peace,
Sarah

March 3
Hi! I am still feeling really rotten but I doped myself up seriously so I am dealing. Rissa won her school's pageant today! She looked so beautiful and I was so proud of her! So that was very exciting. Other than that, it has been a quiet day. Training was pretty good. I am going to bed now and with any luck I will feel better in the morning!
Peace,
Sarah

March 2
Blecch. Sarah is sick. I woke up this morning feeling pretty horrible - sore throat, cough, fever, the whole bit. The flu has been going around school so really I am not all that surprised...plus all the people I have been around with press conferences and stuff. So I figure this will force me to take it easy for the weekend - just training and homework and I am still planning to go to the mall with Rissa and Larzy to shop for costumes to wear to the dance at Larzy's school. Training is probably not gonna be too much fun today but it's good to get used to working at a high level even when you are not feeling well because who knows what's going to happen in a meet.
TTYS!
Peace,
Sarah

March 1
Happy Friday! I am so, so looking forward to a weekend off. I am going to catch up on some serious schoolwork with Sr. Kate and train and relax. No media interviews, no photo shoots, nothing but me and school and my girls and phone calls with my family and training, training, training. The dance at Lara's school has been postponed which is a little disappointing but that's OK. It will still be held next weekend so Larzy, Rissa, and I will go costume shopping this weekend. It's always a little weird to go shopping with them because we're all so little that no one can believe we are 13 and actually old enough to hang out in the mall by ourselves! So we get strange looks...but it's OK, really! :-)
Peace,
Sarah

February 28
Hi! For once, life seems to have returned to pretty much normal. There was a bit of a media frenzy after Classic, with everyone wanting to talk to Morgan, Jess, and me. But things have calmed down a lot and now it's just back to the normal routine of working out and going to school so that's cool. Lara invited Rissa and me to go to her school's masquerade ball on Friday and I am going to go. It should be really fun. So I am glad that my life has returned to at least some semblance of normalcy! I am training hard, especially working my newest vault - a ro-full on-layout arabian off. It's actually not all that hard. I've had a really solid Hristakieva (the vault) for a long time so this isn't really all that different. I think I'll be ready to throw it in my next meet.
Peace,
Sarah

February 23
I can hardly believe it. Today I won my first big individual title as a Topo gymnast! I am officially Topopolilly Classic champion! I wish I could say I had the meet of my life but unfortunately that is not the case. I made mistakes on all the events and floor was the worst. But I didn't make any serious mistakes and scored over a 9.0 on every event which is respectable considering scores tend to be lower with the new Code. So anyhow, as though my life wasn't crazy enough with the Olympic win, now it's a media circus all over again! It's pretty fun, though, and I am gonna just enjoy all the attention! :-)
Peace,
Sarah

February 1
Today was a pretty good day. I am glad it is Friday because school is really beating me up! I have a tough workout today because of the three big meets I have coming up in the next week and a half but then we are going to have some fun! I am going to see a movie with Marissa and Lara and some of Rissa's school friends. I can't wait!
Peace,
Sarah

January 22
Well, here I am in California at Springboard Gymnastics. I swear today I had absolutely the weirdest meet of my life. I started on beam. I took a majorly scary spill on my layout full...missed my foot on my back handspring and crashed headfirst on my layout full. So that was bad. Then I rotated to floor. My butt hit the floor on my Arabian double front. Then vault. I landed my Yurchenko 2.5 on my butt. I at least stayed on my feet for my layout Pod. Then bars... I have always considered bars my best event. Even though I've had some rough meets in the past, I have always loved this event. Today reminded me why. I did the best bars routine I have ever done. Every handstand was dead-on, my legs felt like they were glued together, my Hristakieva to Pak salto was dead-on, and I stuck my layout double-double cold. I got the first perfect 10 of my career. It was the best routine of my career to end what would otherwise have been the worst meet of my career. What a paradox. I just wish I could have helped the team more. We lost and there is no reason why we couldn't have won this meet. Yes, I have my bars gold medal - but I would gladly trade it in if it would have meant a win for the team.
Peace,
Sarah

January 7
The most amazing week of my life is now behind me. Last night we marched in the Closing Ceremonies. In some ways it was even more fun than the opening ceremonies because with the Closing Ceremonies the pressure was gone. There was no anticipating what would happen the rest of the week so there was nothing to distract us from just having fun! Plus we just all came into the stadium in a big bunch, without being separated by country, so that was really neat too! All the Topo girls marched in together and then some huge snowboarders scooped us up and plopped us on their shoulders so we could get a better view! We all wore our medals in the Ceremonies and just enjoyed the last night of the Olympics. I want to remember this experience for the rest of my life. I am so happy that I could represent my family, my gym, and my country here. I swear, I am the luckiest person in the world. Dreams really do come true.
Peace,
Sarah

January 6
It's been another amazing day for all of us. Jess and Jennie competed in event finals. Jess finished fourth on floor and Jennie won silver on bars! Of course there was more celebration for both of them. These Games have been amazing for all of us and no matter what we will always be Olympic gold medalists - every one of us. No matter what, I can live the rest of my life saying that my biggest dream has come true. Of course, just making the Olympics was so incredible - to win a medal is just the icing on the cake! Anything that happens for the rest of my career will be just extra. The best has already happened and no one can ever take this gold medal from me. I have been really enjoying the whole Olympic experience. I am so glad we decided to stay in the athletes' village, to just be with everyone else and get the experience of being with so many people who are living their greatest dreams. I think that experience has been just as cool as winning a gold medal!
Peace,
Sarah

January 5
Well, the excitement continues at the Olympics. Jess was the only Topo gymnast who qualified for the individual all-around finals and so of course we were all on hand to support her. She had a really solid meet. She didn't win a medal but placed a very strong sixth and so of course there was more celebration for her. She will compete in floor finals and Jennie will compete in bars finals so we'll see if they will bring home any more medals for Topopolilly. But even if they don't we have all had an Olympics to be proud of.
Peace,
Sarah

January 4 #3
Me again. It's the middle of the night and I am way too wired to sleep. Rissa finally conked out next to me so there isn't anyone to talk to any more. It's been really exciting for her and her family because her brother Carson won the gold medal as part of the men's 4x100 swimming team. They are getting so much attention as brother-sister gold medalists! It was really cool because her brother's race was going on as we were warming up for team finals so her family saw him win and then came to the arena just in time to see our meet start. So they had two gold medalists in one day. How cool is that?
Peace,
Sarah

January 4 #2
Wow. My head is spinning. No one seems to care about the rotten meet I had today. Everyone is so hyped about our gold medal. Endorsement offers are coming in...someone wants to write a book about us...and that's not the end. I need to talk to my mom about what to do about my NCAA eligibility. Part of me doesn't want to give it up, but then the money will be so helpful in paying for my training, and then I also will be able to pick a college for the school and not just for the gymnastics. So it is a really hard decision. It's bad enough for me, but how are Jess and Jennie handling everything when they still have to compete again? Wow. It's just unbelievable!
Peace,
Sarah

January 4
Wow. What a disappointing day. After such an incredible high of being crowned Olympic Champions yesterday, this was absolutely horrible. Individual preliminaries didn't go as I had hoped they would. In fact, I did horribly. I fell on my layout Rudi and had a huge stumble on my layout Pod, fell on my bars dismount, and fell twice on beam (fell under the beam on my Rufolva and them fell again on my Arabian handspring). I didn't fall on floor but I did step out of bounds on my double pike. It was crushing. Actually, it wasn't the greatest day for any of us. Only Jess qualified to All-Around, and Jess made floor finals and Jennie made bars finals. I wish I could have done better. I know I am young and will probably have another shot at the Olympics but that's not much of a consolation now. This meet is over for me and it's amazing that I was able to come away with a gold medal but I had really hoped to qualify for an individual final.
I am going to hang out with my family. Mom makes everything better.
Peace,
Sarah

January 3
Wow. This is the day I have spent my entire life training for and dreaming of. Today, everything I have ever done in my entire life has paid off. We competed in team finals of the Olympic Games today. Every single one of us went out there and did what she had trained for so many years to do. We went out there and nailed every single routine. And now we are Olympic gold medalists. Today is a day I never want to forget, as long as I live. I never want to forget how it felt to be in the finals of the Olympic games as one right after another we nailed our routined. I never want to forget the look on Lois' face as she watched us do what she had trained us to do. I always want to remember the looks on my family's faces. I never, never want to forget what it was like to march into the arena as Olympic champions, to wave to the wildly cheering crowd, to step on the podium, to have the gold medal draped around my neck, to stand on the podium with my five sisters a! s they played the national anthem...Dreams do come true. I always knew that, I think, but now I have no reason to doubt it. I never would have dreamed it would be as amazing as this.
Peace,
Sarah

January 2 #2
We did it! We hit all of our routines and qualified second to finals! We have another chance tomorrow to show the world what we, the gymnasts of Topopolilly, can do! I was so pleased that I could do well in such a big meet. Now all we have to do is go out there and hit our routines in finals tomorrow. This is all so exciting! It's so different from how I would have imagined it...and I am so happy! Now, it's time to go to dinner with the girls, hit the gym for an hour or so, and go to bed. We have a very important day coming up tomorrow!
Peace,
Sarah

January 2
Hi! Well, this is the day I have been training for since I was three years old. Today we compete in team preliminaries. I am soooo nervous and sooo excited. I know my family will be in the stands cheering me on and that means a ton. The stakes aren't too crazy here - just go out there, hit, and qualify in the top 13. We can do that! We're World Champions! So I personally just need to go out there and attack all four events with as much confidence as possible. And we need to support each other as a team. One thing that's nice here is that individual prelims are totally separate so we aren't competing against each other at all, not even for berths in finals. So see you in the arena!
Peace,
Sarah

