Back Hand Spring---YES!!!

Sorry I haven't posted on the blog in a while. I've been really busy lately.But tonight I'm SOOOOOO exited because I have finally got my ROUNDOFF BACK HAND SPRING ON THE FLOOR, BY MYSELF!!!!!!!!!!!! So I'm sure that my mom will post a pic. of me doing a back hand spring soon. Post ya later,


Kaylie :)

Gym Fatigue

Happy Holidays to everyone!! Hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving this week--we had a wonderful time with our friends--and this year they hosted, so I didn't have to cook! We are so grateful to be blessed with such great friends to spend Thanksgiving with every year!

The gym was closed several days this week--and Kaylie was happy about that. She seems to be having a little bit of burn out---not surprising giving the number of hours she spends there each week, and how many times we have to pass on get togethers with friends because of her gym schedule. This month I've decided to let her pass on any days of her choosing, in addition to all of the days the gym will be closed for the Christmas and New Years holidays.

She's still working at getting her back handspring--so close, but doesn't have it yet! We've had to put off her private lesson--the economy has had a negative effect on my fabric sales, so hopefully after the first of the year we'll get that back on our schedule. She should be all rested by then, and ready to go!

Level 5 California State Finals

Well, we didn't get to go watch Kaylie's level 5 team mates compete in the state finals--but at least the her team mates made it there! The roads in and out of our community, as well as the roads from the communities south of Simi Valley (where the finals were held) were all closed due to the horrible fires raging throughout the greater Los Angeles area, so many girls were unable to compete, after training all year to earn a chance at the state finals.

I was glad to hear that the decision was made to allow any girl to compete who actually arrived, even if she was late. Normally you are not allowed to compete at all, if you miss your scheduled time. I wish they could take it a step further, and allow any level 5 girls who couldn't get thru to compete in Bakersfield during the level 4 state finals---don't expect that they will, but I think it would be the right thing to do.

My heart goes out to all of the families who have lost their homes, and had their lives disrupted by this series of fires, and I pray that the weather will cool off soon to help the firefighters in their efforts to put it out.

Good Friends!

I'd like to thank some dear friends of ours, the Larkins, for their generous contribution---it means a lot to us to have your support and presence in our cheering section (although we all wish it was still coming from across the street ;-) !!

I look forward to the day we can invite you to a meet!! Still no word on when that will be--but we'll keep you posted!

Auction-less Offerings

A few of the things that have been donated have not sold at auction, so I have decided to make them available directly here on the blog---Photos of items available are posted on the right hand column, noted with "Make an Offer". If you see something you're interested in, just send me an email with an offer. It has been hard to promote fundraising in this difficult economy--I know that things are tight for so many of us, so I have just decided to post things here, and continue to spread the word in a low-key way.

Thank You Kate!!

I have been so busy lately, that I have not taken the time to post here--and since I have a huge "thank you" to send out, that is not good!

One of my "myspace" friends, Kate, has been so incredibly supportive of my efforts for Kaylie, that she has started creating her own items to sell on behalf of Kaylie!! She has been knitting and sewing away and showcasing her creations at a friend's store, as well as sharing them at work and taking orders from co-workers! So thank you so much Kate, your generosity and hard work are deeply appreciated!

A trip to the gym

For the last couple of months, I have not been staying at the gym for Kaylie's workouts--apparently it was a little bit embarrassing that I was the only mom to stay and watch. So I'm limiting my time, and last night was one of the nights I stayed to watch. (Sheridan has a level 1 class on Fridays, so that gives me a good excuse!)

