by Dana Burkey
My mind instantly went through Nitro’s routine from the season before. Leanne was the point flier, always front and center for any of the skills in the air. But, when I really thought about it, I realized she was right. While the rest of the team did standing jumps and of course tumbling, Leanne did other things. She was thrown into the air for a kick double during jumps and then a super high toe touch during the tumbling. Both moves kept her from doing the same skills as everyone else thanks to choreography before and after both sections. Thinking about it, I wasn’t sure if I had even seen her do a layout at all, but tried to remind myself that I had only been on the same squad as her for a few practices.
“Listen,” she said with a dramatic sigh and hair flip. “I know we don’t really know each other, but we’re on the same team now. So I’m coming to you as a teammate to see if you can help me work on my tumbling. Greg isn’t free when I have time, so TJ said I should talk to you since you’re more or less the best tumbler at the gym.”
“Oh,” I replied, mad at how lame it sounded. “When did you want to practice?”
“I know we leave here really tired and all, but I’m free right after Nitro practice.” She paused as if to wait for me to give her an answer, but then continued when I didn’t speak right away. “We don’t have to do it three times a week or anything, but maybe once or twice would be good. I just need to be able to do some whips through to full. Or maybe a double full. Or even a kick single. I just need to be a little better so I still look good when I’m point stunt for pyramid.”
“That should be fine,” I finally said, eliciting a genuine grin from Leanne. I think it was the first one I had ever seen her direct my way. “I can’t today, but I think I should be okay to stay after on Wednesday.”
“Perfect.”
With that she turned and walked away. It was a bit of a shock, but I wasn’t too worried about it. For one thing, it was really cool to hear that people thought I was the best at tumbling in the gym. And, on top of that, it was both shocking and kind of exciting that someone like Leanne was coming to me for help. So when TJ finally called us together again and started breaking us into stunt groups, I was instantly happier to get back to work.
“Okay everyone, we’re moving on to flying,” TJ explained. “We’re going to be trying out a lot of groups, so don’t get too comfortable with the people you are holding up or the people lifting you.”
With that we began a wild hour of trying out stunt groups. We were doing very simply moves, but doing them repeatedly. First, the group we were stunting with would lift us up so we were at their shoulder level, or prep position. Next, they would dip us down a little and lift us as high as they could where their arms were locked out, in a position referred to as extension. From there we would be asked to do a liberty, where we stood on one leg at a time while the other was bent so our foot not being held was right next to stationary legs’ knee. Finally, fliers would be brought back down to the ground. Over and over we did this same series of moves, with one group after another.
Just when it felt like we had done the motions a few hundred times with each combination of stunt groups beneath us, we did the same series of skills again, only this time we spun around once on the way from prep level to extension. It instantly caused a few stunts to fall out of the air, and made it a little clearer who was going to be with certain fliers. The move was easy enough for me, but it was hard depending on who was trying to lift me in the air. Time and time again I found myself falling out of the basic move, being caught again and again by the athletes under me.
“What is going on people?” TJ all but yelled. “We’re doing single ups! How are we going to get double ups if we can’t get this right?”
As if to prove we weren't ready, TJ instructed us to try going from the blue mat up to a standing extension position. This time, however, we did a double around. The change meant I was spun around twice before standing with my hands on my hip to face forward while both feet were being supported by the group of bases under me. It was a move I had mastered just a few months after joining the gym thanks to my extra classes, but was as difficult as TJ had assumed it would be in that moment.
“This would be a lot easier if we weren't so tired,” someone on the stunt team next to me mumbled. I think his name was Scott.
“He’s going to regret he said that,” Connor whispered from his spot standing behind me.
“Why?” I asked, glancing back at him to see a smirk on his face.
“TJ clearly heard him,” he explained. “And with an attitude like that, there’s no way he’s going to stay for long.”
Moving my gaze to where Connor was looking, I saw TJ shoot Scott a look then go back to talking to a group on the other side of the mat. Scott didn’t seem to notice TJ had heard him, but I knew what was really going on. There were only so many spots on the mat. If someone was already complaining so early in the season, then the spots on Nitro likely wouldn’t be filled by that athlete. A part of me felt bad for Scott, but I also was glad for the reminder. I needed to keep a good attitude and keep pushing hard even when I was tired so I could truly earn a spot on the team.
“Gather up everyone,” TJ finally called after we tried the double around to extension a few more times. “We’re doing easy stuff right now. Super easy. I understand messing up once or twice, but when I give a correction and you don’t learn from it I get upset. Today is a throw away day. I’ll blame it on the fact that it is Monday or the fact that it’s extra hot outside. Whatever. But Wednesday if I see this kind of mistake after mistake carelessness, then we will go back to even harder conditioning until we start looking like Nitro, and stop looking like my squad was replaced with a bunch of junior level 2 athletes.”
