Old school

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Back in the ’80s, not many photos were taken. Film wasn’t cheap, and getting it developed was always a chore. Sure, we’d snap a few pictures for prom, but otherwise, most of our memories remain tucked away in the time capsule of our minds.

I have only a handful of rare photos from my gymnastics days. This one of me on the balance beam looks like it was probably taken during my senior year… 1983! I was captain of the SKHS gymnastics team during both my junior and senior years and had been with the same group of gymnasts since seventh grade.

One of those girls was my good friend Cathy. We’d known each other our entire lives and even shared the very best godmother on the planet! Cathy and I didn’t spend much time together outside of gymnastics back then, but we were always friends. As the years passed, our friendship only grew stronger. Apparently, once gymnastics ended, we still wanted to keep seeing each other!

Together, we’ve planned all of our high school reunions, made countless dates with classmates, and somehow become even closer friends than we ever imagined. Last night, we had dinner at the new restaurant Tim hates, and we both loved it! We celebrated our friendship, made plans for future get-togethers, and talked excitedly about her upcoming retirement from teaching next month.

It seems more and more of my friends are retiring while I feel like I’m still ramping up… go figure! Cathy even has plans to start golfing again and asked if I’d join her. I told her my golf game will probably have to wait until I’m footloose and fancy-free… whenever that might be!

High school was an interesting time for me. School itself was never really my thing. Almost every report card I received mentioned that my socializing interfered with my academic progress. But honestly, don’t put a social girl in a room full of people and expect her not to socialize… right?! I can’t help it if I love people and want to chat with every single one of them.

As challenging as high school could sometimes be, I’m eternally grateful for my gymnastics family, for the lifelong friendships we made and the bonds that were formed. We were blessed with wonderful coaches who loved and supported us and were always there to catch us if we fell… well....almost always!

I may not be flipping around these days, but in my mind, I’m still walking that four-inch beam, steady, determined and grateful for every step along the way. Thankfully still friends with my teammates who will always be part of my family. 

“There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.” ~ Thomas Aquinas