While I was there, the team was working on beam--which I hadn't seen Kaylie do for months. I was able to see her perform the entire routine on the regular beam (the one that is used in competition, as opposed to one that sits on the floor for practice) for the first time! Wow, what a long way she has come!! I think she's the best one on her team at this event. Of course, I'm not biased or anything! I think that she comes across very well, because she doesn't give the impression that she is worried about falling off. It's amazing how much difference that creates to the viewer--she seems more graceful and self-assured, so even if the actual skill is performed with the same accuracy, hers looks better. I'm pretty happy about this--for the obvious parental pride reasons, but also because it is so important for her self-esteem. She came onto this team after spending only two weeks at level 3, so initially she was way behind the other girls. Now she is at or ahead of her teammates on beam and bar, and behind only on vault and floor. I think that is a perfect place to be--excelling on some apparatus, and striving to improve on others. A nice balance for the all girls on the team to feel good about whatever skill they excell in, and to be motivated to improve on the others!

School has finally started!!

And I hope to have the proper time and energy to focus here! I spent quite a few hours today prepping and listing some items on eBay--there are 3 photo links on the right side of the blog. Several additional items, including some "Enchanted" party supplies, and a Wilton Castle Cake decorating set have also been listed for Kaylie's fund.

Kaylie had almost two weeks off from the gym, due to the Labor Day weekend--so she's pretty tired and sore after two really good workouts on Friday and Saturday! But even with a long break between, she made a couple of improvements in her skills, including a comment from her favorite coach that she made the best vault he's ever seen her do!! Yay!! She also was able to do a back hand spring using the mat, without being spotted by the coach! "Getting" her back hand spring is a big goal of hers, so she's very happy to be so close. Soon she'll be doing them without the mat, and deciding what her next goal is!

We'll keep you posted!!

Olympics 2008 Continued

Well it's been a couple of days ago, but I thought I'd give kudos to our two USA women's gymnasts who did such an outstanding job in the all-around event. Shawn Johnson (native of West Des Moines,Iowa----quite close to Gramme!) and Nastia Liukin.

As the parent of a young gymnast, I have the beginnings of an idea how hard these girls have worked, and I'm so pleased for them to have had their Olympic dreams come true.

Summer Olympics 2008

Congrats to the USA men's gymnastics team!! What a way to pull it together, and give it your best effort! I'm very impressed with these young men, faced with the loss of two of their team members due to injury, and yet still managing to bring home bronze medals. Bravo!

We're looking forward to watching the women's team finals tonight--Kaylie has two of her teammates coming over to spend the night so they can watch it together. Unfortunately, several of the girls have already started school, so they can't come. So now we're having two sleepovers---another one a week from Saturday so that the whole team can come---I guess I'll record the individual final, or the exhibition that will be on the Oxygen channel, so they can watch while they're here.

Something else about ChipIn

If you are interested you can put Kaylie's ChipIn widget on your blog, website, facebook, or myspace page. By doing this, we can spread the word to more people who might be interested in making a donation. This widget allows people to make secure donations through Paypal, simply and easily. For most sites, just copy and paste this URL into your browser for information on putting Kaylie's ChipIn widget on your site:

http://www.chipin.com/mywidgets/id/8ada74672bd19a44

I tried to use the blogger link function to create a clickable link--but when I post, it just shows up with a blank spot---just not my day today, I guess. I've been able to add the clickable link just below the widget on this blog--just be aware that when you click on the link, the widget you get won't have the "supporting a young girl's gymnastic's dreams" notation, so you have to add it, or one of your choice into the "info" box that will show up when you go to the widget page. This info box is important, because it lets people know more about what we are raising money for. Then choose which type of page/site you'll be adding it to, and generate the html code to paste on your site.

For Facebook accounts, the widget is actually separate--strange, I know. For some reason I can't include the same widget there, as I do on my other pages, so my facebook account is running a completely separate fundraising widget. I'm also having trouble adjusting the amount and closing date on the facebook widget--but will try again later as it may just be a server issue. So, to add her widget to your facebook account, contact me, and I will send you a link--or if you are already a friend on mine on facebook, there is a link on the widget that allows you to include it on your profile.

Some of you may have noticed that I adjusted the goal amount down, in addition to extending the time period---that's because with more time to earn money, I will try and incorporate more eBay sales to achieve the necessary funding. But please don't let that stop you from making a generous contribution!!!! ;-)

It looks like Spring...

