Nina Sticks The Landing

Part 6: Just Go With It, Nina

On Friday, Kestrel brought Nina to the hospital to get her cast removed. They waited in the lobby for an hour. Nina flipped through Family Fun Magazine and admired the crafts and ideas suggested inside. After what seemed like an eternity, a nurse carrying a sterile-looking clipboard called Nina's name. The nurse escorted the mother and daughter to a small room with crisp white chairs and light blue walls. "The doctor will be with you shortly." she remarked, turning to leave.
After the ordeal of cast removing, Nina examined her arm, which was significantly more pale than the rest of her. "Gymnastics, here I come" Nina exclaimed as she rushed out of the hospital, holding her mother's hand.
"Not quite." Kestrel countered.
"What do you mean?" Nina asked, her heart racing with excitement and anticipation.
"You're going to have to rest for a bit, Nina-bugs." Kestrel explained. "If you go back to gymnastics right now, your arm could break again."
"Why?" Nina asked. "It's healed, right?"
"Yes," Kestrel replied. "It is healed."
"Then why can't I go to gymnastics today?" Nina questioned.
"Because your arm needs to regain it's strength." Kestrel replied, opening the car door and climbing into the driver's seat.
"Humph..." Nina groaned as she buckled her seatbelt.

The next four days passed tediously for Nina. She hated not being at gymnastics. If she was ever going to compete at regionals, she was going to need all of her strength, not to mention hours of practice. The thought was like a barnacle stuck to Nina's side, cutting her each time she touched it. Nina set up her gym mat in the living room and began practicing her beam routine using a piece of tape to represent the beam. Arms up, smile, skip, aerial. Land, smile, back walkover, straight into handstand, walk on hands and walk over into standing position. Turn, run, scissor jump. Land. Run, skip, flip. Land. Smile! Aerial back walkover. Back handspring dismount. Stand, smile.

On Wednesday, Nina had to go to school. When she arrived at home, however, Kestrel drove her to the Glass Cape Gymnastics Academy - not just to observe - but to actually participate! Nina could hardly contain her excitement. At last the little gymnast reached the GCGA and thrust open the doors, her tummy full of excited butterflies. Nina was wearing a neon yellow smiley face leotard and her hair in a braid crown. Her fellow teammates sprinted over to greet her. "Nina!" They squealed simultaneously, colliding into her. Alonna, Arden, Tori, and Estelle crowded around Nina, asking her questions and marveling at the fact that the cast was gone. Suddenly, another little girl waled over to join them.
"Hi!" she said. "Are you Nina?"
"Yep." Nina replied. "Who are you?"
"Oh, this is Natori!" Estelle butted in. "This is her first day here. We're showing her around 'cause she's on level three too."
"Hi Natori." Nina said. "I hope you like this class."
"Yeah," Natori grinned. "It's a nice group of girls. I like it here."
"Glad to hear it, girlfriend." Tori giggled. "Let's hit da floor!" She said in a goofy accent.
smiling and laughing, the group meandered over to where coach Blunt was standing.
"I hope you've all got your routines down pat." Coach warned. "We're doing the Academy Showcase today."
The Academy Showcase was a little event the gymnasts did before competitions where they performed their routines in front of each other.
"Oh, right..." Clara grumbled.
"Oh right is right!" Tori added.
"You have a half an hour to practice, ladies." Coach Blunt told them. "Let's move, kiddos!"
Nina stretched before wandering over to the beam, where she repeated her routine three times. Next she went through her floor routine and finally practiced her bar routine. At last she heard Coach Blunt blow the whistle, signaling that the half hour was up.
"Get over here!" Coach Blunt yelled to the entire gym. About forty five gymnasts came rushing over, Nina included.
"As you know," Coach said, "Today we are doing the Academy Showcase. I'll call you up in alphabetical order and let you perform your best routine in front of the other girls. You've got one shot, so do your best."
Nina gulped.
The Academy Showcase began.