by Jane Lawes
“This competition is for Levels 1 to 4 only, which are the levels we work at in this group,” explained Clare, “and gymnasts from clubs all over this area will compete. The pairs and groups who come first in each level will get to compete at the National competition next year.”
Tara drank in her coach’s words and hugged her knees into her chest. Would she and Lindsay get a chance to compete? They’d learned loads of skills and balances in the last two months, but she was still the newest gymnast in the group. She tried not to get too excited, but she couldn’t stop the thought creeping into her head – a real gymnastics competition! She could tell that Lindsay had tensed up next to her and knew her partner was imagining the same thing.
Clare was still talking. “We’ve got a while to train for it, so there’s no need to panic.” She paused and smiled. “You just want to know who’s going to be competing, don’t you?” There was enthusiastic nodding from everyone. “As most of you know, there are different levels for girls’ pairs, and the same for boys, as well as categories for trios and groups. We can only enter one pair or group in each category, which means you won’t be competing against each other. But it also means I can’t take all of you.” Tara bit her lip. She told herself silently that she wouldn’t be upset if she and Lindsay weren’t chosen. There’d be other competitions. She’d work harder and harder, until she was chosen. She was concentrating so much on not getting upset that she didn’t hear what Clare was saying, “…and Lindsay in Level 2 Girls’ Pairs…” It took a second for Tara to work it out. If Lindsay was competing, that meant… Had Clare really chosen her? She looked at Lindsay, who was smiling quietly at her.
“Us?” Tara squeaked.
“Yep!” Lindsay laughed. “Us!”
Tara stared at her and then at Clare. She was actually going to be in a competition! This was what she’d been dreaming of for ages. She thought back to all those times she’d practised gymnastics by herself in the garden, pretending that she was competing in front of a big audience and judges, going for a gold medal. Now she was really going to do just that. She was finally going to be a real gymnast!
“Megan and Sophie will compete in Level 3 Girls’ Pairs,” Clare continued, “and Jasmine and Sam in Level 4 Girls’ Pairs.” The coach looked at the four boys sitting on the mat nearest to her. “You’re the only boys group we’ve got and I’m sure you’ll do a great job in the Level 3 category. Everyone else, I know you’ve worked really hard, and there are other competitions coming up so you’ll work towards them.”
The gymnasts who hadn’t been chosen did their best to be pleased for the others, but Tara knew how disappointed they must feel. She toned her excitement down so that she didn’t make them feel worse.
“Those of you who have taken part in this competition before will know that it’s going to take a lot of hard work. Silverdale gymnasts have a reputation for working at a very high standard, and I don’t intend to let that slip. I need one hundred per cent commitment from all of you. That means no taking it easy if you’ve got a bit of a headache, no missing training because you’re in the school play, or you’re going to visit Grandma. Until the competition, I need all of you here, and completely dedicated. Understood?”
The gymnasts nodded seriously. Tara took it all in. It was going to be tough, there was no doubt about it, but that only made the competition seem even more important.
“You’re going to love competing,” Megan said to Tara as they wandered back to the changing room.
“How many competitions have you done?” Tara asked.
Megan shrugged. “Quite a few,” she replied. “It’s so much fun!”
“Don’t you get nervous?” Tara tugged her school skirt back on over her beloved black and silver leotard, a birthday present from Mum and Dad in July, and then pulled her hair out of its messy ponytail.
“Of course!” Megan laughed. “That’s part of the excitement.”
Everyone was talking about the competition.
“What balances do you think Clare will put in our routine?” Lindsay asked Tara.
“Hopefully we’ll get to learn some new ones!” Tara replied.
“We were so close to winning at Nationals last year,” Megan said to Sophie, as they got changed nearby. “That’s got to be our aim for this year.”
“Let’s get through Regionals first!” Sophie said with a laugh.
“You and Sam will breeze through Regionals,” Megan said to Jasmine.
“I don’t know…” Jasmine replied modestly. “We’re competing in Level 4 this year. That’s going to be tough.”
While Megan, Sophie and Jasmine continued going over all the competitions they’d done before, Tara couldn’t help tuning into Sam’s conversation with Mel, one of the gymnasts who wasn’t going to Regionals.
“Did you hear that stupid question? She’s going to let the club down,” said Sam. Tara wasn’t trying to overhear, but the changing room was small and suddenly it seemed like everyone was listening in. “I don’t know what Clare’s thinking, putting her in a regional competition! She can’t even do front angel properly…”
Mel was looking down at her bag and mumbled an answer that could have meant anything.
Lindsay looked worriedly at Tara.
Sam was the oldest girl in the group and she and Tara had got off to a bad start at the beginning of the summer, after Sam had overheard Clare talking about Tara to one of the other coaches. Tara had only caught a few words at the end of the conversation, so she didn’t know exactly what Sam had heard, but whatever it was, it seemed to have made her angry with Tara. All summer, Sam had made no secret of the fact that she thought Clare should have chosen a gymnast with more experience to join their group. And she still didn’t seem to think Tara was good enough, even though Tara had given everything she’d got in the club’s summer display. Tara wished she could keep out of Sam’s way, but now they’d be going to a competition together that would be impossible.
