The road to state is paved with anxiety for Mommy. I swear, if I could get my hands on some Valium and knew I could take it and still stay awake, I'd probably medicate myself this afternoon. There is just something so disconcerting about your tiny seven year old, balancing alone, four feet or more in the air with a panel of strangers judging her. It just doesn't seem right.
But, for as hard as it is for me, Riley is in love with the sport and more dedicated than I could imagine for such a young girl. She works hard and shakes off mistakes better than most adults I know. And as she heads into her first USAG State Championship at 5 PM tonight, I could not feel more proud about who she is. How she performs is irrelevant to me; I just want her to leave feeling great about what she's already accomplished.
Her posse will be out in force tonight. The car windows are painted and signed by all the neighbors and pals and Logan has made a pink and blue sign with silver glitter to hold in the stands. We've all adopted "RA RA Riley" as our official cheer! All her hard work is behind her with just this one performance lying in wait.
When it's over, and I can't wait for that moment, I will be having a large cocktail to celebrate her 6 month competition hiatus (and the lowering of my anxiety levels.) But in the meantime, I've got to get ready because my favorite gymnast performs tonight!!
"RA RA RILEY!!"