Although the head coach hasn't come right out and said it's absolute, what he has said indicates to me, that he's not really even considering having any of the level 4 girls compete this fall. Kaylie is, of course, quite disappointed. It's very difficult when you work this hard, and not to get the opportunity that you were hoping for. I know that when we went to the meet a couple of months ago, that it was difficult for Kaylie to watch the other girls competing, and not be able to do it herself. Now it will be doubly difficult.

I believe that the coaches are acting in the best interests of the girls--I think that the girls are actually at the point of knowing the routines--which was the original criteria for being allowed to compete. But, they don't quite have the finesse and mastery of the skills, that will earn them good marks. The coach mentioned to me, that he doesn't want them to have a bad first experience--i.e. receive poor marks, and feel bad about their abilities. Better to wait, and give them the chance to perform well. So I feel bad for Kaylie, but believe it is the correct call.



The good news for me, is that I now have more time to raise funds for the meets that she will eventually be attending. The spring meets for level 4 seem to be concentrated in February and March, so I can expect to have to come up with the fees starting in December/January. First it'll be the membership in USA Gymnastics and the team leo, then in January it'll be the actual meet fees, which are due 21 days before the meet. So for me, that is good. I find that my eBay sales are usually better in the fall months---summer is usually slow as people are away on vacation, and in the fall people are looking for gifts.

Fundraising Update/Info

I recently discovered the "ChipIn" widget, which you now see on the blog. It's a very versatile little program that makes it easy for people to donate to just about any event you can think of. At present, I have it set for upcoming fall meets, although if you read the post just before this one, you already know that we don't know yet if she'll be competing this fall. Once we have a final determination, I will adjust the ChipIn widget accordingly. The goal is based on competing in approximately 5 meets. In order to compete, each gymnast must have a membership in the USA Gymnastics organization ($48 to $53 per year, depending on whether it's done online or via the mail), and a team leotard (varies--ours looks to be about $50-75). Then each meet that you sign up for has a gymnast fee, a team fee, and coach fee/expenses. Each girl attending the meet has to pay her gymnast fee, and a portion of the team and coach fees. Additionally you have to provide transportation to the meet, possibly a hotel stay (although most of the events this year seem to be local enough to not have to worry about that) and admittance fee of about $8 for any spectators. The $700 goal is an estimate for the three fees needed for each meet, plus the membership and leotard. All of this, in addition to the $170 per month for coaching and open gym time. I had no idea what I was getting myself in for last year when I signed her up!!

In additon to the ChipIn widget, I will be continuing to auction stuff on eBay (which slows down in the summer, so I've held off for the last month) and may do a blitz week, in which I auction a variety of items and ask everyone to spread the word. I am also thinking about doing a raffle. I have a few items that might work well for a raffle, and am hoping that some of our family and friends might be willing to donate something fairly universal, like a giftcard for itunes, a major store like Target, dinner, or a movie. I'm going to start working on that as soon as I finish with my fair stuff, but if anyone has any suggestions in the mean time, I'm all ears!

Competition Update

The time has come for the head coach to decide whether or not the girls are ready to compete---I spoke with him yesterday and his current opinion is that they may not be ready to compete until the spring. Over the next two weeks, he'll be watching carefully before making a final decision. Kaylie, of course, is very excited about competing in the upcoming Preliminary events--followed by Sectionals in late October and the State at the end of November. Unfortunately, she hasn't quite mastered her back hand-spring--although her coach has told her she's almost there. Many of the level 4 girls have been gone most of the summer, so it's unclear at this point if they will be in shape to compete, even if they know the routines.