January 1 #2
Hi again! Even aside from it being New Year's Day, today is another of many big days. Today is Podium Training! I always look forward to podium training even though it always makes me nervous. I look at it as a way to get good and warmed up for everything the meet will be. Usually there is a pretty big crowd on hand to watch poduim training and that's a good thing as far as I'm concerned because it gives a feel for what the crowd will be like in the actual meet. I am really, really eager to get a sense of what the equipment feels like. It's also kind of a nice opportunity to show off for the judges and the media, since they are going to be watching training and forming their opinions about who they think will be threats in the team and individual competitions. Well, I'm off to Mass with my family. TTYL!
Peace,
Sarah

January 1
Happy New Year! Last night we couldn't stay up until midnight, of course, but we all set our alarms for 11:45 so that we could be up to ring in the new year anyway! We didn't stay up more than half an hour or so but it was fun anyway. Everyone in the athlete's village went outside and popped champagne bottles and threw confetti and silly-stringed everyone. It was really fun! Of course, I'm not sure how a lot of them felt about having a bunch of 13-15 year old gymnasts who look like little kids hanging around, but it was cool. It turns out that's not something I really needed to be worried about. Even though we're a *lot* younger (and smaller!) than the other athletes here, they really respect us for what we do and that's seriously cool! TTYL!
Peace,
Sarah

December 31
Well, it's the last day of 2001 and I'm spending it in the Olympic village!!! Yesterday we marched in the Opening Ceremonies. It was the absolute coolest experience, to be marching with the world's greatest athletes! But today it was back to business. We had some really hard training today. We also managed to have some fun! Rissa and I hung out with the Canadian swimming team since her brother is on the team. It was really fun! AND I got to see my family! It was so great! I miss them so much!
Peace,
Sarah

December 27 #3
Yup, it's me again! :^) I've just found out even more good news! I am hanging on to the #1 spot in the gym! Mandy is in second with Jess right on her heels. Lois has started posting points next to rankings, which I think is a good thing. For me, at least, it is a source of motivation to know exactly what I need to do to to maintain or move up. This places me in a very good position going into tomorrow's meet. It's going to pit the Olympic team against another team of Topo gymnasts. We don't know yet who will be on the other team. It's also not clear where Arika will factor in. It's almost a guarantee that she will compete in the meet, but I'm not sure if she will compete as part of the Olympic team or not. She trains with us, travels with us, and basically has all the privileges that come with being an Olympian, except that she doesn't get to compete unless one of the team members gets hurt. So we'll see what happens in this meet.
Peace,
Sarah

December 27 #2
OK, I'm back! I've been thinking a lot about life after the Olympics. I mean, the Olympics are every athlete's ultimate dream. After that, there is really nothing else to do that doesn't pale by comparison. But no way am I retiring after these Olympics. I love gymnastics way too much. And isn't that the reason to be doing it? Besides, it's not like I will be anywhere close to accomplishing all this sport has to offer! I want to make the Topopolilly Hall of Fame. I want to win next year's National title. I want to make a name for myself internationally by winning individual as well as team medals at big meets. So I still have plenty to keep me busy for several, several more years!
Peace,
Sarah

December 27
Hi there! Things are really heating up in preparation for the Olympics. We have so many extra practices to make sure that we are ready to go out there and completely nail all of our routines in the meet. It's still almost surreal to think of myself as an Olympian. I mean, I remember watching the Olympics on TV as a little kid...never in a million years did I ever think I would be an Olympian myself. I don't think I even really thought about it until after I became an Elite. And even then, it was just something in the distant future...something that I thought might be a great way to cap off my career when I was 18 or 20 or so. Never did I dream I would be an Olympian at age 13. It's a little weird - like, so after this, then what?
Peace,
Sarah

December 26
Merry Christmas! I know that might sound a little weird but remember - Christmas is twelve days long! Yesterday was a light training day because of the holiday, but today I am back in full swing. The opening ceremonies for the Olympics are just four days away. I'm really pumped for this meet. I haven't been wearing my official team workout leo because I don't want to make the girls who aren't on the team feel bad, but my team leos are hanging on my closet where I can see them. I've been sleeping with all my silver and bronze medals next to me so that I fall asleep remembering all I need to do to make the next ones gold. We have an Olympic prep meet tomorrow and I am ready to go out there and do even better than I did in the Squads Alive meet - to really nail all four routines!
Peace,
Sarah

December 23 #2
Hi again! Winning that meet was such a thrill, especially since at the last Squads Alive meet I basically fell all over the place and totally embarrassed myself. Finally, I was able to pull myself together and actually compete like an Olympian instead of a kid in a YMCA tumbling class! It was such a great team effort. Everyone was on, encouraging each other and just really having fun. It was such a great experience!
We also had a blast playing tourists in Indianapolis. The city is so pretty, decorated for Christmas. The hotel is great and we have been having so much fun just hanging out together. Peace,
Sarah

December 23
Hi! I'm sorry I haven't kept you updated on the trip. It has been so much fun! We did an exhibition for the kids from Riley Children's Hospital and it was an incredible experience. The biggest news, though, came yesterday when we had the Squads Alive final. Pop is the number one squad at Topopolilly! I competed three events. I did two OK vaults, though I didn't stick either landing, and my bars routine was respectable even though I caught my Hristakieva a little close and didn't stick my dismount. The pressure was really on when we rotated to our final event, beam. I anchored that event and trust me, there is very little more nerve-wracking than knowing that whether your team wins or loses depends on whether or not you can stay on a 4-inch-wide beam! But I did it - I hit a very clean beam set and sealed it up for the Pop squad! We are the champions!
Peace,
Sarah

December 21
Hello from Indianapolis! We are having the best time here! Yesterday we went to the mall and shopped, shopped, shopped! We also went Christmas caroling at three nursing homes, which was my favorite part. Then we hung out in the hotel for the rest of the night. This place is incredible!!! A bunch of us went to the pool and had so much fun! Today we are doing an exhibition for the kids at the local children's hospital. I am really excited about this. All this year's Olympians are doing one of their Olympic routines and the rest of the girls are doing exhibition routines. I have decided to do my beam routine. Then tomorrow we have the last Squads Alive meet. So it's going to be a very fun and very busy day!
Peace,
Sarah

December 20
Hi! Well, the big news is that yesterday the Olympic teams from Topopolilly and Aurora had a dual meet. (Yes, I know I didn't mention it yesterday - I was trying not to think about it too much and make myself nervous!) We lost. I had 3 hit routines but fell off beam and placed 5th AA. I did, however, manage to hit what was probably one of the best bars routines I have ever done and I won the gold medal on that event. Overall, it was a good meet and another good chance for us Olympians to compete as a team. Today we're leaving for Indianapolis! I am super excited about this trip. I can't wait to see the city decorated for Christmas! TTYL!
Peace,
Sarah

December 19 #2
Me again! I'm in the van on the way to school now :^). I figure, no tests today, all my homework is done, why not write in my journal? Anyway, even though school doesn't let out for Christmas until tomorrow, today is my last day of school before Christmas. That's because tomorrow the team leaves for our Christmas tour to Indianapolis. I am really excited about this trip. I haven't been to Indianapolis at all except to the airport and that doesn't really count. We have a pre-Olympic meet there, which will be cool because we'll get to perform for a different audience than normal and in an unfamiliar venue. We'll also be doing exhibitions, including one at the children's hospital. All the Olympians are doing one of their Olympic routines and I can't decide between beam, bars, or floor! I guess I'll just see what the other girls are doing and base mine on that. And we're doing a group exhibition number. I can't wait!
Peace,
Sarah

December 19
Hi! I know I haven't written in a few days. *sigh* Things have been crazily wonderful here. Obviously the entire experience of being an Olympian has just been a whirlwind. Training is going great and my ankle is feeling a lot better. The doctor says it is almost healed and should not even be a factor in the Olympics, thank goodness! I have been training really hard and it has been going well. My big goal in the Olympics is just to hit all of my routines. Of course, on a personal level I would love to make All-Around finals, but more than anything else I just want to go out there in prelims and hit four for four. Beyond that...well, of course I just want to hit everything!
Peace,
Sarah

December 14
Hi! I am feeling a little better than I was on Wednesday, the last time I wrote. I still have a fever but I went to the doctor's and he gave me some medicine that is at least keeping the fever down. I only take it during the day, though, because I don't like to take medicine but it makes it a whole lot easier to concentrate on gymn and school if I feel a little less like death warmed over! We have our first pre-Olympic meet tomorrow, the Olympic team against the rest of the girls here. I think it will be really good because these meets will get Jess, Jen, Mandy, Vada, Rissa and me used to working and competing as a team. Rissa and Mandy and I are teammates on the Pop squad and Jess and I were on the Worlds team together but I have never competed on a team with Jennie or Vada before so this will be good experience. And tomorrow is also - drumroll please - my thirteenth birthday! Can you believe I'll be a teenager???
Peace,
Sarah

December 12
*whine* I am soooo sick! This morning I slept right through my alarm until Lara and Rissa came into my room and jumped on my bed. Well, that woke me up but also let me know in no uncertain terms that I wasn't doing too well. I have a horrible sore throat, headache, cough, fever...you name it, basically! Yecch. I dragged myself out of bed and went to the gym anyway. Conditioning wasn't so bad. We worked a lot of floor this morning and floor is probably the easiest place to hide if you're a little off. Bars was a disaster. I had literally no sense of where I was. It was so bad that Lois told me it wasn't safe for me to be on bars at all. Eww. I hate being told that! But really, she was right. So now I am through with everything for the day and in bed...with any luck I will feel better in the morning.
Peace,
Sarah

