Oct. 3, 2004

My legs are sore. I can't lift my arms. I have a Charlie-Horse in my right calf, and yet I'm doing cardio on my day off. The life of a Mizzou gymnast has been a tough one, but it's been well worth it. Official practices started only two weeks ago, but I can't wait for competition to begin! Everything about Mizzou is so positive and upbeat, from all the people I meet on campus to everyone involved in the athletic department. As a student-athlete at Mizzou I have been offered so many things to help me succeed, like tutors, mentors, a computer lab, and student-athlete academic advisors. They spoil student-athletes here, and I wouldn't change anything about this place! Gymnastics practice is tough, but not unbearable. We have regular practice on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 2 to 6 PM. On Wednesday we have a two-hour practice, then we lift weights from 5 to 6 PM. We also have weightlifting every Sunday from 3 to 4 PM. Last Sunday we did the hardest running conditioning of my life, but somehow we all survived! I love my teammates. They're all amazing gymnasts and amazing friends. We're with each other pretty much 24-7, and we all hang out together on the weekends. My days at Mizzou are pretty normal...well, for an athlete anyway. I get up at 7:15 AM everyday to get to class by 8 AM. I eat cereal in my dorm room every morning because if I ate my breakfast in the dining hall I'd have to wake up earlier! After my classes, which are over by 12:15 PM at the latest, I eat lunch with my freshman teammates at the dinign hall. If time allows I do some homework or talk online to friends from home before practice starts. After practice on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, a group of the gymnasts eat dinner at Shelden, where study hall follows from 7 to 9 PM. On Wednesday I have study hall before weightlifting, so I get one early night a week! Usually on Wednesday, the four other freshman gymnasts and I have "movie night" in one of the dorms. We watched a lot of scary movies the first two weeks we were her, but lately we've switched to chick flicks like Pearl Harbor and Mean Girls. Things are getting easier, even with days that start at seven in the morning and end at nine in the evening. I've loved every minute I've spent here though, and I wouldn't change it for the world. It's time to go to weightlifting, GO TIGERS!