the best advice I was ever given

These girls never gave up their dreams and they became Olympic Champions.

The best advice I was ever given is to never give up trying. Throughout my childhood my dad has taught me to have the motto: to never give up trying. I know that this is so cliché; there has been numerous songs written over this and many movies that work with this challenge. However, I truly have tried to live by this motto and even if I fail, I try and try again….and if I still fail at least I did so knowing I tried and there are no regrets. One experience comes to mind. It was a very long time ago and I still remember this day like it was yesterday. As you know, I used to be a competitive gymnast. I was very young for my level and unable to wear grips (used for the bars) because my hands were too small. Although I loved the sport as a whole, I hated the uneven bars! Every day in practice was a challenge for me. My hands were always blistered because they were so small and I just didn’t enjoy like I did floor, beam and vault. However, as I entered level seven I had a fear of doing giants. Giants are done on the top bar; you do a handstand and go around the bar in a handstand position. I remember practicing for hours at a time with rips in my hands and each time I would peel off the bars and fall. I would practice and practice with my coach getting the technique down to a tee, but I had a mental block on these giants accompanied with my physical disadvantage of my hands not being able to fit around the bars. Every competition I would salute the judges and after weeks of practicing could not get a giant. I would peel off the bars everytime. I remember crying in practice and competitions because I thought I could never get giants. I remember telling my dad how hard I would try in practice to accomplish my goal and it seemed I could never do it. My dad told me never to give up and to keep trying my hardest. It was one of the last competitions before state championships. My coach was very unsure if I could make it because my bars score would always make my all around score low. The week before I practiced and practiced and practiced with my coach and still every time I attempted to do a giant I would peel of the bars. Competitoion day came and it was warm up round on the uneven bars. Practiced my giants- same old story. Then it came to perform my routine for the judges. I saluted the judges and jumped to the high bar, hoping for the best. I finished my routine after completing two giants and a dismount. When I landed my dismount I could not believe what had just happened. My coach and friends all ran to me and my coach hugged me and put me in his arms. It was honestly one of the best feelings. I still remember how I felt that day. I felt so accomplished and happy. I knew my hard work had paid off. My dad said he had never seen me smile like that in his life. it was an out of this world feeling that can not be described with words. It was then that I realized that I accomplished my goal because I had never given up on myself and was determined to nail these giants. Looking back on this experience only reminds me to never give up on something and to never have regrets.