December 11
Well, it is still early but so far it has been an OK day. My mom sent me an email to say that some people are nervous because today is the three-month anniversary of the terrorist attacks and said I should be careful. C'mon, Mom, you guys are in DC and I am in the middle of nowhere here! If anyone should be nervous, you should! But I don't really think anything is going to happen. Workout went well this morning. I have started training more vaults and dismounts onto the mats rather than in the pit and so far, so good. I won't start running for cardio again for at least another week and it will probably be another month before I can risk jumping in ballet on the hard dance floor but hey, I'll take what I can get. My main goal is to be as healthy as possible and in the best shape of my life for the Olympics! Well, time for school. TTFN!
Peace,
Sarah

December 10
I am not doing well. I am just so stressed out about everything. I have no idea how I am ever going to get caught up in school. And as badly as I want to reclaim the #1 spot in the gym, I have no idea how it is even going to be possible. I am already pushing myself so hard that it hurts. Every night I am in so much pain that I want to cry. I don't dare ever cry, of course, but it doesn't change the fact that I want to. It's just so much. I have dreamed of being an Olympian ever since I became an elite and now that this dream has come true I can't help but wonder if maybe in a year or so I would be more mature and better able to handle things. I don't know. I just feel like my head is swimming with a million questions.
Peace,
Sarah

December 9
I'm sooo glad it's Sunday. Today a bunch of us are going to the mall after afternoon workout to help Rissa and Maddie shop - cause they have both been invited to their schools' Christmas semi-formals! I am super-excited for them. Rissa and I have been hanging out together a lot lately and that's been a lot of fun. It's been really hard for her since Eva left. The two of them are really close. It's been hard on everyone with so many people leaving. Personally, I have been doing well in the gym. I have decided to seriously commit to getting the #1 ranking back, which is going to take some extremely hard work on my part but I know I can do it. My ankle is also starting to feel better. I have started wearing the boot when I am not training and I have switched from running to the stationary bike for cardio. So hopefully things will start looking up very soon!
Peace,
Sarah

December 7
I haven't had the greatest day today. I am feeling kind of depressed. I'm not even sure why. I mean, goodness only knows things have been going my way lately! So there is really no reason why I shouldn't be happy. It's not gymn. I adore gymn. In fact, it's about the only place I am really happy, the only place where I don't feel like a fish out of water. Oh, well. At least I know where my place is.
Peace,
Sarah

December 6
Happy St. Nicholas Day! It makes me sort of homesick because this is the day my family always puts up the Christmas tree and decorates the house. *sigh* The only thing that isn't so great about being an Olympian is that I will not get to be home for Christmas. But it's OK. What I have wanted most ever since I became an Elite was to go to the Olympics, and now that dream is coming true. So missing Christmas at home with my family is a very small price to pay for being an Olympian. Things are going pretty well in the gym. My ankle is feeling better than it was earlier in the week. The ultrasound treatments are starting to do the trick and the trainer said the fracture seems to be healing well. I am very hopeful that it won't be a factor at all in the Olympics. I am holding strong in the rankings, at #3 as of yesterday. I am pleased with that. Actually, the entire Olympic team is doing very well in the rankings. Only Vada is not ranked in the top 6 and she is a very respectable #8. And of the non-Olympians, only Morgan has infiltrated the top 6. Krista is #7. I have to wonder, though - is it an absolute testament to the fact that the best team for the Olympics was chosen (I do believe the best possible team is going) or is it that the Olympians are motivated to work harder and those who didn't make the team are not as motivated to work as hard as they otherwise would?
Peace,
Sarah

December 5
Wow. I finally heard from Randa after she had been MIA for several weeks. It turns out I was right to be worried about her. Her sister was in a car that was hit head on by a drunk driver. Her sister's friend was killed and her sister isn't doing well. It's so horrible. Randa has been through so much these past few months. It's just not fair. I hope more than anything that her sister is OK after everything. Otherwise, I am still pretty depressed about the intersquad meet from Monday. I feel totally responsible for our losing the meet because I was the only one who competed AA and I could only manage to post one respectable score. I never should have competed AA at all. My ankle was so sore that I could barely hang on to any landings and so I missed all three "leg" events. But that is just an excuse. Grrr.
Peace,
Sarah

December 4
Hi! Wow, things are still changing around here. The news now is that Krista may leave. I hope she doesn't but I certainly can respect that decision. Everyone went through so much with Trials and it must be crushing not to make it. But I don't know...I'd like to think that even if I didn't make the team I would still go back and keep working. But who knows all the particulars of everyone's situations. All I know is that there is a lot going on and it has been really tough for some folks. I give Morgan so much credit. She has shot to the top of the rankings since Trials. I can't even imagine how bittersweet it must be for her to see her name at the top of the rankings and know that had she only done that a week earlier she would be an Olympian. But maybe next year will be her year.
Peace,
Sarah

December 3
Wow. So many changes. So many people are leaving the gym or taking breaks from the gym now. Carolyn, Meghan, Danielle, and Shannon are gone. Eva has gone to Maine to train at Moose Trax Borders Gymnastics. Moranda is still out recovering from her elbow injury, which turned out to be more complicated than they had originally thought. Caitie has gone down with a knee injury. So many people gone! Further along in depressing news, Pop had a meet against Tiger. This should have been an easy win for us. It didn't happen. I competed AA and rocked bars, scoring the highest of the evening on any apparatus. That was the good news. The bad news is that I absolutely rotted on everything else. I fell on my butt on my layout Rudi and had form breaks on the layout Pod. I fell off the beam on my Arabian handspring, which is a skill I usually can hit with no trouble at all. And then I bounced out of bounds on my double pike and had a big stumble on the punch front that followed. Blecch. It was so embarrassing. And I really feel like I let the rest of the team down. I am in a serious funk today.
Peace,
Sarah

December 2 #2
Hi again. Just wanted to muse a little more about the Olympic team. It is really too bad that more girls couldn't make the team. I think it is really hard on the girls who didn't make it. Some of them are leaving the gym at least temporarily and others are finally succumbing to injuries they had worked through just to have a chance at the Olympic team. Eva is going to be gone indefinitely. Caitie is leaving to nurse a knee injury. Arika is talking about how her only chance to compete in the Olympics is if someone gets hurt, which makes me really nervous. I am going to sleep with one eye open and no way am I gonna let Arika set any of my equipment between now and the Olympics. It's sort of sad that I feel like I have to be so paranoid. And I worry that all the bickering before the team was selected might be a real barrier to team unity, especially for Amanda and Rissa and me, whom no one really expected to make the team. Which is sort of crazy if you think a! bout it because I have 2 medals from Nationals and just missed being AA Champion, I've done the Pan-Am Games, I was a part of the World Championships team...makes you wonder what a girl has to do around here to actually be considered a contender! More than anything I am happy for Amanda because I don't think anyone had really paid much attention to her before now. That should change!
Peace,
Sarah

December 2
Omigosh, I can hardly believe it! I am an Olympian!!! I ranked fourth so that means I will even be competing All-Around, which is seriously cool since I missed competing AA at Worlds. I think I have never been this happy or excited! Dreams really do come true, and I have had so many dreams come true just since I have been at Topo. A gold and silver at Nationals, competing in the Pan-American Games, a team gold at World's and now an Olympic team...how very, very lucky I am! Jess, Jennie, and Amanda will also compete All-Around, Rissa will compete bars and vault and Vada will compete beam and floor. Arika is the alternate. Overall, I think this is a really strong and deep team, with a good mix of veterans and relative newcomers. I am really excited to see what we can do if we work hard and as a team!
Peace,
Sarah

November 27
Well, they posted the third round of rankings that will decide the Olympic team. The good news is that I have moved up from yesterday! I am ranked fourth, which puts me in an all-around position as of that time. But anything can still happen. I just need to remember that there is more to life than the Olympics! Other than that, I actually am not doing too well. I don't know what it is, but I have been feeling really insecure lately - sort of like a scared rabbit. I guess it has something to do with the fact that I really don't consider myself a very good gymnast, even though realistically I know I am pretty good. I don't get it. It's no fun being so scared! But I can't worry about it now. It's time to go to school. TTFN! Peace,
Sarah


November 26 #3
OK, I think this is more than enough journal entries for today, but I just found out an exciting piece of news that I wanted to share! I just surfed over to Topopolilly's website and found that there is a link to my official homepage from there! I know it may not seem like a big deal but it is really exciting for me because it sort of puts me up there with the big-name heroes of Topopolilly. I don't know why, but it's a very big deal to me!
Peace,
Sarah

November 26 #2
Hi again. Today was a weird day for school and I think it will be until the Olympic team is posted and I can get back to feeling like myself again instead of feeling like I am in some kind of suspended animation! Tutoring was a little bit of a pain. I felt so badly for Sr. Kate because she knew perfectly well that *nothing* she said was making its way through my thick skull! She works so hard for me and I always want to return the favor but boy, was I distracted today. The only thing I could think about was gymn! I had a pretty good workout today. The only real bummer was vault, which isn't too surprising considering my fractured ankle! My ankle is feeling a lot better, though. I think it should be healed in a few weeks. Well, time to hit the dance studio! TTFN!
Peace,
Sarah

November 26
Hi! Well, we finally got word as to how the Olympic team is going to be chosen. There will be no Trials meet. The team will be chosen solely on team rankings from the 11th through the 27th. I am not completely sure what I think of this. I mean, the good thing is that the people who are on the team will be on it because they have been working hard. On the other hand, what if someone like Jess happened to miss one workout in that time period? All her hard work over the past months would have been for nothing. I guess there is no "perfect" way to pick a team and this is definitely as fair as any. In the first set of rankings I was third - a very comfortable position. Now, though, I am ranked 5th, which puts me much closer to the "bubble" than I would care to be! I don't know if I will make the team or not. All I know is that I want to keep loving gymn because at the end of the day that is what I have to live with! TTFN!
Peace,
Sarah