So we'll keep our fingers crossed that Kaylie is deemed ready, and gets the opportunity to compete this season. I'm hopeful for her, but at the same time very appreciative that her head coach is looking out for these girls. Safety is always a primary concern, and I definitely think it's important for the girls to feel good about how they do in competition. But at the same time, the fastest way to motivate Kaylie, is to tell her she's not ready! She's already asking if she could get a private lesson to try to master those final skills. I think the issue of team leotard's may come into play as well, although this is just a guess on my part. I know the the team leotard is a custom order--basically they order a ready made design, in the gym's colors. This custom fee is divided amongst all of the team members of a particular level. For example, the level 5 girls split that cost 3 ways, since there are 3 girls on the level 5 team. I think it would be challenging for the head coach to tell families, ok, it's time for you to buy the team leotard, but you won't be competing for several months, in order for one or two girls to have the leo to compete now. I can just imagine that would be difficult. Of course, the flip side to that is it's not entirely fair to any individual girl who might be ready to compete now. And I'm sure that there would be some girls/parents absolutely convinced that they are, in fact, ready now. (Kaylie being one of those girls--and me sort of being one of those parents--although I won't be pushing it, as I absolutely defer to the coach's knowledge and experience.) A potentially tricky situation, which I'm glad I'm not in!


A little info on the gymnastics "season". I've gleaned this from reading various internet sites, and talking to other gym moms. Apparently, there is a competitive season for each level of gymnast---levels 4-6 compete at the preliminary level in September and early October, followed by the Sectionals with finals in November. In order to get to sectionals, they have to achieve a combined score of 30.00 at the preliminary event, and then achieve a combined score of 32.00 at sectionals to qualify for the state event. A combined score is the total of all scores from each event--40.00 being the maximum score, if you got perfect 10's on each event. Usually it works out In the spring, competitions for those levels are more invitational in nature, meaning they are for experience, not state ranking. Also, I believe there are "testing" competitions, which allow gymnasts to move up to the next level for the following competition season. Higher level gymnasts have their season in the spring, starting in April. Every state potentially has their own variation on this, but I think it's reasonably the same across the board. Also, the lower levels only compete thru the state levels. The higher level gymnasts then can move up from state competitions to regional and national events if they have qualifying scores. It's surprising how tricky it is to come by this information--maybe someday I'll write a guide book for parents of new gymnasts!

Care and Prevention of Rips

One of the things I have learned about, as a newbie mom of a young gymnasts, are rips. For those of you not in the know, "rips" are basically tears on the palms of your hands from bar work. This is one of the pitfalls that all gymnasts face.

I'm not sure why, but the coaches at the gym don't seem inclined to offer advice to the girls on how to care for, and prevent rips. Kaylie got her first one in March, and I took some time to research on the internet on how to properly care for it.

Kaylie slipped on the stairs on Thursday, so her foot has been a bit sore, and on Friday she was having trouble running for her vault practice. She has a good coach, who noticed, and sent her over to work with the level 5 girls on the bars, so that she wouldn't strain her foot. An unfortunate consequence of this, is that she ended up staying at the bars when the level 4 girls came over to do that skill, and so her palms were sore, and on the verge of ripping by the time she finished for the night. We decided to use one of the tips I had found on the internet, and she was very pleased with the result---so, in case there are any other newbie parents reading this, I have decided to share a bit of what we learned here on the blog---noting that these are just things we have tried, and been happy with the results--in no way do I suggest that these are expert opinions/techniques--just simple things that have helped Kaylie.

First off, when she did get a rip, we cleaned her hand thoroughly with warm water and a mild soap. Next we kept it covered, with a band aid and neosporin. Once new skin was growing, she stopped using the band aid, but kept applying hand lotion, to keep it supple and prevent it from drying out. Apparently, if the edges dry out, they may catch on something, and tear more. Once healed, she continued to use the hand lotion after workouts---washing her hands before applying the lotion. She has been using a Gold Bond Ultimate product called "Healing Skin Therapy Lotion" with aloe. I have to say, I really like this lotion--it's quite effective, without perfumes and has a non-greasy feeling after application. You can also buy it in a small tube that fits great in a gym bag, or purse! Since she's been following this routine, she hasn't gotten a single rip. Now, on Friday, she came close. I suggested she try one of the other tips I read, for quick healing of a rip. After cleaning her hands, she applied the lotion and wore a pair of gloves to bed--these are gloves made for sleeping in, to heal dry skin. Ours came with a set of hand products someone gave us as a gift--I would imagine they could be found at Target, Wal-mart, or stores like The Body Shop, or Bed, Bath, and Beyond. The next morning, the redness was gone, as well as most of the pain and soreness. She only ran thru her bar routine once on Saturday, during open gym--but with minimal discomfort and no tearing!! So we're very pleased with the result of that tip!

