11/15/2022 Let's hear it for the boys!

We are going to shift to boy mode, A.K.A Beast Mode! We are gearing up for out first gym meet. He's been putting in long hours and extra days at the gym and even training a little above his level. Which has been great for him! When he's not at school or at the gym, you can find him in the home gym working out and lifting weights. He's determined to put on some muscle so he can do his tracks and skills even better.

This month he will have his first gym meet. Im not sure what to expect as i have never been to a competition gymnastic meet before. His coach has told us its a LOT more laid back than dance competitions, which I'm down for. Im interested to see how he holds up. Most of you don't know, but my son suffers from severe social anxiety and social phobia. It's one of the reasons why he decided to step away from competition dance. The spotlight being on his was too much for him to handle.

I was reminded how bad he struggled with this a few weeks ago during a choir performance at school. It was a very low key event, just for parents to come watch. As much as he tried, he couldn't make it through it. Through his heavy breathing (almost panting) and wiping away tears from his eyes, he continued to try to make it thought, when his teacher (very discreetly) dismissed him from the stage. I cant image how he was feeling and i felt awful that he had to go through that. I hope he doesn't struggle with this during his gym meets because he whole heartedly LOVES gymnastics. He always has. He's proud that he does it. It challenges him, it pushes him, its his drive!

His coach is very away of his struggles, and has assured him, it's a pretty low key thing, pretty close to just going to the gym for practice. Which he handles practice perfectly fine. In fact, he doesn't want to leave, and hates when he has to miss (which isn't very often, only when he's sick). Does anyone else have kids that deal with this, or struggle with this themselves? I wish there was a manual on how to help kids deal with things like this, but alas, there isn't. I guess he (we) have to navigate it and figure it out as we go. Fingers crossed this first meet goes swimmingly and he comes home with some new metal to hang in his room with his others! That would be the cherry on the top!

I really think my best peice of advice right now would be to find the best coach. When i say best, i dont only refer to ability and trainig wise, but someone who understands your kid, their needs, and is willing to work WITH them. They need someone who is understanding and can cultivate the love of the sport in them and teach them how to get past their hurdles, mentalls and physically. We have been so lucky with the coach and gym we've found for our son. Anyways, once we have a meet under our belt, ill update on how it went and what i learned from a moms perspective. Let see how much of being a dance mom will help me with being a gym mom :)

-Rothrock Mom