Last week I took Emma to her first gymnastics class.  It was a trial class, just to see if she liked it.  Who am I kidding?  She has gymnastics in her blood.  My dad was 4th in the nation in rings…you know, back in the day.  My mom was in gymnastics in college too.  I took gymnastics as well.  Unfortunately my career was short-lived as the gym was “too far away”.  Still not completely over that. Can you tell?

Anywhoo.  Emma is mad strong.  Her upper body strength amazes her physical therapist.  I think two things.  A) it’s in her blood.  B) she developed quite the upper body strength when she spent 10 weeks in a half-body (spica) cast recovering from hip dysplasia.  By the end of her 10 weeks she was standing and walking in the cast and it had to be repaired.  But from that little girl in a half-body cast  to an able-bodied girl who participates in ballet and gymnastics, she’s come a long way!

2-7-07, right before her 3rd birthday

I asked the instructor how she did in class.  Of course I watched her the whole time, but I wanted to hear what the instructor thought.  She thought that Emma might be better-suited for the special needs gymnastics class.  Kind of a punch in the guy.  BUT  this class is one-on-one with a gymnastics coach.  And the instructor did say that it was very possible Emma would be able to “graduate” from the special needs class to join a typical gymnastics class.  So at this point, I’m thinking this “special needs” gymnastics class is really just a one-on-one session with an instructor who will move at Emma’s speed.

And Emma?  She’s fast.

Good form!

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