November 25
Well, there is good news to report today. We finally saw Lois! (For the past few weeks, we have been pretty much training ourselves. It has been pretty good, actually, mostly with the older girls who have been elites the longest helping the younger girls and each other, but there is no replacement for a coach!) Trials will be held this week but no one really knows when. That is sort of frustrating, but I guess it will help all of us to not be so nervous. Or it is possible that a team will just be picked. Who knows. Either way I have no idea whether or not I will be on it! And that's OK. I mean, I am still really young, I already have a gold medal from Worlds, and there will be other Olympics. But still...I really want to be on that team!
Peace,
Sarah

November 24 #2
OK, I'm back. As I was saying, there has been so much bickering around here. The fact is that we are all so focused on our own training that I don't think any of us has a really solid idea of who should and should not be on the Olympic team. I mean, based on the rankings the only folks who have been in the top 6 in every single set of rankings since World Team Trials are Jess, Arika, and me. Jess is a lock for the team. That is a given. She has been working harder, more consistently, than anyone else in the gym. She made everyone's list for who they thought should be on the team. But, like, Arika and I barely made anyone's personal cuts. It was nuts. I mean, we are definitely two of the quieter girls in the gym. We don't command a lot of attention. And so of course we are going to lose out on a team that is just picked based on a popularity contest. It's really not fair, but the one good thing I can say is that stuff like this just makes me want to go out ! there in the gym and work harder! I know I'll never charm my way onto a team, the only way for me to do it is to work my butt off! So...guess where I'm going? TTFN!
Peace,
Sarah

November24
Wow. What a couple of days it's been here. I thought I had my family in town for Thanksgiving and Olympic Trials. Well, I was half right. I did have a terrific Thanksgiving. My mom and brothers and sisters and Gram and Nana and Uncle Mike and Aunt Kate were all there and we went to this awesome vegan restaurant in town for dinner. I had squash, mashed potatoes, green beans, roasted veggies, and apple crisp for dessert. It was sooo good! I was very worried about eating too much before the meet but I was fine. I did my serious training in the morning and then went for a run that evening with Uncle Mike and Aunt Kate and felt good. I was all ready for the meet...then disaster struck. Lois was nowhere to be found. Rumor was she had a serious family situation. So of course we couldn't have Trials. It was so hard because all of us had trained to peak at that meet. And lots of us had family members in town. Most of our families had plane and train tickets out! of here for last night. Sooo...things have really disintegrated around here. There is so much squabbling about who should and should not be on the team. I'm getting worried. Yikes, the phone is ringing. TTFN!
Peace,
Sarah

November 18
Happy Sunday. OK, so maybe it isn't such a happy day after all. Remember how I said my ankle has been really sore lately? Well, the trainer finally decided it was not going away and so it was serious enough to take a look at. X-rays didn't show anything and so they did an MRI. And sure enough, I have a stress fracture in a tiny bone in my ankle. That's the bad news. Well, that and the fact that my ankle still hurts a lot. But the good news is that the trainer said it's the sort of injury whose bark is worse than its bite. In other words, it's gonna hurt. A lot. But as long as I get regular ultrasound treatments and keep it wrapped, it's pretty unlikely that I will do more damage to it by training. So Trials, here I come!
Peace,
Sarah

November 15 #2
Well, it wasn't such a good day at school after all. This eighth grade guy (HELLO??? I'm a freshman - way higher on the totem pole than he is!) actually SHOVED ME IN A LOCKER!!! OK, so I am a short skinny little pipsqueak who looks like she should really be in about third grade. And OK, I won't even turn 13 until next month. And this guy is probably four times my size. But what the heck is up with this? I feel bad, though, because he is probably going to be expelled for it. It must be so disappointing for his family. I just wish he hadn't done it. I don't want anything bad to happen to him. But it's all OK. Mrs. Doherty has invited me over before choir practice tonight. I'm glad because chatting with her always makes things seem better! TTFN! Peace,
Sarah

November 15
Hi! I have had a really good day so far. I finished all my homework last night (woo-hoo!) and so I didn't have to worry about that during morning workout! I finished my workout with a run outdoors. The weather has definitely turned fall-ish. There is frost on the ground and the air is so crisp. I love this time of the year. I love the way the leaves crunch under my feet as I run. It was just so beautiful with the sun rising and the squirrels running in the woods. Sometimes it just takes something like that to make me feel so much better about everything. Life is good, it really is, but sometimes the stress gets to me. It's a lot, trying to keep up in school and keep a 4.0 AND trying to make the Olympic team at the same time! But I know it will all be worth it in the end and besides, it is so much fun! Well, time for me to hit the shower and grab breakfast before school! TTFN!
Peace,
Sarah

November 14
Hi! Well, not much is going on here. I could NOT NOT NOT get up when my alarm went off this morning! Finally Lara came bounding into my room and bounced on my bed and *that* was what finally woke me up! I just felt like I was glued to my bed somehow. Yecch. Well, anyway, I finally did get up and actually ended up having an OK morning workout. I ended up having some trouble on, of all things, my Pak salto. Usually that is a skill I can hit in my sleep but for some reason my knees kept bending and separating as I flew toward the low bar. Bizarre. And annoying because usually I take lots of pride in having good form. But it's OK. Just weird to hit my Hristakieva and goof the Pak salto because usually it is the other way around! Well, I had better go shower and get dressed for school. I still have some history homework to finish in the van on the way. TTFN!
Peace,
Sarah

November 13
Good morning! Yuck. Morning really is my least favorite time of day. But once I am up and going for some reason morning is the best time for me to learn new skills and study for tests in school. Go figure. Anyhow, I realized that I have never really told you exactly what I do for school. I go to the Academy of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary for English, religion, and history. I am privately tutored by Sr. Kate for math, French, and Latin. For science, I mostly am tutored but sometimes I will go to school for a lab period. It is crazy but for right now it works for me! I am a freshman even though I won't turn 13 until next month (woo-hoo - I am almost a teenager!) because I started kindergarten early and then was homeschooled and got ahead by a year then, so when I went back to regular school I was only 7 but had already done third grade so they put me in fourth. Next year I hope to take music theory. So now you know the story of me and school! Well, time to ge! t dressed for morning workout. TTFN!
Peace,
Sarah

November 12 #3
Hi again. I had an OK day at school today. Nothing too exciting except that they had to pull the fire alarm because some kid left a bunsen burner on in the chemistry lab. Geez, that was a silly thing to do! Then when I came home my mom had sent me an email telling about how she read on the International Gymnast website that a Russian gymnast fell while training vault and broke her neck. I know my mom seriously worries about my doing gymn sometimes. Heck, sometimes gymn scares me a little! I will have to email Mom and let her know everthing is fine here. We have top-notch coaching and medical staff and there is so much emphasis on safety here. I can't say there is a guarantee that nothing will ever happen, but it is pretty close!
Peace,
Sarah

November 12
Well, it is an absolutely ridiculous hour and I can't sleep. I am worried about my ankle, even though I trust I shouldn't be. I found out today that we have an intersquad meet against Tiger on Wednesday, so of course I have to make sure I am ready for that. And I have slipped to fifth in the rankings. That is *not* good news. Even though I can't remember the last time I was ranked out of the top 6, Lois will be looking for consistency when she selects the Olympic team. I have been trying to pretend that making the Olympic team isn't that big a deal but really it is. It means so much to me. Even after competing in the Pan-Am Games and winning a gold medal with the rest of the girls at the World Championships, to make the Olympics would be such an awesome thing. And not only do I really want to compete in the Olympics, but I really want to compete AA. That is the one thing I missed out on in Worlds. Of course, I would be thrilled just to make the team! But I! have to try to get some sleep otherwise I will be worthless in practice tomorrow! TTFN!
Peace,
Sarah

November 11 #2
Wow. Just when I thought maybe it was OK not to be scared any more. I was in the gym this morning doing my regular workout when all of a sudden Rissa came flying into the gym and said "Oh, my gosh, another plane just crashed in New York City!". It was so scary. Besides worring about the poor people on the plane and on the ground where it hit, lots of girls were wondering about their families. Like Cameron, her dad's a politician and so of course he travels a lot. And Marie's family is in NYC. So far, we think everyone is OK but some girls aren't completely sure. It is so scary. I talked to my mom a few minutes ago and they are all OK. It turns out the plane was headed for the Dominican Republic. I sure don't feel much like going to school but I obviously have to get ready to go anyway. I'll write more soon.
Peace,
Sarah

November 11
Hi! Today is Sunday, which means a lighter training day. That is good for me since my right ankle has been super sore the past few days. I am not sure what the problem is but more then likely I just jammed it at one point and it didn't hurt much then so I don't even remember when it happened. I'm not too worried, even with trials coming up. I just want to maintain a decent ranking and make the team.