Another suggestion, which she hasn't tried yet, is to soak your hands, and then use a pumice stone to remove a bit of the callous build-up on her palms. At this point, she hasn't built up enough callous to bother with this, but I'm sure she'll get there at some point! Callouses protect your hands from tears, unless they build up too much, at which point they bunch up when you grip the bars, creating an opportunity for a rip. There are also issues of gripping the bars too tight, using too much chalk, or not enough chalk--things that you just learn as you gain experience.

So there you go, a beginner's experience with rips!

Lazy Days of Summer

Just popping in with a brief update---no big developments in training, just a steady effort and continued improvement in muscle strength and skills. Many of the girls on the team are off on vacation, so it's just been Kaylie and two other girls for the last couple of weeks--a good opportunity for more one on one time with the coaches! Kaylie has become pretty good friends with one of the girls at level 5---she's several years older than Kaylie, but they hit it off and have been on the phone regularly and enjoying a kids website, along with some other friends from school.

I'll be getting some more auction things going soon, in preparation for the upcoming meet expenses. We also have one small company that is considering sponsoring Kaylie, which would be awesome. Anyone interested in doing the same, please don't hesitate to let me know!

Happy 4th of July

Just wanted to wish everyone a great 4th of July weekend!

We're celebrating quietly at home, some friends may come over to BBQ.  Very casual.  Things tend to get a bit crazy here in Palmdale on the 4th----lots of illegal fireworks going off into the sky pretty much every direction you care to look.  So here's hoping it's a safe one!

Kaylie is enjoying a week off of gymnastics as the gym is closed this week.  She was very excited that she did get her locker last Saturday--so I guess it is official--she is now on the team, not just training for it!!

Sunsuit

I'm very excited about the cute little sunsuit I've just made, that I will be auctioning on eBay for Kaylie's fund. I still have to get the buttons for the suit, but it turned out so nicely, I couldn't wait to post a photo! It's a cotton featherwale fabric (basically a very tiny cordoroy). The appliqued kitty is wool felt with silk thread stitching. It is a size 6 months. This pattern is by Kari Mecca, and I'm actually working on designing some additional animal patterns of my own, to use on other types of kids clothing items. Hope to have some samples made up, and items finished for sale in a few weeks.

A big thing for those in training for level 4 at Kaylie's gym is the assigning of lockers at the gym. They basically don't assign lockers until and unless the girls have reached a skill level that they will definitely be competing on the team. One of the coaches has told the girls to bring locks on Friday, as he will be discussing assigning lockers with the other coaches. Kaylie is super excited about this (I had to go out and get her lock right away!!) Hopefully the coaches don't forget!! The girls were bugging him about it, which is why it came up in the first place, but this is the first time they were actually given the green light to get locks, so keep your fingers crossed! When you work as hard as these girls work, achieving this milestone is a big sense of accomplishment.

New Auctions Listed!!

Yeah, I've finally had a day to get everything properly photographed, and put up the auctions for Gramme's beautiful ABC quilt, and the wonderful collection of skincare products from Andrea Rose!! Hopefully we'll do really well on these auctions--don't forget to tell anyone you know who might be interested in bidding on these items!! I've also been able to get the logo and link set up for Andrea's website--check it out! And again, a huge "Thank-You" to Gramme and Andrea Rose for their support!

I forgot!

Kaylie has now learned all of her routines!!!  This is a big first step to being ready for her first competition.  Now that she has learned all of the routines for bar, floor, and beam she can now focus on perfecting all of the skills needed in each routine!! She is also working on her vault skills, but doesn't need to learn a routine for that!  Great job Kaylie!!