As TJ called for a hands in I could tell a lot of people were dejected from his comments. After all, it wasn’t really a pep talk. From what I had seen of TJ last season at competitions I knew he was a lot of fun. Everyone who had him for a coach would agree as well. He was a great coach, and a good friend to everyone. But he also wanted people to be perfect. Or at the very least do everything in their power to not make mistakes. People that didn’t show that kind of drive tended not to like him much, and not cheer on his squads. I found myself hoping the reaction was from the heat, not a sign of a rough season ahead.
“I want to see Scott and Becca for a second, everyone else is dismissed,” TJ said after we had all counted off and yelled a halfhearted “Nitro.” I had a sinking feeling that it would be the last time I saw Scott during practices for the teal team.
“You ready to go?” Connor asked me as we began the walk to get our bags and leave the gym.
“So ready,” I nodded. Shooting one last glance towards Scott as he followed TJ into the office to chat in private, I was even more thankful for a chance to hang out with my friends and enjoy the pool. There was so much going on at the gym, and the idea of being with my friends outside of the walls of TNT Force sounded like a dream come true. Between things with Scott as well as my interaction with Leanne, I was ready for the distraction of simply swimming and having fun. After all, I knew my time on Nitro might be short lived if I wasn’t careful.
“Was this here last time?” Connor asked as we trudged up the final hill on the way to my house. He was clearly just as exhausted as I was, the long Nitro practice taking its toll on us even before the walk to my house. It didn’t help that he was also holding my bike up, despite me offering to take it multiple time.
“We’re almost to my house,” I assured him, although I was struggling myself.
Thankfully, just as I had assured him, we crested the hill and could see the steady decline that lead all the way to my driveway. Setting my bike just inside the open garage then heading inside, we found my dad pulling snacks from the oven. He turned to say hello but was beaten to the punch when Lightning and Thunder began meowing and racing towards us.
“I almost forgot about these two,” Connor commented as he dropped to one knee so he could pet the
kittens now circling his feet. “They might actually be cuter in person than in the photos you always post.”
“Yeah, they’re pretty adorable,” I nodded. “Definitely worth having to join the gym.”
In reply, Connor simply laughed. The news about being bribed with kittens to join the gym was common knowledge. Despite worrying everyone would feel bad when I explained the truth about my new pets, my friends thought it was funny. Likely because it was after Blast and Fuze both won Summit. If I had told people about it all sooner who knows how it could have gone.
“The fur balls beat to me to the punch, but welcome to our house Connor,” her dad finally said, walking over to shake my friend's hand.
“Thanks Brian,” Connor replied, knowing that if he called my dad “Dr. Turner” he would be instantly corrected. “I would have been over a lot sooner if there was an offer to come over and swim.”
“You could have asked,” I quickly interjected. “You know Lexi and Halley come over to swim all the time.”
“Speaking of the pool, why don’t you show Connor where he can get changed,” my dad offered.
“Good idea,” I agreed. I moved a few feet down the hallway and turned on the light in the bathroom. “You can change in here.”
“Thanks,” Connor said in reply as he walked into the bathroom, cheer bag in hand.
“So how was practice?” my dad asked as I walked back into the kitchen.
“Long,” I said with a sigh. “We were trying out stunt groups so it was a lot of the same thing over and over again. Not to mention it was at least a million degrees inside the gym.”
“The weather is supposed to cool down for a few days, so hopefully that will help,” he replied before reaching a hand towards me.
He was holding a mini cupcake that I happily took and popped in my mouth after removing the paper as fast as possible. Although the interaction with him only took a few seconds, it was long enough for me to miss my window of opportunity to change into my swimsuit. As I turned to walk down the hallway to my room the doorbell rang. Knowing it was likely more of my friends, I headed to the front door instead of making my dad do the honors.
“You’re not in the pool yet?” Michael asked as he entered the house. As soon as I opened the door I saw that him and Emma were both already in their swim suits with their towels in hand.
“No,” I frowned. “We had to walk here, remember?”
“Oh yeah,” he nodded in reply.
Despite really wanting to go change, at that point I figured I would be the gracious host. So, instead of heading to my room to change, I led them both outside. There was a chorus of hellos to my dad as I led them through the kitchen and then finally onto the back deck. While Michael immediately set his stuff on a deck chair, Emma stood on the deck and stared at the blue water in shock.
“This pool is massive,” Emma all but gasped.
“I guess,” I shrugged.
Looking at the pool while standing next to Emma, it really didn’t seem big to me. Then again, it was always a part of my house, so I was used to it. When I first moved in it might have been considered big to me, but I was just happy to have a way to cool down in the Texas heat, so I never gave it much thought. Whatever the case, even in that moment it was just the same old pool. I knew at one point Kyle or Peter mentioned it was almost as big as the pool at the country club across town, but since I never went there I didn’t know how true their statement really was. I also wondered if the fact that the wooden deck went right up to the pool on one side, and the brickwork around the rest of the border made the pool seem even larger than life. Either way, I just shrugged it off as Emma stared in awe.
“Hey Max!” Juleah called out, distracting me as her, Jade, and Nick made their way out of the house and onto the patio. They were being led by Connor who was done changing. Realizing I was the only person not dressed for the pool, I said my hellos then snuck back inside to finally change.