November 7
I had a really rough workout this morning. I think I have developed a little bit of a mental block with my double layout on floor. Usually I can hit it with no trouble at all but today it just wasn't working. I actually landed on my head once because I got so little lift into the skill. That's when I decided it was time to work bars because I have never fallen on my head off bars! I went back to floor a little while later and the skill was there so I guess I just needed a little time away to clear my head of the WRONG way to do a double layout! So maybe it won't be such a rough day after all. Now I am gonna get in the shower and get ready for school. And guess what - ALL of my homework is done for today! :^)
Peace,
Sarah

November 5
Happy Monday! OK, I know that is sort of an oxymoron. I don't like Mondays either, especially since Sunday is my one day to sleep in! (I don't have to leave for church until 9:30 and I don't have morning workout on Sundays, just afternoon.) But Monday means back to school...I at least was able to get caught up on some homework this weekend so I am not feeling quite so stressed out about that! Workouts went pretty well this weekend too. I am working some new skills for the new Code, like a Yang Bo on beam. I am actually having a pretty easy time with the skill, though I don't know if I will actually end up using it in a routine. Well, time to get ready for school! TTFN!
Peace,
Sarah
Do you have any idea how much less complicated my life would be if only I would keep track of what is when? DUH, hanging out with Lara on Friday night wasn't gonna happen cause Lara was away at a meet! But Rissa and I had a good time anyway. I am trying to catch up on my schoolwork right now and not feeling very motivated! I think I will go for a run and then maybe then I will feel more like studying! TTFN.
Peace,
Sarah

November 3
Well, the weekend is finally here. That means no school, of course, though I usually do have an extended tutoring session with Sr. Kate to cover a little more schoolwork. This is the schedule we agreed on and it works well for me because then I can take things a little easier each day with school and have more time in the gym. Things are way too quiet around here since Lara and Marie are away at a meet. It's just me and Rissa and Randa now so things aren't quite as active as they usually are. I am glad to finally, finally have a weekend off. I adore competing and of course I want to compete in as many meets as I can but sometimes it is nice to just get a chance to train and refine and catch up with school! Speaking of school...Sr. Kate is expecting me! TTFN! Peace, Sarah
Hi again! I had a crazy day at school but a good day in the gym, so I guess that makes it a good day, right? I think I am gonna hang out with Rissa and Lara this evening. After all, Rissa and I certainly have plenty to celebrate! I think that meet was even sweeter given how rough a day I was having leading up to it. It showed me that moments are not dependent on what comes before. I think I really knew that - I mean, how often have I missed a routine only to come back and nail another? - but I think every time I see it in action it reinforces it in my mind. I am very happy today. And it is Friday, so hopefully I will have a better day at school on Monday! TTFN! Peace, Sarah

November 2
Happy All Soul's Day! Well, I realized I never told you about the Pop vs. Lilly Squads Alive meet. I absolutely had the meet of my life there. I solidly hit 4 for 4 and the only mistake I had was a slightly low landing on my double layout on floor. And my bars curse is over! I did one of the best bars routines I have ever done! But even better - POP WON!!! It was such a solid team effort. Amanda competed AA and Rissa and Cameron posted great scores on two events each. It was so terrific to go out and hit and really help the team win. We are the only squad that has defeated Lilly so far so that is something to be proud of! Well, time to get ready for school! TTFN! Peace, Sarah

October 30 #2
Wow. I had a bad, bad practice this morning. I just felt like I was in a seriously awkward place. Things were totally not going my way. I was falling off of everything. Finally I just went and did conditioning because I felt so unfocused that I knew I was going to get hurt if I kept trying to work routines. I have to pull it together sometime between now and 6 PM for the intersquad meet. Lindsey and Kelly are both injured so that leaves just me, Rissa, Cameron, and Amanda. We can win but it won't be easy! Peace, Sarah

October 30
Well, it is shaping up to be quite a day here! I have a big religion test that I am not sure I studied enough for. We have our second Squads Alive meet against the undefeated Lilly squad. Poor Rissa just found out her parents are getting divorced. Tomorrow is Halloween and I am gonna end up going as a gymnast if I don't think of something creative, fast! I actually might dress up as a clown with a brightly colored unitard (have one of those kicking around) or a cat with a black leo and black tights and a cheap mask and headband with ears and some makeup whiskers! Tomorrow is Maddie's birthday, which is pretty cool. She'll be 13. Well, I have to hit the gym so I will write again later! TTFN! Peace, Sarah

October 29
Well, I am back at Topopolilly and back to the usual routine of school and training and training and school and oh, yeah, a little fun with the girls too! Pop has its second Squads Alive meet tomorrow, this time against the undefeated Lilly squad. We are really going to have to kick it into gear to be able to beat them. Really, we should have been able to beat Opilly but we couldn't, no thanks to my misses on vault and bars. But I am ready to step in here and nail four for four. I have been training form extra hard in workouts lately. It is fun because I can really feel my presentation improving. Something has happened here that isn't so great, though. Jess said something in the locker room this morning that I think was meant as a pep talk about how we need to work hard and support each other, but I know that I for one was actually kind of hurt by it - like it was an implication that we are not already working hard and supporting each other. The fact is that I looked at a lot of gyms before settling on Topopolilly and the biggest thing that made me pick this gym was its work ethic and the fact that the girls here are really a family. Lots of gyms segregate by age, with the junior girls and the senior girls living and training separately. I love the fact that here the older girls look out for the younger girls, and that when someone is having a bad day we all support each other. We are living away from home and it can be hard but it isn't so bad with the kind of support system we have here. I think part of the problem is that emotions are running high. I mean, Se! ptember 11 threw everyone's life upside down, even those of us who are lucky enough that our family and friends are safe. And then there is the pressure of gymn and meets and school, and the fact that the oldest of us are only 17 and we are all living away from our families. Face it, this is much more pressure than most American kids our age have to face! But I think we are all more mature than average and the basic fact is that we are here because we love what we do. I love it so much that I am going to hit the gym again! TTFN! Peace, Sarah

October 27
OK, you are going to laugh at me. Hard. Remember yesterday morning, when I wrote that I didn't have any meets to compete in this weekend? Well, about five minutes later I said the same thing to Randa (who is out of commission right now with the same elbow injury I had over the summer, poor thing!) and she looked at me like I was crazy and said "You silly girl! You are leaving right after school for Cascade Locks!". Oh, yeah. I have been so busy that the meets seem to flow right into each other and I had completely forgotten that I had been named to the team for the junior Fall Fest. What a goofball I am! So here I am. We compete in team prelims this morning. What a crazy few weeks it has been! But as sore and tired as I am, I am having a blast and am so glad to be representing my team in another meet. The experience will really help me later on. Well, I am going to shower, grab breakfast, and hit the gym for podium training! TTFN!
Peace,
Sarah


October 26
Wow. I am so glad it is Friday. And guess what - I actually have this weekend off from meets! This means I can actually get caught up with some of the schoolwork I fell behind on when I was traveling and competing so much. I mean, I have done four meets in about three weeks. I have traveled three times. And I have tried to keep up with being a high school freshman. No wonder I am tired! I haven't been doign as well in meets as I might like, though. But there is very good news - Lara has become a full-fledged Topopolilly gymnast!!! She is such a hard worker and I have been so inspired by her so many times since she has been here and even when she was at Kimball Park before it closed. Plus she and Rissa are living right across the hall from Randa and me, so you can only guess how much fun we are going to have! Sometimes I do wonder how Randa deals with living among a bunch of twelve- and thirteen-year-olds (Randa is seventeen now, you know) but she handles i! t well and is like a big sister to us younger girls. Well, I had better hit the books and get a decent night's sleep. TTFN!
Peace,
Sarah


October 23
Wow! It has been a looong time since I last wrote! I suppose I should bring you up to speed. The biggest thing that has happened is that we were crowned WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!!! I am now the proud owner of a World Championships Gold Medal!!! I never dreamed I could be prouder than I was winning my Nationals medals but this was ten times better - especially since we won as a team this time. I think it was hard on some of the girls who didn't make the team, though. Like, Cameron and Jennie have competed in practically everything and they weren't there. I think they were a little upset. It has to be tough for them, especially Cameron since she lost her uncle in the attack on September 11. She said something about how it was unfair that even with all her experience, she wasn't able to compete because of the attacks. I don't know. I sort of felt it implied that it wasn't fair that those of us who made the team got to compete. I mean, I am seriously lucky that my f! amily is safe, but they live just outside DC and I am so worried about them. I just don't think it is fair to blame the attacks. Those of us who made the World's team made the team because we placed in the top six at Trials, and Trials were the only criteria that the World's team was picked based on. But I don't think she meant to hurt us. I think she was just frustrated. And I don't blame her. So anyway, after World's off I went to Massachusetts for a dual meet with Vega Twisters. That meet didn't go so well. We lost and I was just off. I think I was just tired. I am not used to competing and traveling so much plus going to school. But now things are back to somewhat normal. I am back in school, which means I have a *lot* of work to do on top of training. And Pop has its first Squads Alive meet today, against Opilly. I can't wait to tell you how it went! Peace,
Sarah


September 26
Wow. I can hardly believe it. I made the World's team. I am actually going to the World Championships!!! I had an OK meet on Saturday. The only real disaster was bars, where I fell on my Hristakieva. I still managed to qualify for the team by .05, in sixth place. I will most likely not be competing AA but really, who cares? I am only 12 and this is my first World Championships. I am so excited. It's especially cool because I have been so sick that I wasn't even sure I would be able to compete. Oddly enough, I actually did best on beam! I had a few little wobbles but somehow managed to stay on. And now I am officially a World Championships team member! Wow. The even better news is that Moranda is back in the gym. I missed her so much. Now it seems like life is finally returning to normal maybe not the same normal as before, but a new normal. Thank God.
Peace,
Sarah

September 22
Yuck. World Team Trials are tomorrow and I am so not ready that it isn't even funny. Things are still a mess. On top of everything, I managed to come down with strep throat on top of bronchitis. I have a really high fever and basically feel like road kill times ten! I went to the doctor and am on some pretty strong medicine, but that is making me feel rotten too. I could barely stay on the beam in training today. I felt like my head was spinning. School is almost out of control. Fortunately Sr. Kate is an absolute doll and is being so wonderful. I know things will work out OK in the end. But it will take a miracle for me to make the World team.
Peace,
Sarah

