Perseverance

A few weeks ago, during one of Morgan's gymnastics meets, Lance and I noticed Morgan was limping. She left the floor after completing her routine and had the coaches wrap her foot. When the meet was over Lance and I asked her about it. She said her heel was hurting. Lance thought she may have bruised her foot so we iced it and gave her some ibuprofen.

As the week went on, Morgan's heel was still giving her some issues but not enough where she wanted to take time off of gym or competing. Morgan and I flew to Coeur d'Alene for her meet. Her first rotation was the balance beam. She completed a beautiful routine and was moving onto warm ups on the floor when I noticed she was crying. Morgan is not a crier. I knew she was definitely in pain. I walked down to the floor to talk with her. I told her she could scratch on floor and vault and just compete on bars. She looked at me like I was crazy. There was no way she wasn't going to compete even if she was in pain. Honestly, I was surprised. I thought she would jump at the chance to sit out those rotations. She is tougher than I thought!

When we returned from Coeur d'Alene, I scheduled an appointment with a podiatrist. After talking with the doctor and having x rays taken we learned that Morgan has Sever's Disease. It is not uncommon with children as they grow but it is exasperated by the fact that she is a gymnast. The doctor wrapped her feet, told her that she needed to wear tennis shoes {no bare feet, no flip flops, etc...}, get heel cups for tumbling at gym, and use ibuprofen as needed. Morgan was worried he would tell her that she had to quit gymnastics or take time off but he said as long as she was able to manage the discomfort she could continue.

Although she is no longer limping and the pain is gone in her heels when she walks, Morgan still has some pain when she tumbling and vaulting at gymnastics.

This last weekend Morgan had her state gymnastics meet. She was determined to compete in all events even though her heels were still giving her some trouble. She was going to persevere.

Morgan finished 8th in her age group and in the top third of all the girls in her level. She toughed it out, did her best and had a great time. Her team took 2nd place which was very exciting. As a group they have struggled with injuries and being consistent in their routines. It was fun to see them all have some strong routines.

Last competition season was difficult for Morgan. She had struggled with some of the new skills but the uneven bars were her greatest challenge. It was hard to see her struggle. She was focused on conquering the bars. It is her favorite event even though it was hard for her.

This year, it all came together. She persevered and mastered her bar routine. In the last few weeks she has consistently placed in the top for bars. At the state meet, Morgan had the bar routine of her year. It was amazing. I may have yelled and shed a tear or two. I was so proud of her. She set her mind to do improve and she did it.

Morgan placed 2nd in her age group on the uneven bars and 2nd place out of the 64 girls in her level.

Morgan has taught me about focusing on the goal, pushing through the pain, and persevering in order to meet a goal. Thanks Morgan for being an inspiration to me.

Giveaway winner: sorry i didn't get this up on sunday. i was under mounds of laundry and prepping for a 6 year olds birthday party.

Kym {i will deliver it to you on wednesday}