At first, I didn't want to be on the team. Ballet was a first priority. Our school was the reining champions at the inter-school rhythmic gymnastics competition. My best friend, Nita, was on the team, so I had constant updates. This was one update I wasn't expecting.
"Come Rose, on it'll be easy." said Nita. She was a petite girl with blonde hair and blue eyes.
"No, I have ballet every day." I said.
"Come on Rose, I need your help with this." Nita could be persuasive when she wanted to be.
"I've never done rhythmic gymnastics before." I argued.
"I just need you to be the ribbon girl, it's like ballet anyway." said Nita.
"I can't." I replied.
"You only have to do one solo." said Nita. She had a sincerer look in her brown eyes.
"Fine." I said.
I thought 'You only have to do one solo' meant, 'you will only have to do one solo for the whole competition'. I was so wrong.
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Telling my mum was the next step. A classical ballet career had been both of our dreams. It still was. I felt like I needed to do this for Nita. My mum and I looked alike, we both had dark brown eyes and dark hair, though at 13, I was only a few centimetres shorter than her.
"Hey mum," I asked, cautiously.
"Yes," she replied.
"Do you know my friend Nita?" I ask.
"Yes, she is a lovely gymnast" my mum replied.
"She's on the school's elite rhythmic gymnastics team."
"That's cool."
"They needed a ribbon girl, Nita asked me if I could and I said yes." I said quickly.
"What?," Her eyes opened wide, "No you can't do rhythmic gymnastics."
"It's just one routine." I say.
"When is training?" I was making progress.
"An hour before school every morning." I say.
"Is that all?" She didn't seem impressed.
"Half an hour after school there are technique classes, I should only have to do the ribbon one though"
"Why should I let you do this?" This was her typical question.
"Because I said I'd do it, because it'll help me grow stronger as a dancer and a performer."
"Fine!" Mum was annoyed, the kind of annoyed that meant that if my ballet suffered for one day, I'd be pulled out, even the day before the competition.
I called Nita.
"Nita? Hey, my mum said I could do it." I said
"That's awesome. You'll be there tomorrow before school for practice?"
"Yeah, bye."
"Bye"
I hung up, got of my best leotard and put it into my dance bag.
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A/N: I'm so glad that you are reading this, and thankful for you support.
Here is some helpful information about rhythmic gymnastics:
Rhythmic gymnasts will use one of 5 apparatus, ball, hoop, ribbon, baton(s) and jump rope. Of all sports, rhythmic gymnastics required the highest level of flexibility.
Rhythmic gymnasts are scored on 3 things in a competition;
-difficulty: they are scored on how difficult the moves they do are, but also on flexibility. IE. you get more points for difficulty if you do an over-split in your jump than a regular split.
-execution: how well you execute each step.
-artistry: the choreography, how well you interpret the music.
For each of the catergories you are given a score out of 10, with a total score of up to 30.