September 18
I am feeling so much better now than I have been since the whole thing happened. I had a long talk with my mom this afternoon and she reminded me that I am here at Topopolilly because I love gymn so much. I think I had almost forgotten that! But time is running short. World Team Trials are going to be this weekend and I have my work cut out for me. Only the top six make the team and the top 4 get to compete AA, and I have not been ranked in the top 4 since before Nationals. So needless to say I am a little worried. But the only thing I can do is my best. After all, in the big picture how much does it really matter if I make this World's team or not? I am just grateful that I am alive and my family and friends are safe and I get to spend my time doing what I love to do. So many people are not nearly so lucky! So I guess I had better stop complaining and go finish my homework and hit the gym! TTFN! Peace,
Sarah
>

September 5
I am definitely feeling much better than I was yesterday. I know that everyone has off days once in a while. The problem comes when they happen on the day of an important meet! But it's OK. The other girls have been really sweet, and I definitely am going to cheer them on in the AA finals. Training went pretty well today. I got a major rip on bars, but hey - no biggie. Actually, sometimes I don't really mind getting a rip when I am frustrated or otherwise distracted because then the pain in my hand is just enough to keep my mind from wandering too far. I had a long talk with Coach Lois last night. She was really supportive and reminded me of everything I have accomplished just by being here. I know she's right, and that I should be proud of what I have done and just use the mistakes I make as a learning experience. Anyhow, I am feeling ready for team finals. I am ready to redeem myself.
Peace,
Sarah

August 15
ONE day to go before Nationals! And what terrible timing I have! I was in the dane studio yesterday doing a simple element, and I landed funny and sprained my right ankle. ARGGH!!! I went straight to the trainer who said it was probably sprained but it was a good idea to get x-rays just to be sure. The x-rays showed nothing so they wrapped me in an Ace bandage, gave me an ice pack, and sent me on my way. Today it is sore, of course, and swollen, but only a little bruised. I trained on it and it is holding up. I have a prescription for painkillers for the competition tomorrow. This is the biggest competition of my life and it for this meet I will do anything reasonable to be pretty much pain-free. The doctor told me I am not risking significant damage as long as I keep my ankle wrapped. So I am praying that it doesn't affect me tomorrow. I am counting on lots of adrenaline and a lot of help from God! Other than the ankle (!) I am feeling good heading into the meet. My routines are feeling strong. Having such a good meet this weekend was really good because it proved to me that I have the goods to be competitive here. I can't wait for the meet. Peace, Sarah

August 14
Two days to go before Nationals! They have updated the rankings for the last time before the competition. As of the last set of rankings, I had slipped to second place behind Morgan. This time, I have held on to second place with Krista at the top. I am obviously disappointed with myself because I already know that I have the goods to rank first, but it's not so bad. Second place is still very good, and I am pleased to be maintaining a solid ranking going into Nationals. I know that I could be doing better, though, so I am going to have to keep working my hardest even afer Nationals. I want to go to more meets, gain more experience, and most of all become a better gymnast, and those things are not going to happen without a lot of hard work. I am so glad to be in a gym with so many talented and hard working girls. At my old gym at home, there were a few Elites but not many of us, and there was just less of an attitude of a strong work ethic and being willing to do wh! atever is necessary to make yourself a better gymnast and a better person. I am not saying there was anything wrong with the atmosphere or work ethic at my old gym. Most of the girls there were training mostly to earn college scholarships and compete in college - which is great! I am seriously hoping to compete in college gymnastics someday, although I still have no idea where I want to go to college! I am only a freshman this year, though, so I still have some time to think about college! Which reminds me - the coaches still think I am a seventh grader this year! I know that based on my date of birth I technically should be in seventh grade, but I started kindergarten a year early, then homeschooled for two years, and then when I went back to regular school when I was 7 I had already done the third-grade curriculum so they put me in fourth grade. So even though I won't be 13 until December, I have already finished the eighth grade. Oh, well. As long as things are s! traightened out by the beginning of the school year, everything will be just fine! Training is going well. I am most nervous about vault since I messed up so badly on it in the finals of the Roommate Rumble. They will post the start order today and I hope to start on vault so that I can get it out of the way. We'll see, though. I mean, any way you break it up it's still the same four events and the same routines. So there is really no point in getting worked up about the whole thing. I am really excited about bars because it is the one event I have been hitting consistently not only in workouts but also in meets. It's funny because my bars routine is probably the hardest of all my routines...two of the skills are actually Super E's in the new Code! But bars has always been my favorite event. Well, I think I have rambled long enough here. It is time for me to hit the gym and work out - and then Moranda and I are going to celebrate our victory in the Roommate Rumble! TTFN! Peace, Sarah

August 13
Well, the countdown to Nationals is on. Three more days. I am feeling ready for this meet. I want to hit those routines and nail them to the wall! We had pre-Nationals press interviews today. It was weird - like, why would these reporters want to talk to ME? But it was fun too. I mean, goodness only knows I like to talk about gymn! I was nervous, though - like, what if I mess up and say something stupid and embarrass myself or hurt someone's feelings? OK, time for me to wrap this up and head to the dance studio. My floor dance is still not where it should be. TTFN! Peace, Sarah

August 12
OMIGOSH!!!! This is so cool! Moranda and I WON the Roommate Rumble Intersquad! I am so excited! I can't believe this - it is only my fourth meet since I have been here! It is especially wonderful since Moranda is just coming off of a long time away from the gym with an injury and I had a rough start in prelims and the first rotation of finals for this meet. In prelims, I did great in the first rotation, vault, then did OK on bars, and then it all fell apart. I fell on beam on my Rufolva (I was a tiny bit off on the Kochetkova, somehow managed to get the layout stepout around, but missed my foot on the landing and couldn't get much lift at all into the Rufolva. The saving grace was that I still managed to catch myself with my hands before I fell, otherwise I probably would have gotten hurt pretty badly.) So I was shaken by that fall because I knew exactly how close I had come to getting hurt, and I guess I was still distracted when we rotated to floor because I goofe! d up that routine too. I flew out of bounds on my double pike and then stumbled on a dance combination, which meant a deduction for the mistake itself plus I didn't get the full connection bonus. I actually thought I deserved a little lower than the 9.2 they gave me. But overall it was still good enough to combine with Moranda's scores and have us in second place overall. Then on finals I thought it might all be starting again when I landed on my butt on my layout Rudi and nearly sat down my layout Pod. I though maybe it was all over - I had missed four in a row. But then I remember thinking at that point "OK, forget it. It happened and it's over. Now go out there and be aggressive! God gave these gifts to you - just hand them right back!". We moved on to bars and it was like the past routines hadn't even happened. I nailed everything else! I ended up rocking bars, beam, and floor and posted the highest scores of finals on beam and floor and tied with Vada for th! e highest score on bars. AND even though I landed on my butt on both my vaults I still managed to post the highest AA score, and combined with Moranda (who also ROCKED,especially on bars!), it was good enough to win the meet! I am so proud of Moranda. She has fought back from that ankle injury and is doing great! We are going to have to do something special to celebrate today - I'm just not quite sure what! :-) OK, I think I have been done just about enough basking in that victory. Now it's time to go work out and get ready for nationals. Oh - I almost forgot to mention - I bet you're surprised that I'm still in Indiana, aren't you? Well, they changed the dates for the California Summer Classic at the last minute and so now the coaches are not even sure they are sending a team! I really hope we go. I am not scheduled to do AA, only bars and beam, but that is fine with me! Bars and beam are my favorite events anyway. We'll see what will happen. Peace, Sarah

August 11
Well, it is already proving to be an interesting day! Today is the Roommate Rumble intersquad, which I am looking forward to. Moranda and I are gonna do great! But the even bigger news is that Lois cornered me first thing in the morning (and I mean FIRST THING - I was headed down to breakfast at 5 AM!) to tell me that Kelly had hurt her shoulder in practice (which I already knew, but no one thought it was anything serious) and after being with the doctor half the night it was determined that Kelly's shoulder was injured far too badly for her to compete. She can't resume training until at least the 20th, which takes her out of Nationals too. I feel so badly for her. I can't imagine getting hurt the day before leaving for a big meet and then not getting to compete. It's not that I am not glad to be going to the meet - I am - but it's totally not fair that this had to happen to Kelly. So anyway, I will compete today and then jump on a plane tomorrow and head to Californ! ia. *whew!* What a week! I will be glad for a break soon enough (long enough to completely unpack!), but for now I am having a great time! I hope soon I can start doing well in meets in and out of Topopolilly. Well, it is time for me to go work out! TTFN! Peace, Sarah

August 10
Well, I am back in Indiana after the Windmill 2x2 Championships. Cape Cod was wonderful. I got to spend some time at the beach, which is always one of my favorite things to do. I was pretty happy with my performance at the meet, although I do not know how Eva and I or the other girls ended up doing because they haven't released the results yet. Oh, well, what is important is to hit anyway. Oh - that reminds me of the coolest thing! I came home from the meet to find that I am now ranked NUMBER 1 IN THE GYM!!! WOO-HOO!!! I am so happy about that. I have no idea how I did it. I mean, I have been working hard but I do not have nearly the experience of a lot of the other girls. I am not complaining, though. Being #1 is a great feeling and I am so thrilled about it. Now the only thing to do is hang on to that ranking, which is going to be hard because I know how hard everyone is working leading up to Nationals. Which leads me to my next topic: upcoming meets. The next meet will be tomorrow (!). It's the Roommate Rumble meet. Isn't that a cool name? Moranda and I are going up against all the other teams of roommates. I hope we can do well. It will be great to compete on a team together! Then comes...NATIONALS. I am looking forward to that meet in a sort-of-scared kind of way. I really want to do well there. My goal is to hit all of my routines, first and foremost. But at this point I know a medal is legitimately within my reach, and so I have to say I will be disappointed if I don't win at least one medal. One medal, any color, any event! I don't think that is too much to expect! :-) Coach Lois and I met last night to go over my beam and floor routines. We took out some harder skills and replaced them with some easier ones, so that my routines are out of a 10 without taking the huge risks associated with doing too many E skills! I am enjoying training these new routines. Of course, this happens just as they tell us ! that we are switching to the new Code after Nationals, so I will have to overhaul all my routines again to meet this Code, plus keep the routines I have now for meets that will still be using the old Code. Enough to give a girl a headache just thinking about it! Well, time for me to head to the dance studio. TTFN! Peace, Sarah

