So it's the last week of summer training and therefore, my last edition of Blogging with Becca! I want to send a HUGE thank you to everyone who read my posts and kept up with the team this summer. I've had an absolute blast being your little Mizzou gymnastics messenger for the last eight weeks!

Speaking of, I'm sitting here wondering where the last 8 weeks went... the summer just flew by! But not too fast for us to be apart of some awesome events. Jordyn Wieber came into town last weekend for the opening ceremonies of the Show Me State Games. She did a clinic at the TPC with a couple local gyms and signed autographs at a luncheon for aspiring gymnasts at the MATC. She shared her inspiring 'never give up, never give in' story from her Olympic experience and we felt honored to get to meet her.

Throughout the summer, the team has made some amazing progress in all aspects of our training. Our morning conditioning has included some of the hardest workouts this team has ever done, and we can say that in turn, we are stronger than we've ever been. We had weight lifting Tuesday morning and had several girls reach personal records. We finished out our summer training with our very favorite team competition called Bamboozle, and loved every second of it! Overall, Jackson has greatly improved our fitness level and prepared us incredibly well for what is to come in the fall.

The gym is the place where we've seen the most change this summer, and we've truly adjusted well! With three new coaches and a new training plan, the team is feeling so motivated to continue our progress into pre-season and take some huge steps forward. We know that we will be prepared to compete with confidence in the SEC and that is a great place to end the summer.

So after lots of time spent flipping in the gym, running on the football field, shivering in the cold tubs, drinking chocolate milk, studying by the pool, and bonding as a Tiger fam, we are headed home for a couple weeks to rest and enjoy time with family and friends.

Sending love and flips from the Mizzou gymnastics team. Have a wonderful rest of the summer and see y'all in the fall!

Johnson out.

So it's the last week of summer training and therefore, my last edition of Blogging with Becca! I want to send a HUGE thank you to everyone who read my posts and kept up with the team this summer. I've had an absolute blast being your little Mizzou gymnastics messenger for the last eight weeks!

Speaking of, I'm sitting here wondering where the last 8 weeks went... the summer just flew by! But not too fast for us to be apart of some awesome events. Jordyn Wieber came into town last weekend for the opening ceremonies of the Show Me State Games. She did a clinic at the TPC with a couple local gyms and signed autographs at a luncheon for aspiring gymnasts at the MATC. She shared her inspiring 'never give up, never give in' story from her Olympic experience and we felt honored to get to meet her.

Throughout the summer, the team has made some amazing progress in all aspects of our training. Our morning conditioning has included some of the hardest workouts this team has ever done, and we can say that in turn, we are stronger than we've ever been. We had weight lifting Tuesday morning and had several girls reach personal records. We finished out our summer training with our very favorite team competition called Bamboozle, and loved every second of it! Overall, Jackson has greatly improved our fitness level and prepared us incredibly well for what is to come in the fall.

The gym is the place where we've seen the most change this summer, and we've truly adjusted well! With three new coaches and a new training plan, the team is feeling so motivated to continue our progress into pre-season and take some huge steps forward. We know that we will be prepared to compete with confidence in the SEC and that is a great place to end the summer.

So after lots of time spent flipping in the gym, running on the football field, shivering in the cold tubs, drinking chocolate milk, studying by the pool, and bonding as a Tiger fam, we are headed home for a couple weeks to rest and enjoy time with family and friends.

Sending love and flips from the Mizzou gymnastics team. Have a wonderful rest of the summer and see y'all in the fall!

Johnson out.

Camp Week Number Two!

It was another successful Mizzou Gymnastics Camp Week! 124 gymnasts packed the TPC...which, by the way, officially has mirrors!!! They look incredible. Now we just have to deck out the top of the mirror wall and the other walls with painted tiger stripes and banners to make it our perfect little home. Time to start thinking of creative designs!

Like last camp week, this post is coming to you straight from a Lathrop Hall dorm bed. Staying in the dorms with the kiddos again! They have lots of energy and filled up an entire wipe board with achieved goals for the week. We had a great night of swimming at the Rec on Tuesday, a little water balloon fun on Wednesday night and then Thursday was skit night. And your own Tiger gymnasts did a little dance of their own. Let's just say Justin Bieber made an appearance at the TPC and it was legendary.

We still had 7a.m. workouts with Coach   Jackson this week and practiced in the gym during dinner breaks. It was the first full week of workouts for the freshmen and they are doing awesome. All of them are adjusting well to the college life and getting a taste of CoMo summer heat! After a great week of camp, we are looking forward to a restful weekend and then another full week coming up!

Mizzou second baseman Emily Crane is a member of USA Softball's Junior National Team and will /sports/2015/3/19/GEN_2014010156.aspx for MUTigers.com along the way. Crane was selected to the prestigious 17-person squad from a national pool of 40 players, becoming the first Tiger under head coach Ehren Earleywine to receive the distinction. 

The JWNT finished with a silver medal at the ISF X Junior Women's World Championship in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, played from July 1-7. Crane was one of the standouts of the tournament across all teams, batting 14-for-24 (.583) with five RBI and 11 runs scored. Of her 14 hits, six were doubles.