Rushing through the house, I heard someone jump into the water immediately. Knowing it was likely the most refreshing feeling in the world, I tried to change as fast as possible. Thankfully my new swimsuit was easier to slip on than my old green one piece. Once I was changed I took a second to look at myself in the full-length mirror on the back of my door. It made me feel instantly self-conscious that my friends were about to see me with a bare midriff for the first time. Sure, I had managed to even out my tan, but I still felt weird. It was almost like showing my stomach was too grown up for me. Shaking the worries of my head, I walked down the hall, and outside before I could chicken out and put on the old green suit I knew was still somewhere in my laundry hamper.
“Wow Max,” Emma gushed as soon as I stepped onto the deck.
“What?” I asked, folding my arms over my stomach to try to cover my pale skin.
“That color looks great on your,” she explained. “And, like, how are your abs that defined so early in the season already?”
Glancing around I realized that everyone was looking my way. It made me instantly embarrassed. Sure, Emma had given me a compliment, but I could feel the heat rising in my face. So, I was thankful to be saved when my dad walked out onto the deck with a massive tray of snacks.
“Who’s hungry?” he asked.
“Me!” Matthew and Nick both announced, leaving the pool quickly.
Thankful for the distraction I walked over and dove into the pool. I was hungry, but knew that it was a good way to take the focus off myself. The food also helped. But, I was hoping if I swam for a few seconds Emma would move on to something else to talk about. Or at the very least not bring up my suit for a least a little while.
Kicking my legs and stroking with my arms I made it to the far wall of the pool quickly then dove again to swim underwater back towards the ladder closer to the snacks. I wasn’t quite ready to get out of the pool, but could feel my stomach starting to groan after the long workout at practice. Dipping my head back into the water to get my hair out of my face, I saw Connor was sitting on the end of the pool, his hair wet from going under at some point. But he wasn’t swimming anymore. Instead, he was just sitting and watching me with a hard to read look on his face.
“Are you okay?” I asked, climbing up the ladder and walking to stand next to him.
“Yeah,” he said quickly, glancing away from me and instead at everyone a few feet away on the deck. “I’m just so glad we’re done at the gym for the day.”
Nodding in agreement I moved to grab a plate and load up on snacks. I managed to pile a slice of pizza, a handful of vegetables, and a whole heap of chips onto my plate before finding a seat on a deck chair. Once I was sitting down I was surprised to see Connor still sitting in the same spot watching me. He looked away suddenly when I glanced his way though. It was a little strange, but I was too distracted by the act of eating to think about it too much.
By the time we were done eating all the food we could manage, we did what all cheerleaders in our place would naturally do: we did stunts in the pool. Although Emma was also a flier, it quickly became clear I was much smaller than her which made me easier to throw into the deep end. Now don’t get me wrong, Emma is still small by anyone’s standards. She often looked even smaller than she was thanks to her extra long wavy brown hair, and light mocha complexion. But, when we were both wearing swim suits it was clear I was a few inches shorter than her and a lot skinnier as well. And in cheer, it made a big difference.
“That was even higher than last time!” Juleah announced after I was launched into the air by the boys high enough to do two backflips before landing in the water feet first. She was standing on the deck taking videos and photos with Jade and Emma, both of whom were calling out suggestions of other moves I should try.
“Okay, let’s go with a kick double,” Jade called out as I swam back to the boys.
“Boring!” Emma replied. “How about a kick triple?”
I was instantly unsure if I could pull off the move, but was excited to try. Reaching Connor, M
atthew, and Nick I hopped up into their arms and waited until we were all ready. Then, with Matthew counting us into the move, I was tossed up into the air. As I finished the revolution of the back flip, I kicked one leg up before beginning the rotations of my body. Two twists were easy enough for me, but adding in another full twist was harder than I first thought. I managed to get my feet in the water first, thankfully, but then got a faceful as well. I only made it through half of the final rotation, something I instantly regretting trying.
“Okay,” I coughed once my head was above water. “I think I’m done for a little while.”
“You okay?” Connor asked. He reached an arm out to help pull me into the shallow end, then kept one around me while I stood on my tip toes and attempted to catch my breath.
“I’ll be okay,” I assured him. “No more water though. I think I just swallowed half of the deep end, while the other half went up my nose.”
“Alright Emma, your turn,” Nick announced as I swam past Connor and climbed out of the pool.
“Not after that,” Emma said with a shake of her head. “Max, you have to see that last one though.”
Sitting down on the deck chair next to Emma I watched the replay of the last video she took, complete with my face smack on the water. Despite the terrible ending of the video, I thought it looked really cool, especially once Emma played it in slow motion. With my approval, she even uploaded it to her snap story. She also uploaded a few of the ones that had much better endings to both Instagram and Snapchat. It made me feel better about the ‘flop’ ending, knowing videos showing my well performed tricks were on display for people as well.
“I bet if we tried that kick triple a few more times you could land it,” Matthew said after watching the video over Emma’s shoulder. “You got a lot of height on that basket for sure.”