I was teaching gymnastics on Tuesday when one of the other coaches told me about a new skill we had to teach our beginner classes: a handstand at the end of the beam and then falling flat onto a thick mat (handstand flat-back). Wow, I thought, that’s hard for beginners! So of course I had to jump up on the beam and see if I could do it. I stood at the end and prepared to kick into a handstand…except I’d never done that kind of handstand on a beam before! "This is kind of terrifying!” I said, laughing at myself a bit. One of my students, Maddy, was watching. She was new to the class and I always had to hold her hand on the balance beam, as she slowly and cautiously made her way across. She saw me hesitating and said, “Are you scared too Coach Claire?"
I practiced the handstand flat-back, later when the class had finished. But I was really glad Maddy had seen me afraid of trying a new skill, because it’s important to realize that EVERYONE is afraid of something. And as you get stronger and braver you'll still be afraid sometimes, just of different things. Along my journey, I've been afraid of eating too much, of eating too little, of gaining weight, of certain foods, of losing control, of my emotions and of sharing them with other people. I really believe that the sooner you start overcoming your fears, the better, because once you know how to feel afraid and accept that feeling and push forward anyway, it gets easier. You can face other fears the same way, and then nothing will stand in your way! And don't forget to laugh a little instead of taking yourself too seriously.
- Claire
I practiced the handstand flat-back, later when the class had finished. But I was really glad Maddy had seen me afraid of trying a new skill, because it’s important to realize that EVERYONE is afraid of something. And as you get stronger and braver you'll still be afraid sometimes, just of different things. Along my journey, I've been afraid of eating too much, of eating too little, of gaining weight, of certain foods, of losing control, of my emotions and of sharing them with other people. I really believe that the sooner you start overcoming your fears, the better, because once you know how to feel afraid and accept that feeling and push forward anyway, it gets easier. You can face other fears the same way, and then nothing will stand in your way! And don't forget to laugh a little instead of taking yourself too seriously.
- Claire
