Before photos all became digital they were few and far between and could also get bent, creased or ruined in a flash (pun intended). I don't have many pictures of my gymnastics days, no cameras in the gym and only a few taken a competition's. As kids we never considered the need for photos while it was all going on, never imagining that forty+ years later the older Rachel Smith would be sitting in her kitchen, writing a blog at 5am, taking a trip down memory lane! During my teenage years my life was filled with gymnastics and the lifelong friendships I was forming. I found my sport while in Jr. High at twelve years old and it quickly became my obsession. I excelled at the balance beam and vaulting, did ok on the uneven bars and and wasn't a big fan of the floor routines. Everyone on our team had their strengths and combined we were pretty amazing. We had a private club team so we could practice year round and during the season would even practice before school if needed. We also had the two most amazing coaches, kind, supportive, treating us all with love and respect. My teammates became family to me, spending six days a week together for almost a decade and I'm blessed to still have them in my life all these years later. These are the girls I can call at any time and without hesitation and know they would drop everything to come to my aid, as I would for them. We were trained to support one another, cheer for and trust each other completely. lessons we took to heart and still carry. When learning new skills we relied on our teammates to spot us, ensuring we didn't land on our heads and break our necks...a quick way to earn trust. We knew we could try anything and our friends would never let us fall. These safety nets can still be felt through the friendships we established, making whatever we strive for in life a little less frightening. One of the highlights for our team was spending a week at camp where we were taught by Bela Karolyi, Nadia Comaneci's coach! The US Men's Olympic team was also there to work with us, and we all were madly in love with Bart Conner. The women's Romanian team was there and we were thrilled to watch them perform an exhibition. Being trained by Bela Karolyi was such a big deal, to me and my teammates anyway, I'm sure it meant nothing to my mountain climbing siblings! I've written before about peoples need to belong to something bigger then themselves and team sports are the perfect example. Belonging to a likeminded group as I navigated the teen years helped me grow into the confident adult I am today. I also learned to work hard, train hard, trust those around me and get after whatever goals I set. I didn't know it then but these lessons and the friendships formed while learning them are still with me all these years later. The much older Rachel Smith is thankful to her younger self for all the friendships she made and hard work she put into learning discipline and overcoming obstacles. Looking back at the few old photos I have, they make me smile and beam with pride. I can hear my teammates cheers for my successes and feel their hugs when I fall. They are my forever safety nets as I am theirs, even if we don't have photos to prove it!
🥰❤️😘T
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