1. United States Gymnasts Faceoff (1/2)

flip. turn. run back. these thoughts were in my head as i went in the gym to practice and train. my private coach wasn't there yet, so i sat down and drank a water. ok, maybe i should explain things first. my name is cara downsin. i'm almost twenty, and i am a gymnast. i'm training for the olympics, even though it's awhile away. i have gold medals from highschool and college. as i watched two other girls jump on the trampoline, i thought about my round-off backtwist and how it needed some work. i looked at the two girls closely.

they seemed to be in their early teens. one girl was doing a standing backtuck, while the other girl was watching her while doing flips on the trampoline. i was watching them some more, when a finger poked me in the back. i jumped and turned. "oh, hey james." i stood up.

"hey cara. sorry i'm late." he said as we walked over to the floor. i started stretching while he was talking about something. i was to spaced-out to listen though. i was thinking about going to the olympics. it's always been a dream of mine ever since i was nine. i love the bars, and beam, and the vault. i was lost in my thoughts, when a hand appeared in my face.

"hellooo? earth to cara"

"what? oh, sorry"

"yeah..so, did you hear anything i said?"

i bit my lip. "um..no. what'd you say?" i pulled my medium-length auburn hair in a ponytail.

james rolled his eyes. "you are one of the five people chosen for the country's gymnastics face-off."

"yes!" i screamed. last month i competed for the best gymnasts in the state to go to the united states gymnastics face-off, and i'm chosen. is this great or what?

"so, we have to practice a lot. even harder. so, get your butt out there!"

i smiled, and warmed up with back handsprings, handstands, round-offs, and front handsprings. then, i got down to the hard stuff. i ran and did a back handspring backtuck and landed it. i stopped.

"james, do i have to make-up a routine?"

"no no, they will when you get to indianapolis. now move!"

i sighed, but smiled. james is tough, but he's a sweetie at heart. we went out for awhile, but it got too wierd.

the next day, i packed and headed to the car to drive for two and a half hours to indianapolis. james went with me, but ended up sleeping halfway there. finally, we arrived. i woke up james and we headed to the gymnasium to meet the others. "hey! you're here cara. i'm ms. louye, the instructor." she looked at james. "and you are...?"