End of the school year

Well it has been a very hectic last few weeks--lots of school activities and events, especially for Kaylie's older sister Aislynn, who completed her time in elementary school this year.  I'm so proud of all of my girls.  They each earned honor roll for the entire year!  Aislynn also earned a Gold Presidents Award for outstanding academic achievement for grades 4, 5, and 6.  

The whole family celebrated with some good friends today.  We had a big party with five other families--a very fun day of water fights, games, food, and time spent with wonderful friends.

Now that the hectic pace of the final weeks of school has come to a close, I expect to have some special donations up for auction within a few days.  I have received the awesome gift basket from Andrea of Personal Basics, and the gorgeous ABC quilt from Gramme.  I'm going to spend a little time photographing these great items for auction to help get the best final price possible.  If you know anyone who might be interested in bidding, please share this blog with them!  

3 More Hours!

Today Kaylie adds another 3 hours to her weekly workout---she's now officially at 9 hours per week. Wow! She's stronger than me now! She's doing great--continues to make steady improvement in her skills, as her muscle development strengthens.

Pasadena Classic 2008

Kaylie and I attended our first gymnastics meet this weekend--the Pasadena Classic 2008 held at Club Champions in Pasadena. This was a friendly meet, which means (I think!) that the girls' scores are not incorporated into their ranking stats. Basically, it is a warm up meet, allowing the girls an opportunity to be in a meet environment, without the stress of formal ranking.

The level 5 team from Kaylie's gym was entered in the meet, and they did pretty well! We had a second place finisher across the board (all events, including the all-around) for level 5 ages 7-8, a 1st place finish for the level 5 ages 11-12 all-around (she won 1st in a few of the events but I can only remember the floor for sure!) and a 1st place finish for level 5 ages 13-14 for the beam and floor, I believe, plus she came in second for the all-around.

Kaylie and I really enjoyed the opportunity to attend a meet--she feels even more confident about attending her first meet in the fall. She didn't realize that all of the events would be going on simultaneously, and that the teams would just rotate around the gym. The fact that every person in the gym won't be watching her at the same time is re-assuring! Her coach even invited her, and another level 4 teammate who came, to sit with the the level 5 team for the awards ceremony. All in all, a very nice, relaxed way for her to experience her first meet.

I miss you!

              My mom just told me how supportive you guys were for me (Bri. and Cas.) and I wanted to let you know how much I really appreciate it.:D  I'm DYING over here waiting for my mom to tell me when we can have another sleepover! Oh! I'd also like to thank my Grammie and Andrea for donating items to help pay for my lessons.

          (Bri. + Cas.)

           (Grammie)   (Andrea)

I hope to see  and  meet u guys soon! 

                           Kaylie C. C. :):D

Personal Basics by Andrea Rose

One of the wonderful things about reaching out to people, is that you often make new friends, and learn new things.  Today I was fortunate to finally "meet" a longtime friend of Kenny's, Andrea Rose.  Although this meeting has so far only been thru emails, I know at some point I'll have the pleasure of meeting her in person.  

Andrea has graciously offered to donate some personal care products from her line, "Personal Basics by Andrea Rose".  These very special products are salicylate free, designed to help people with salicylate sensitivity, and for people utilizing the gualifenesin protocol developed by Dr. St.Amand for the treatment of fibromyalgia.  You can learn more at her website www.andrearose.com, a link to which is provided in the "Our Generous Supporters" section of the blog.  

Team Spirit

It's a really wonderful thing, when you bring a group of people together to work towards a goal---and that magical team spirit surfaces almost instantly.  I can not truly tell you how much I am enjoying watching this wonderful group of girls working together at practice.  Even after such a short time together, there is an obvious sense of camaraderie.  Regardless of age, or skill level, help is offered and friendship is shared.  I'm so glad Kaylie has the opportunity to be in this team!

With Practice Comes Improvement!

