States

Mentality
The State Championship Competition is the most important day of your entire season. You work all year for this- the frustration, the pain, the sweat, the tears, everything is done for this one competition. It determines how well you are doing in your level and shows how much you have improved over the entire year and the season. It is important because if you don't do well, you sometimes think that your whole season was for nothing because you ended it on a bad note. And, to be honest, ending anything, especially an entire season, on a bad note is never a fun experience.

Dates
States for Xcel bronze, silver, and gold are usually the second weekend in May. However, for platinum and diamond, states are the second weekend of March. And that date is fast approaching. This will be the first time I will ever have had states in March instead of May.

My Past Experiences
I have been to states five times and I'm going to explain my experiences at states from the past all the way up until now. 2009 was the year of my first states. I was a Prep Opt Novice at that time (what is now known as Xcel Silver). That year, it was particularly nerve-wracking for me because it was my very first states, ever. I managed to stay on beam and did okay on all the other events. I placed 6th in the All-Around, 2nd on vault, and I actually ended up being the floor state champion for my age group. I consider my first states to be pretty successful!

2010 I was a second-year Prep Novice/Xcel Silver. So, since it was my second time, it was a little less scary for me. That year, that competition, was the one of best competitions of my entire life, if not the very best one. I placed in the top 5 on bars, floor, and vault, and I was the beam and All-Around State Champion for my age!! And the trophy I received at that meet is my favorite, still to this day:)

2011 was a rough year for me. I broke my legs a month before states, and thought I couldn't compete, but I ended up getting special permission from my doctor that I could compete if I iced between events and I was taped a up a certain way by the trainer. This states was a little fuzzy for me, but I do know that I ended up placing 5th place All-Around, as a first-year Prep Intermediate/Xcel Gold.

2012 honestly isn't even worth talking about because that was also a rough year and a rough states for me because I was recovering from injuries and a surgery so it took a while for me to get back in the game and get all my skills back. I placed 4th on floor and vault at that meet and didn't place in the all-around. But, with success comes failure, so I was able to accept the fact that even though I didn't place in the AA, I'll do better next year!

2013, however, as a third-year Xcel Gold, I did pretty well. I got 6th on bars, 5th on floor, 3rd on beam, and I was the vault state champion in addition to getting 2nd place All-Around!! That, in my opinion, was a good way to end my career as an Xcel Gold. I actually qualified for the regional championships based on my performance at states last year, but I will have a separate post all about regionals.

This year, states 2014, are unfortunately not in the cards for me. I am still out on injury for another 6 weeks and states are next weekend, but I am planning to go and support my teammates:)

But, I will hopefully be able to compete at States next year!

This is a picture of me and all of my teammates at States in 2012 when we were the 3rd place team!!!

Please, feel free to comment with any questions you have about any of my experiences or any questions you have about states or gymnastics in general!