February 2nd, 2017 was my last meet ever, and I ended it by being part of regionals, which will forever be a special day. This is my goodbye letter to the sport that changed my life.

Dear Gymnastics:

These past three years of high school gymnastics were the best years of my life, the best chapter of my life so far. I can't believe that chapter of my life is now over. I was never the best gymnast simply because I didn't start as a toddler. I started as a teenager. I wasn't a club gymnast, which would've been a dream of mine. But sometimes I think about it and I say to myself "Maybe I was only meant to be a three-year gymnast." As much as it sucks to hear, it might be the truth. Some club/high school gymnasts were born with the gift - perhaps I wasn't. Like I said, I wasn't the best, but I sure did enjoy every meet despite the lack of skills on each event.

My favorite events were the uneven bars and the vault. I loved the adrenaline of running towards the vault although sometimes I had mental blocks and couldn't push through. I loved that it was short and could the vault twice. For uneven bars, I loved ut because it felt like the monkey bars but 10x more difficult. Beam - I liked sometimes. After my sprainked ankle on that even a week before conference, it made a little scare. But I only competed twice on that event senior year. Junior year, I did all-around. I loved the challenge and how each gymnast made their own "fluff." Floor and beam were a love-hate relationship. I loved floor because it was fun adding fluff and all these moves, but the tumbling was terrible because I didn't have great skills. I injured my right ankle on three of the four events, which was hard to deal with. But it taught me many things: to challenge myself, to take risks, and to be strong.

To my coaches throughout my three seasons: Thank you for giving me the opportunity to accomplish my dream. If it weren't you, I would've never had the chance to do what I love. I'd watch the show Make It Or Break It, and it inspired me to do the sport. I know sometimes I would get mad after not hitting a routine or skill, but you still supported me. Thank you for everything. I will miss you all next year in college, but I'll come back to visit and cheer on my best friends.

Sincerely,

Isa