Kaylie had a great lesson last night---the class worked on beam, and Kaylie was very pleased that her skills on this apparatus are equal to the rest of her class---Yeah!! We are also noticing an improvement in her pull-overs (this is one of the first skills taught on the un-even parallel bars, but Kaylie has had trouble achieving success consistently). Also, the dreaded glides!! Still has a ways to go, but for the first time, she was able to complete a glide with out touching the floor, or bending her legs back.

the Mom

First Auction!!

I have listed the first item for Kaylie's gym fund--a 4 yard piece of silk brocade fabric from my personal stash. The listing will close in 7 days--so I will post then how much it sold for.

For anyone who would like to make a comment, but doesn't want to join blogger--just email your comment to the email address shown here on the blog, exactly as you would like your comment to be posted, and I will include it in my posts.

I'd also like to send a special thank-you to my mom---Gramme, for her amazing support of Kaylie. We love you as much as you love us!!

the Mom

Learning New Things

Presently in level 4 gymnastics, I am learning how to do my floor routine. We must do this routine during competion, and I am happy with how I am doing. On the uneven parallel bars, I am learning how to do glides, and I need some improvement on that! Now that I've been going to the class more often, I think my leg, arm and stomach muscles are getting stronger.

Thank you for reading my blog, and supporting me!

Kaylie :D

Welcome to Kaylie's Gymnastics Journey

This blog has been created to chronicle Kaylie's experiences in gymnastics, as well as to keep family and friends updated on her progress, and to establish a place to post information on fundraising events to support her gymnastics goals.

Kaylie started gymnastics last August, and by October had mastered level 1, and moved up to a level 2 class. She spent the next six months working hard, and mastered not only the level 2 skills, but started learning level 3 skills. In April, Kaylie moved up to level 3--where she stayed for 3 weeks! She had been given a private lesson with one of the head coaches as a 10th birthday gift, and after working with her for the first time, he offered her the opportunity to train for the level 4 team.

So in May, Kaylie joined the other girls who had also been invited to train for the team and she is now working 6 hours a week in the gym. In June, the schedule will increase to 9 hours per week. The first day of training was tough--the other girls had all spent at least several months in a level 3 class, and then had the opportunity to attend weekly 3 hour practices in April to decide if they wanted to join the level 4 training. That first class was pretty grueling---and I think it was difficult to go from being at the top of her class, to the bottom! However, Kaylie never lets anything keep her down for long, and by the second class she was mentally geared up to work hard and achieve her goals.

She has now completed her 3rd class, and we are starting to notice small improvements already. She has a ways to go, and expects to be the least skilled member of her group for a while yet, but she knows with hard work and determination, that will change in time. Right now her goal is to build her muscle strength and flexibility so that she can master the skills necessary to officially join the team, and compete in her first meet in October of this year.

In order to help fund her training and cover her competition fees (we know she'll make it!!) we, her family, have been brainstorming ways to earn some extra money. This is where we hope you, her extended family and friends, can help. We anticipate needing about $2500 to $3000 to fund a year of training and competition.

The first thing we will be doing, is putting some things up for auction on ebay. I am going to auction several dolls from my Barbie collection, as well as some of my scrapbooking kits and necklaces I have made. We are hoping to receive additional donated items to auction as well. If you have anything you don't mind donating, please let us know!

Another idea is to have a recycling drive in our neighborhood--help the environment, and support a young girl's dreams at the same time! If you are interested in having a recycling drive in your neighborhood to support Kaylie, please let me know and I can provide you with a flyer to pass out to your neighbors.

Other ideas include holding a raffle, a carwash and finding sponsorships. Of course, we also would welcome any "cash" donations, if you wish to make one. We have set up an email address for Kaylie's gym fund in order to accept payments via Paypal. This email address is: gymgirlkcc@sbcglobal.net

We certainly understand in these difficult financial times that supporting Kaylie with a donation may not be possible for you at this time, but please feel free to post comments here to support her with your friendship, and if you know someone who might be interested in helping, please send them a link to this blog!

Check back every few weeks, as we will be updating with notices of ongoing auctions, events and progess reports on how Kaylie is doing with her training.

the Mom