I want to start off by saying thanks to everyone who supported me and the rest of the Junior Women's National Team on our crazy Canadian journey! I really appreciate everything you all did and just wanted to extend my thanks here on the /sports/2015/3/19/GEN_2014010156.aspx!

All in all, the trip was so much fun. The outcome wasn't what we wanted or expected, however, the experience was like none other, and I am so happy I got the chance to play with this group of girls! I said this in my first /sports/2015/3/19/GEN_2014010156.aspx, but being one of 17 players picked was something truly special, and I will cherish the memories forever. Throughout this experience, I learned more about myself and about people who I plan to be friends with for a long time. That's what was SO cool about it... meeting everyone and getting to play for an unbelievable coaching staff!

In the beginning, I can honestly say I didn't plan on getting so close with my JWNT teammates within just two weeks. It's kind of crazy, if you think about it! Being able to play against different countries for Team USA helped us all mesh so well together. I know I may sound like a broken record, but it's the truth! 

Anyway! Wearing Red, White and Blue never meant so much to me, and I can't stress enough what an awesome opportunity this was for me.  I really hope I get the chance to play with some of these girls again, of course, all wearing our country's colors! 

Thanks again for all the support, and I hope you guys are ready for some Mizzou Softball this fall! MIZ-USA!

Over and out,
#2 Emily Crane

Last week's highlight was a little team adventure to Rock Bridge State Park after practice on Monday. We explored the Devil's Ice Box and roamed through the 150-foot-long Connor's Cave, which was incredibly cool--literally. It was so refreshing down there! We didn't see any bats, but John kept us on our toes with his sneaky antics...let's just say there were a couple girly screams echoing through the cave. Typical. But I'd say overall we were pretty brave and adventurous, and it was awesome team bonding time.

This week is the start of the second summer school session and our new freshmen have officially arrived! They are all moved into the dorms and have started working out with the team and taking two classes. It has been so fun getting to know each of them, watching them learn the ropes...and squirm during their first cold tub experience! It gets better, my friends, I promise! We can all see that the freshmen have so much passion and energy and are all so excited to be here. We are building on our talent and continuing to make progress in the gym, everyday.

The mirrors are going in this week too. And they are looking great! They will be incredibly helpful when it comes to our choreography and dance skills, as we will be able to see our body shapes and movements. Things are really coming together around here!

Wishing everyone a Happy Fourth of July with family and friends! Enjoy!

Mizzou second baseman Emily Crane is a member of USA Softball's Junior National Team and will /sports/2015/3/19/GEN_2014010156.aspx for MUTigers.com along the way. Crane was selected to the prestigious 17-person squad from a national pool of 40 players, becoming the first Tiger under head coach Ehren Earleywine to receive the distinction. 

The JWNT began competition at the International Softball Federation (ISF) X Junior Women's World Championship (19-and-under) in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, on Monday, July 1, in resounding fashion. The Red, White and Blue defeated Great Britain in four innings by a run-rule score of 10-0. Playing in left field, Crane batted 2-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored

Hey guys! I'M IN CANADA!

This is so crazy! So you would think being in Canada is extremely different than the United States, but it's really not. The big change for most of us was the money! Of course, the use of our phones too. Canada has coin dollars instead of paper dollars for smaller amounts of money, so when we go places and have to pay there's been a lot of "We aren't from here, could you help us out?". Haha - but it has been a great experience!

Today we had the wonderful opportunity of waking up at 5:30 a.m. to play in our very first international game. I must say, waking up wasn't too bad until it got to this afternoon and it hit me... I'm pooped! But back on track - the game! We played Great Britain and it was very interesting seeing how other countries play the game. We won 10-0, and we didn't let up for anyone! It was a great way to get started in the tournament, and I'm hoping we keep this kind of play up because this could be a special week.

Oh, I almost forgot! MY FAMILY HAS ARRIVED! Half of them, anyway. I seriously can't pray to God enough and thank Him for allowing my family to travel like they do to chase me around the country... and OUT of the country! Having this kind of support means so much to me, especially when I'm out on the field. Just knowing that someone is up in the stands always supporting you really helps you relax and have more fun with what you're doing. 

So far Mom, Dad and Grandma Betty have come out to cheer our team on. They are something else up in those stands! I have never seen my mom so decked out in Red, White and Blue, and waving her flag. It's simply awesome! I also have been so blessed that my Great Aunt Dot drove 10 hours from Maryland just to catch a few games. I couldn't be any happier about this experience and getting to share it with so many people I care about. Tomorrow we will round out the family gang when my sister Eliz and best friend Rand show up to join the big superfan section. I can't wait to see those two!

Tonight we are heading to the tournament's opening ceremonies. I'm super excited! I've heard there will be a band and a parade of all the teams. Better yet - they are feeding us dinner! You can't beat free food! I'll be sure to take lots of pictures! I'll be tweeting and posting to Instagram and Vine, so you can keep up! I hope everyone has had a wonderful day and God bless!

Over and out (and thanks for reading!),
#2 Emily Crane