Two minutes and thirty seconds. That’s all you have. Heart beat racing, hair in frizzy spirals, and red lipstick with a giant smile on.

You put the bottom of your shell down, making sure it’s where it should be. Breathe. This is the moment you have been waiting for. Block out all the doubts. Think about the positive things. Don’t let the crowd scare you. All those hours at the gym, perfecting that one stunt, that one tumble pass, just for this moment. You only have this one time, make it worth it.

“You may now take the floor!”

The crowd goes wild. You spirit onto the giant blue mat. The little fuzz balls all over it, the sleek tape holding it all together. Feet appear on the mat, shoes look all the same. A couple ankle braces holding the ankle in place, no room for it to go crazy. You tug at your shell again, double-checking.

A magnificent smile show on all the girls’ and guys’ faces, feeling so proud to be there. Not one girl has any fears now. All they are thinking about is winning, doing the best they can.

As they keep on smiling, the music starts and the mat becomes alive.

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8. The pounding of feet and hands on the mat form. A beat plays through it, like a stereo. It tells a story of its own.

The tape stays up, struggling not to give up, to keep holding on. As each girl does something different, the battle continues.

With each jump, each back handspring, and each stunt, that ankle brace starts to loosen a little and molds to the routine it has known for several months now.

“HIT IT GIRLS!” yells the coach from the sidelines. She has been there through thick and thin for all of them.

5,6,7,8. Clap, down, load, push, stick, cradle. Crowd goes insane. You just stuck the hardest stunt in the entire competition, how do you feel about that? Those smiles that are on their faces show how proud they are.

Sparkles gleaming down their faces, red lipstick starting to fade, curls falling out, but those smiles, they are what means the most.

Sweat dripping down your legs and back, your legs are begging you to give up and fall to the blue mat, but you refuse. Standing on the tape, you prepare to do a back handspring. As you go, you imagine winning. That’s all that was needed to push you through your running tumbling.

“COME ON GIRLS, YOU CAN DO IT!”

You move to your dance spot, tugging at your shell. You move to the beat, replaying all the motions you have done millions of times before. Being crisp and sharp, you finish strong.

Slap, slap, slap, down. BOOM!

You’re done. You did it. You beat out every team. You won the gold, all because you pushed through it.

Everyone falls to the floor, with the fuzzies all over and cries tears of joy. The tape pulled through and kept everything together. Hugs and kisses on the cheek were exchanged. Red lipstick was left everywhere by the time they left the mat. Ankle braces were leaving ankles already, but the smiles weren’t. They shined the whole time.