Tara grabbed her bag and coat and headed for the door. Everything in front of her looked like it was underwater, but she gritted her teeth, determined not to cry. Just before the door banged behind her, she heard Sam talking again. “What a baby!”
“Shut up, Sam!” Tara heard Megan’s fierce reply, and then there was silence. She put her coat on in the lobby. The door opened and closed softly and Lindsay and Megan were beside her.
“Ignore her,” said Megan.
Tara nodded. She was always being told to ignore Sam.
“We’ll prove her wrong,” said Lindsay, putting her arm around her partner.
Tara nodded again, vigorously. “We really will.” Her hurt feelings and her worry that Sam was right bubbled up into determination. Maybe Sam thought she wasn’t any good, but that was going to change, starting with the Regional competition. She pushed Lindsay away slightly and looked at her seriously. “Linds, we’re going to win.”
Chapter Four
Tara did her best to push Sam’s words out of her mind. Instead, she thought about what Mum, Dad and her younger sister Anna would say when she told them she was going to be in a competition. She couldn’t wait to share it with them, but decided not to say anything on the way home so she could tell them all together. She sat in the car with Mum, completely silent and staring out of the window.
“Are you okay?” asked Mum. “You’re very quiet.”
Suddenly, Tara couldn’t wait any longer. “I’m going to be in a competition!” The words burst out before she could stop them.
“That’s wonderful, darling!” said Mum. “When is it?”
“Oh!” said Tara. “It’s in November. But I wasn’t going to tell you until I got home because I wanted to tell everyone together.”
“Then I won’t ask anything until we’re home,” said Mum.
“I won’t mind telling it again.” Tara gr
inned, and she told Mum everything that Clare had said.
“It sounds like Clare’s asking a lot from you,” said Mum in a worried voice. “Don’t you think it might be a bit too much, especially when you’re just starting at a new school? Maybe it would be better to settle in at school first, and do the next competition instead of this one.”
“Mum!” cried Tara, horrified. “Who knows when the next competition will be? This one’s important! If we win, we’ll get to compete in the national one. Anyway, I’m sure I’ll be fine. The others have been doing competitions as well as school for years and years.”
“Well, if you’re sure…” said Mum. “We’ll just have to be careful that it doesn’t get too much for you.”
“Woaaahhh,” said Anna, when Tara told her. Her brown eyes were wide and she gazed up at Tara, who was sitting on the arm of the sofa. “You’re going to be like those gymnasts we saw on TV. They were getting ready for a competition too.”
Tara and Anna had watched a group of Acro gymnasts on a TV show during the summer. It was just before Tara had started at Silverdale, and she’d never seen anything like it before. She’d watched them, amazed, and had longed to be like them, just as she’d spent hours in the garden imagining that she was a world-class gymnast like Beth Tweddle. Back then, she’d never thought she’d soon be taking part in a real gymnastics competition. And now she was. In only two months’ time, she and Lindsay would perform a routine together, combining acrobatic balances with gymnastics skills like handsprings and walkovers, as well as dance.
“I’m not as good as them,” said Tara. “They do big competitions like the European Championships and even the World Championships. This is just a regional competition.”
“It’s not just a regional competition,” said Dad firmly. “It’s your first ever competition, and we’re very proud of you.”
Tara smiled. She looked down at Anna again, who was still staring up at her as if she was a film star. Even if Sam didn’t think she was any good, there were three people here who believed she was.
“There’ll be gymnasts competing from loads of clubs in this area,” Tara explained, at break time the next morning. She was sitting with her best friends under a tree at the far end of the school field. They were wrapped up in coats, but it was a sunny day and the ground was dry. It was only their second day at the new school, so it was a relief for all three of them to sit together and chat, just like they’d always done. “In each category, the gymnasts who come first will get to compete in the Nationals!”
“I bet you’ll win,” said Emily confidently.
Tara laughed, trying not to show how much she wanted Emily to be right. “Probably not,” she said. “I haven’t been doing Acro for very long. Everyone else will be much better than me.”
“No way,” said Kate. “You’re brilliant. You must be so excited! You’ll be just like those gymnasts you see in the Olympics – with the glittery leotards and medals and everything!”
Tara smiled and her eyes sparkled. She pictured herself standing on a podium with a gold medal shining against her leotard. The summer display at Silverdale had been great fun and she’d really felt like she was part of the club – but she wouldn’t completely feel like a proper gymnast until she’d been in a competition.
“Even if we don’t win,” she said, “it’ll still be the most exciting thing I’ve ever done.”
“The most exciting thing any of us has ever done,” agreed Emily. “And that includes the time Kate got to be in the audience for The X Factor!”
“Hey! That was exciting!” cried Kate, and she gave Emily a light shove in the arm. Then she giggled and looked at Tara. “But your competition will be even better, because you’ll be one of the stars!”
Tara rolled her eyes, but really she loved the fact that her friends were getting carried away. It was so easy to share her enthusiasm with them. At the gym, Sam had ruined it. Remembering what the older gymnast had said, she fell quiet.
