“Work hard and push yourself, stay motivated, and surround yourself with people that believe in you and your dreams.”- Aly Raisman. This is a great quote because in gymnastics you have to push yourself to try new things. Also, having a great team and group of friends helps because they will encourage you and help push yourself, and at competitions, having your friends there helps you so much because they always cheer you on and help you have a great time. So today I will tell you about my experience at state.
State was on March 28, 2026, for the 2025-2026 gymnastics season, and it was so fun. That morning I woke up and got ready for the day, then I went to help work on our house because we are remodeling, and around 3 o clock in the afternoon I went and got ready for the meet. I had to do my hair, put my leotard on, and pack snacks and clothes for after. For my hair, I put it in a mid pony and then put it in a bun. My leotard was black and grey with lots of sparkles. Around 3:45 we left to go to my grandma’s and pick her up because she was coming with us. The meet was in Andover, KS, and it was about an hour and a half drive there.
Once there, I went inside and went to find my coach and the rest of my team. My whole team wasn’t there, but it was me and 3 other girls. After 10 minutes, we started our warm-up and got all stretched. Next, after we finished, we went and took our warmups off, and we had our leotards on underneath. Then we went over and got some glow sticks and some light-up sunglasses and got in a line. We ran out onto the floor, and when they called our team, we took a step forward and waved. Then, after the national anthem, we went to our first event, which was floor for us, and it was really fun. My tumbling passes were really good, my friend did her round off back-handspring by herself, and it was so exciting. Next, we went to vault, which was ok and next we went to bars. During warm-ups, I went to high bar, and the bar wasn’t tightened all the way. It got loose when I caught it, and it was scary. But my routine was good. Last but not least, we went to beam, which is my favorite, and my routine was really good.
After we finished competing, we waited til everyone was done, and we went to a different room for awards. Before the awards started, my friends and I went around and clipped people. I had to wait a long time to get my awards because I was in the last age group, and there were kids as young as 6 there, so it took awhile. I got 5th on vault, I didn’t place on bars, I got 2nd on beam, 4th on floor, and in all-around I got 5th.Those places are pretty good since it was a big meet with lots of gymnasts, and they judged us really hard. After the meet, we went home and on the way we stopped and ate at Freddy’s, and it was so good! Then we went home. It was about 11:30 when we got home, and I went and showered and went to bed.
This meet was so fun and a great experience, and I really hope I qualify to go again next season. To be able to go to state, you had to get 32 or higher in all-around at a state qualifying meet. I had such a good competition season this year, and I really enjoyed getting to go to state. If you want to learn more about gymnastics and all the events, you can read my other stories about gymnastics.