August 7
OK, the Junior Elite prelims are today. I am finally starting to feel scared. I just want this to be over! I am so scared that I will let Eva and Lois and Terrin and the rest of the girls and my family down. I know I am doing gymn for myself but it is hard not to put the extra pressure on yourself and I am terrible about it! I love training, and in theory I love competing, but in the real thing I really hate it! I like to be able to just do what I do and not have to worry about what everyone thinks. Aaaaaah! OK, I need to go and chill out for a little while. Maybe then I will feel better. Peace, Sarah

August 5
Only one day to go before we leave for the Windmill 2x2 Championships...my first major meet as a Topopolilly gymnast. I am super nervous and super excited! We had our first day of pre-meet training and it went very well. I almost can't believe how relaxed I have been in training. It's only when I am out of the gym that I feel nervous! But I guess that is good. I think if I really felt the nerves in the gym I would start to clutch. But as it is I feel great in the gym...but we'll see if I can sleep at all tonight! I am hoping to sleep on the plane tomorrow but if not I am planning on bringing my copy of Did Adam and Eve Have Belly Buttons? to read on the plane. My mom sent it to me last week. I told her I thought it was really kind of a dumb title for a book but if you think about it it's really a good question! And that reminds me - I have to pack! Let's see, leos, warmups, swimsuit (I am hoping that even if we don't get to go to the beach there will at least be ! a pool in the hotel)...I guess I had better make a list! Plus, I have to squeeze in one more dance workout and meet with the trainer for another ultrasound treatment on my elbow. Whew! I guess that means I'd better be going! Well, TTFN! Peace, Sarah

August 4
*whew* The biggest news today is that I found out today that the IFGA is NOT switching to the new Code, at least not for now. Of course, this comes only AFTER I managed to scare half the girls nearly to death. I'M SORRY, LADIES!!! Oh, boy. So anyway, tomorrow is the first training day for the Windmill Championships meet. It will be really good to have a concentrated training session with Eva, since we normally train with different squads. We need to get to know each other's gymnastics a little better, get to know each other's strengths and weaknesses. I know the coaches picked the two of us as the Junior Elite team because our skills and strengths are complementary. I am so excited about this meet. I just want to hit all of my routines...as I said, to be a credit to Topopolilly. Training is going well I am really pleased. I took it a little easier than normal today - no jumping in dance workout, only run-throughs of routines and most vaults and dismounts into the! pit. I have been hitting all the routines and what I need most of all right now is to reinforce the "big picture" muscle memory of the whole routine rather than a few isolated skills. We'll see what tomorrow brings! Peace, Sarah

August 3
Wow. What a long, hard, frustrating day! Training is going pretty well. I am very tired but feeling confident leading into the Windmill meet. I know I can do well. My goal is for Eva and me to make it past prelims and into finals. I believe we can do it. More than that, I believe we can both hit our routines and be a credit to Topopolilly. That is really my main goal. I want to do the best I can for its own sake, and I know Eva does too. It's just tough, with meets piling on top of each other for the next month or so. No rest for the weary! But I keep reminding myself that even though it is hard sometimes I honestly can't think of anyplace I would rather be or anything I would rather be doing. On top of that, not everyone gets to pursue her dreams like this. Lots of folks just don't get the sort of opportunities that I tend to take for granted. I have to remember to be grateful that God has blessed me with so many gifts and given me so many opportunities. The other big news is that I found out that IFGA is changing its Code of Points. I am a little miffed that I had to go to the IFGA website to find this out instead of hearing it directly from one of our coaches, but I trust they have a good reason for why they couldn't tell us right away. So anyhow, now I have to overhaul all of my routines, which I just changed this week! Oh, well. It will be good for me to learn the trickier skills, and it will probably be fun too. I'm taking my old routines to the Windmill meet and I assume to Nationals too, and then we'll go from there. OK, I am going to bed now! TTFN! Peace, Sarah

August 2
Holy cow, I am soooo tired it hurts! Not hurst like sore from practice (though I am sore too!), but hurts just from being so tired. I have worked on my routines and individual skills until every muscle in my body is begging for mercy. I am absolutely petrified that my routines will not be ready for Nationals. On top of that, I am worried because I have not been able to get any one-on-one time with Coach Lois to talk about my routines. I am very worried that I am missing a requirement in one or more of them and that it will drop my start value below 10. A low start value can practically lose a meet before it even begins. That is obviously the last thing I want to deal with!!! Training is going well other than that. I am also getting to know some of the other girls in the gym a little better. It's good because I tend to be kind of shy and so I am glad to be a little less of a recluse! OK, I still have to squeeze in one more dance workout before I go to bed, so I wil! l close here. As Tigger would say, TTFN! Peace, Sarah

August 1
You will NEVER guess what happened today! I swear, it has been one of the most fantastic days of my life. *Drumroll, please* I am ranked #2!!!! Only Jennie is ranked ahead of me, and Vada is third. I am sooooo happy about this, even though I know that there are a lot of girls on the injured list who would have otherwise been challenging for top spots. I literally screamed when I saw the rankings posted! (OK, so it was more than a little embarrassing! Not to mention that I felt bad for the other girls cause everyone works so hard here and sometimes rankings just don't work in your favor.) It's really cool that the coaches are noticing how hard I have been working. AND there is another piece of fantastic news. Remember how disappointed I was yesterday because I didn't make the team for the Trix meet? Well, that is all in the past now! The coaches posted the rosters for two more meets and I get to compete in the Windmill 2x2 meet! How exciting is that?!?! What is! sort of ironic is that I thought since they initially said they were sending quite a few girls to the Trix meet that I might get to go to that meet. Knowing that there would be only a few girls going to the Windmill meet, it never even crossed my mind that I might get to go to that meet. It's really sort of funny when you think about it! Topopolilly is sending two teams of seniors to the meet - Jennie and Vada and Carolyn and Lindsey - and only one team of juniors, Eva and me. This should be some really solid experience heading into Nationals. I am very grateful for the opportunity. Speaking of Nationals...I am trying not to be nervous, but it is a little hard! Having just reworked my bars, beam, and floor routines, I am a little worried about getting them into proper shape and consistent enough to be able to do really well at Nationals. The funny thing is that these routines are actually easier than the ones I had before. There are fewer E elements and easier connections, and I have competed all of the skills in the past...but it is always a challenge to pull new routines together. The muscle memory thing takes a lot of work! But I am trying to stay confident that I will be able to get my routines together and nail them consistently by Nationals...only two weeks away, how scary is that?!?! Moranda has started to train again. I am so happy for her - let's just hope she doesn't wrench that ankle again! Yikes! We are going to do some redecorating in our room. I just hope we don't start arguing over who gets which Hamm twin! Just kidding. OK, it's time for me to get going. I still have a ton of work to do today! Peace, Sarah

July 31
Well, the best thing for me to title today's entry is "Good news...Bad news". The good news is that as of Sunday I am ranked #4 in the gym!!! That means I achieved my goal of breaking the top 5. Of course, the catch is that girls are dropping like flies with injuries. I mentioned Jessica, and now Cameron has gone down with a stress fracture in her heel (OUCH - feel better soon, sweetie!), and they almost certainly would be ranked ahead of me if they were healthy and training. For now, though, with Cameron (and Grace) out with injuries, I am the top-ranked gymnast on the Pop squad, which I am pretty happy about. I am happy with how hard I have been working, and all in all it looks like it has been paying off. Realistically, I don't expect to move ahead of the girls who are ranked above me (Vada, Jennie, and Carolyn, with Caitlyn rounding out the top 5) until I get some more experience from competing in meets. Which brings me to the bad news - they finaly posted the roster for the Trix meet, and I didn't make it. They only sent one four-person team - Vada, Jennie, Carolyn, and Brittany. Since they only sent four people, I am really not disappointed that I wasn't chosen. I mean, Vada, Jennie, and Carolyn are all ranked ahead of me and Brittany is rock-solid with a ton of experience. I am convinced it was absolutely the best team Topopolilly could have fielded considering how many girls are injured. I am only disappointed because the coaches initially said they would be sending two or three teams of four to this meet...so obviously, the more girls they send to the meet, the better my chance was to go to the meet. But with only fifteen girls on the active roster, it only makes sense that they would send a smaller team. With so many meets coming up in the near future, it really wouldn't make very much sense to send 4/5 of the team to an overseas invitational! So I am back here in Indiana, training my new routines and doing "normal gym" stuff. When I talked with my family last night, Mom said Laura learned a new word - "silly". Now EVERYTHING is silly, at least according to Laura. Y'know, sometimes I am inclined to agree with her! I am starting to miss school, but still enjoying summer vacation. The latest book I am reading is The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I have no idea why I didn't read it earlier since it's always been my favorite Broadway musical, but hey, better late than never, right? (Just don't tell Coach Lois I said that...that definitely doesn't fly when it comes to workouts!!!) Other than that, as my aunt always says, "It's the same old soup, we just keep warming it up!". So I think I'll sign off for now and head over for physical therapy and workout! Peace, Sarah

July 30
Hi! Not much new here at all...just a normal day of training and stuff. I am really happy with my new routines and I LOVE my floor music. It's Jack's The Lad, a sailor's hornpipe from Wood's Fantasia on British Sea Songs. I heard it first when I went home for a weekend in May and Mom took me to see the National Symphony Orchestra's Last Night at the Proms concert. I heard this piece and leaned over and said to Mom, "I HAVE to have this piece for my floor routine!!!". It was just so much fun, with everyone clapping and stomping and everything. There was no question - I had to have it! :-) And I am loving it. It's different for me because my usual style is more balletic and lyrical - but it's always fun to do something different for a change, don't you think?

