Level 8 State and a final good-bye

I have honestly been delaying writing this post because it's such a hard one to write. McKenzie has decided to step away from gymnastics. She first let us know she was struggling back in January. At the time she was still recovering from her broken ankle and everything about recovery was rough: losing skills, starting over, being in pain, and not even being cleared to compete the first two meets. She was ready to walk away. However Jeremy and I told her that she really needed to finish the season so she left feeling complete instead of disappearing into the night. Her coaches worked really hard with her to get her ready to compete in such a short time. They let her compete all-around in Vegas so that she could earn a State qualifying score and have that be her final meet. 

The girls were competing in different sessions that weekend, so McKenzie and I did what we always do and went early to cheer on everyone. I have been routing for these girls for so long that I was just as sad to see them compete for the last time as I was for Kenz.

Going into this final meet, McKenzie's mindset was to enjoy every moment. There was no stress for scores or qualifying for Regionals. It was her swan song.

They started on floor. This is McKenzie's favorite event and she would have preferred it be last, but they don't get any say in the matter. I love watching her perform. She really gets into the music and is so entertaining out there on the floor.

Watching her cheer for and with her teammates is my favorite part of any meet. Ah! I love these girls!

Ever since she broken her foot she hasn't been able to flip her vault, but I still love watching a solid and clean execution. 

Beam! She's the only girl who can do a wolf turn on her team and she makes it look so easy. The little sneak had a surprise planned for me. For the last month or so she's been working on her back handspring on beam. She has never been able to compete it for various reasons, but she just whipped it out at State and took me completely by surprise! My jaw dropped when I saw her. She looked over at me and gave me a little wink. It was the sweetest little gift.

Some team shots from the meet.

Aubrey, Izzy, Hayden, Jacqui, Bella, Kenzie

Saying good-bye after awards was so, so hard. The girls were crying, McKenzie was crying, I was a mess, Cassie and Lindsay were crying...  I know this is the best next step for her, but saying good-bye is never easy. She's losing some amazing friends and teammates. I feel like I'm losing them too. I've cheered for these girls for years and spent hours in the bleachers with their parents. I'm not ready for this. I've never felt this connected to any other team parents before and it's going to leave a hole in my heart.

Gymnastics and McKenzie have gone hand in hand for the last 13 years. The sport hasn't always treated her kindly, but she has given it everything. I've watched her work so hard and dedicate herself to getting better each day. The lessons she's learned will stay with her forever, and this sport will always be a part of how she's become the amazing young lady she is. But I think we will both grieve this loss for awhile. I love you McKenzie and everything that you accomplished. I am so proud of you.

 

Rugby Sevens

Cambrie has found her people. This spring she played rugby sevens. She was also nominated for the board and is the member in charge of all game scheduling. It is harder to travel for these spring games, so I dutifully watched Instagram for news about their games and pic of their play. 

Loving this one! Ha! She says she can still feel that hit, it was a good one.

Every time Cambrie told us about her life, rugby was one of the highlights. Names like Savannah, Jade, and Shannon started working their way into every conversation. Every now and then I find a gem she or a friend has posted online and I see her smiling. Love it.

Lemonade stand

It has been ridiculously hot this "winter" and "spring." So when the kids asked to set up a lemonade stand in the middle of winter it made perfect sense! They set up right next to a walking path and the golf course so they made bank. I think each kid went home with about $15, and that's after their donation to a food shelter and dividing the profits. Not bad for a day's work.

 

End of season ski days

It was such a weird ski season. The snow came so late and so little arrived, that we never really got to enjoy a "real" season in the mountains. When we went over New Year's there was barely any snow. Then once Kelton broke his arm we had to wait for it to heal. By the time we could make it back onto the mountain the snow conditions were...less than ideal. Most of our favorite runs were closed, and any venturing into the trees was a hard no. However, we had two days left on our passes, Jess wanted to experience Colorado snow, and my mom also had some unused passes that she didn't want to let sit. So despite the less than perfect conditions we were still determined to have a great time. 

We are still rocking our alien ski pole antennae

The views are still to die for.

We explored all over the mountain hoping to find a fun pocket of snow. Instead we found ice everywhere. Our edges are not tuned as finely as Olympians and it was hard skiing. Daxton finally found the best way down this run, just lay down. It was slick enough that it didn't take much effort to just slide the entire way down the run. Honestly, that was probably the smartest thing he could have done.

By the end of the day the icy snow had melted into pure slush. While I was retrieving the car, Jeremy and my om found a pond skim and taught the boys the finer points of pond skimming. They didn't quite have enough speed on their first run and sank in the puddle, but their subsequent runs were much better. The boys thought that it was awesome! Jeremy was also pretty psyched about skiing about a pond skim. They were soaking wet when they got back to the car!

The next week we hit the slopes again, this time with Jess. McKenzie still wasn't cleared to ski with her broken ankle, so Jess just used all of her gear. More than once we really assumed she was Kenz. I felt bad the snow was so atrocious, but being in the mountains is still a day well spent.

We stopped for a quick overlook at Loveland Pass on our way home. The wind was howling! Whenever we share Colorado beauty with others I'm reminded by just how incredible it is here.

Gymnastics Queens

Team pictures looked a little different at GU this year. It was less structured and judging by the pictures these girls spent the whole hour just having fun! There are some really, really good friendships here. Love all of these girls!