“What are you worrying about?” asked Emily.
That was the other good thing about being with her friends – they knew her so well that they could always tell if something was wrong. She shook her head. “Nothing.” But that had never worked. It was impossible to hide things from Emily and Kate. They’d been friends for ever and they knew everything about each other. She sighed. “A girl at gym…Sam…she said I shouldn’t be in the competition. That I’m not good enough for Regionals.” Tara looked down at the grass and blonde hair fell into her eyes. “She said I’ll let the club down,” she whispered.
“She said what?” gasped Emily.
“Rubbish,” said Kate immediately.
“Tara, of course you’re good enough!” said Emily. “Your coach wouldn’t have picked you otherwise.”
“I guess,” said Tara.
“Em’s right,” said Kate. “And I bet your other friends at gym don’t agree with Sam.”
Tara nodded. But even if it was just Sam, it was hard not to believe that the older gymnast was right. After all, Tara had only been training for a couple of months – how could she be as good as the other gymnasts in her group?
“What did the others say?” Emily asked in a gentle voice.
“They told me to ignore her,” Tara mumbled. She raised her head, and felt a spark of the same determination she’d shown Lindsay. “And to prove her wrong.”
“Yeah!” yelled Kate, raising her hand for a high five. Tara’s hands stayed in her lap. Kate looked at Emily, and Emily grabbed one of Tara’s hands, lifting it up to hit Kate’s. Tara couldn’t help laughing.
The bell rang for the end of break and they scrambled up and walked back towards the school building, getting out their maps and timetables again. A group of girls rushed past them, and one of them knocked into Tara and Emily while they had their heads bent over Tara’s map. Some boys pushed through as well, still throwing a football back and forth between them.
“Put that ball away!” shouted a passing teacher.
Tara, Emily and Kate shuffled through the door with the rest of the crowd and were swept along a corridor. Tara hoped they were going the right way. She looked at the map again. There was no time to worry about Sam now. It was going to take all of her brainpower just to find her next classroom.
Chapter Five
Tara couldn’t stop thinking about the competition. The most thrilling day of her life was only two months away! Of course, there was a lot of hard work to get through first. Clare had asked the ten Silverdale gymnasts competing at the Regionals to come for extra practice sessions on Sundays, as well as the three training sessions they already did with the rest of the group.
Today was their first Sunday session. After the warm-up, Clare told them she would work with each pair or group separately, while the others could get on with practising by themselves. The coach had started teaching each pair their routines for the competition earlier in the week, and Tara already loved going through the sequence of moves closely with Lindsay and Clare, knowing that their coach had created it especially for them. Tara and Lindsay were working harder than ever, trying to get to grips with the beginning section of the routine. They were getting much better at front angel too. And there were other balances to start on. Clare left them practising a new one, and went to work with Jasmine and Sam.
“Shall we just practise front angel again?” Lindsay suggested, after they’d tried and tried and tried to get their newest balance right. They were learning a variation on the standing-on-shoulders balance that now came easily to them. Tara was supposed to stand on Lindsay’s shoulders, like she’d learned to do for the summer display, but now Clare wanted her to lift one leg in the air in a Y-balance while she was up there.
“No,” breathed Tara, gasping for air on the floor where she’d landed. “We can do front angel now. This is the one that needs work.”
Lindsay sighed. “I know. But it’s so hard!”
“That’s why we need to keep trying,” Tara insisted. She got up and stood facing Lindsay. She glanced at Sam and Jasmine, who were working with Clare. They were competing in a higher level, and their routine was packed with difficult and impressive balances. “I bet Sam and Jas could do this balance easy-peasy.”
That did it. Lindsay looked at them and then back at her partner. “Come on, then. What are you waiting for?”
Tara grinned. Ever since Sam had been so nasty in the changing room, Lindsay had been just as determined as Tara that they would win their level at Regionals. Whenever Tara showed signs of getting tired or frustrated, Lindsay reminded her that they were going to prove Sam wrong.
Tara climbed up to stand on Lindsay’s shoulders. When she was balancing steadily, Lindsay let go of Tara’s right leg, and Tara lifted it up by grabbing hold of the heel of her foot, and tried to straighten her leg so that her toes were pointing towards the ceiling. She raised her left arm up to the side, too, so that her body made a Y position. Her right leg was almost straight when she began tipping over to the side. There was nothing Lindsay could do to stop her. Tara landed – crash, splat – on the squashy blue mat. Again. She was glad Sam was busy working with Clare – she hoped the older gymnast hadn’t seen how many times she’d fallen today. She looked up to see Lindsay’s face peering down at her. “Front angel?”
Tara was frustrated, but one of the things she loved most about gymnastics was the fact that there was always something new to learn. You worked for ages and ages on something, and as soon as you got it right, all you wanted was to master the next skill. Still, it did feel wonderful when you could perform something well…
Balancing horizontally in the air on Lindsay’s up-stretched hands, Tara smiled. Megan, coming down neatly from a balance with Sophie, gave her a grin and a thumbs up. “Great front angel, Tara!” she called.