July 29
Hi! This is actually my second entry today...silly me, I put the wrong date on the last one. Things are still going well here. I have officially moved up one place in the rankings to 7th, but technically I haven't gone anywhere because Jessica Atler was ranked ahead of me but she's gone down with a back injury so she's off the rankings until she is back in training. I feel so badly for her, I've never had a back injury myself but I have heard they are terrible. But I have held steady and arguably am creeping up a little, so I can at least be happy about that. I can't say I am so crazy about putting so much emphasis on rankings instead of important stuff like how I am doing in practice, but at least it keeps me motivated. Not much else is new, except that I have reworked my bars, beam, and floor routines. They were just packed with way too much difficulty before. Now I have more varied skills and I think I should be able to hit the routines better. I hope to compete! them in Nationals. OK, time for me to go to bed! My pillow is calling my name! Peace, Sarah

July 28
Well, it has been an OK couple of days here. Training is going well and I have moved up two more spots in the rankings to 8th. I am very happy about that, especially since I have been working very hard. This should mean I will get a chance to compete in some meets soon...the downside is that the roster for the Trix meet was supposed to have been posted Friday and it's still not up. As I said, I am not too hopeful about actually getting to compete, but I just want to know if I will or won't be competing. Obviously, I really want to compete, but there are so many girls with so much talent and experience that who knows what will happen. I know the other girls on the Pop squad look great, and I don't know about the other squads but I can only assume they look terrific too. Well, anything can happen. We'll see what the coaches decide. As for some fun stuff...Moranda and I went to the mall on Friday night. Serious fun! I went kinda nuts in Old Navy...got a few T-shirts. One is blue with little flowers. I am totally into flower prints right now and blue is my favorite color. I also got one that is pink and green with a big yellow flower on the front. We looked in April Cornell, too. It's probably my favorite store since I love feminine girly-girl stuff that looks like it's out of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, but as great as the dresses are they tend to sometimes make me look even younger than I already look! Plus they are really pretty expensive. It's fun to look, though! Well, I'm going to sign off now. My ride to Sunday Mass will be here any minute! Peace, Sarah

July 26
Wow! What a week it's been. I've moved up 7 places in the rankings as of today, from 17th to 10th, which I am really happy about. My goal was to crack the top 15, and I more than surpassed that! Now it's time to shoot for top 5... I've also competed in two intersquad meets. The first was the Reach for the Sky Invitational. My team lost, but I did OK overall except for floor in prelims. I fell on my middle tumbling pass, on the 2.5 twist-punch front. It was a stupid mistake. If I had just left out the punch front I would have stayed on my feet! As it was, I came in dead last for floor and as a result missed qualifying for the all-around by one place and two hundredths of a point! ARGGH! But I qualified for bars, beam, and vault finals, so I was very happy about that. I ended up pulling out of bars finals on the advice of the doctor because of my arm (I wasn't happy about the decision but trusted that he had my best interests at heart), but placed fourth on vault and...TA DAA...tied for the bronze medal on beam!!! Needless to say, I was thrilled about that! I seriously wish I could have had a chance to compete bars, but it's not the end of the world, and I still managed to bring home a medal.! Keshira Smith won all-around and had an absolutely terrific meet, qualifying for all four event finals. Moranda couldn't compete because she hurt her ankle again. I feel so badly for her. I was lucky in a way that my injury was a break, because breaks heal completely much more quickly and it's almost impossible to reinjure. My wrist feels fine, thank goodness! Then we had a team intersquad...Pop versus Lilly and Tiger/Opilly. Pop won!!! Cameron had the highest all-around score for the team. I did get to compete all-around, which I was thrilled about, and hit all my routines. There were no individual finals in this meet, just the team competition. I was very happy that the team won and that I was able to contribute a solid all-around score to the effort. Tomorrow they are posting the roster for the Trix meet. I really hope I get to compete, although I know realistically it isn't likely. There are so many good gymnasts at this gym, with so much experience. But my real goal is to be the best gymnast I can be...to use the gifts God has given me, and to know that the loving arms of God are waiting to receive the best I have to offer. And in the long run, does anything else really matter? Whatever happens, happens as the natural consequences of my doing and being the very best I can be. "If you work, and you believe, anything is possible." Well, it's really time for me to get going. I'm meeting with the choreographer about revising my routines. Talk to you soon! Peace, Sarah

July 19
*wheeeeeee* It is soooooo good to be back in the gym - no matter how hard it is or how much it hurts, I can't think of anything I would rather be doing. I had my first workout with my new squad, the Pop squad. I am on the squad with Lindsay, Grace, Kelly, Amanda, and Cameron. They are such fantastic gymnasts and great people. It is a little intimidating in a way since I am so much younger and smaller than they are, but I think ultimately it will help motivate me. My arm is slowly getting better. Now that I have medical clearance to train fully again (as long as I continue physical therapy), Coach Lois has no patience for my doing any less than 100%, which is good for me. I find that typically I tend to meet whatever standards are set for me. If I am expected to do a lot, then I do a lot - but if not much is expected of me, then I have a terrible tendency to not do much. So I think it is really good, since you never know what might happen or how you might feel on the! day of an important competition. After all, if it were the Olympics or something I would definitely want to have had the experience of training and competing when I'm not quite up to par so that I have the confidence to believe I can do it! Otherwise - Moranda and I were up till midnight talking AGAIN last night. I felt so awful since she's on the Opilly squad and had 6:30 squad workout! In a spirit of solidarity, I decided to get up then too and do my own workout, even though I didn't have squad until 3. The difference is, though, that squad workouts are always so much harder! Oh, well, I am sure Moranda will get even with me soon enough! (She's the queen of short-sheeting...I'd better start being more careful!) Mom sent me the Harry Potter books and I am plowing my way through them. Sometimes I think life at Hogwarts sounds an awful lot like life at Topopolilly!
Peace,
Sarah

July 18 #2
Me again! I know I just wrote, but I'm home from physical therapy now and just checked the results of Round 1 of the Intersquad meet and Moranda is in THIRD PLACE after the first round! I am so proud of her! To place that high is great enough...to place that high when she is coming off an ankle injury is even greater. I am so lucky to have such a great gymnast, and a great person, for a roommate!
Peace,
Sarah

July 18
Hi again! Life at the gym is going OK. It is good to be back and doing at least some training, although it is frustrating because I can't do anywhere close to full. I am still refusing painkillers, though, because I think pain is a valuable tool to tell us when there is a problem and I wouldn't want to train on lots of painkillers and then injure myself worse. As far as I am concerned, I would have no problem knocking myself out on strong stuff for a meet, but I won't risk it for practice. I'd rather tough it out. I caught a cold, too...probably on the plane this weekend when I went home. It's not that big a deal cause my allergies are so bad this time of year that a cold on top of it doesn't make that much difference, but still, it's a pain in the butt. Moranda and I are having lots of fun rooming together. We stay up way too late talking many nights. I adore having her around. This weekend we are planning to go to the mall between morning and evening gym. My mom sends me an allowance every week and I have saved some of it plus I earned a little money this weekend when I was home for "babysitting" Charlotte and Laura. (I would do it for free, of course - they're my baby sisters and I love spending as much time with them as possible - but Mom insists on paying me a little because if I wasn't around she'd have to pay someone else, and besides, I am giving up my free time to do it.) So to make a long story short, I have a bit of money burning a hole in my pocket and I want to go to the mall and spend it! :-) That's about all the news I have for now. I have to go to physical therapy now anyway. God bless!
Peace,
Sarah

July 17
I'm BA-ACK!!! I just spent a weekend with my family, which was absolutely wonderful. My arm is feeling pretty good. Physical therapy to get my elbow to straighten completely hurts, of course, but I know it's absolutely necessary. I'm easing back into full workouts on beam, and floor and vault are coming too. Bars are obviously going to take a little longer. I'm not going to get discouraged, though. Moranda is back in the gym, too. She is such an inspiration - so talented, and such a hard worker.
I have to go now because I have a physical therapy appointment. God bless!
Peace,
Sarah

July 9
ARGGH!!! I took a nasty spill while training my Kochetkova on beam and broke my elbow and sprained my wrist!!! The ONLY good thing is that it's my right arm and I'm left-handed, so at least I can still write. Moranda is hurt, too. She sprained her ankle, so we're doing plenty of commiserating! I am loving living with her. It is great to have a "big sister", since at home I'm the oldest (even though Amy and Dominic are both taller than I am and Connor is gaining on me...oh well, at least Charlotte and Laura will be shorter than I for a while yet!). So I guess I am looking at lots of conditioning for the next week or so until I can begin to ease back into training. Maybe I'll fly out to visit my family this weekend, too.
Talk to you later!
Peace,
Sarah

July 4
Sorry I haven't written in so long. Gym is going really well. They opened the viewing area to the public yesterday and I was amazed by the number of people - random folks, not our families or whoever - who came just to watch us work out! I have a new roommate, Moranda, who is really cool. It's nice to be sharing a room again. I missed it after my old roommate left the gym.
Other than that, not much else is new. Talk to you later!
Peace,
Sarah