20.10.18

The BIG Gym

Ellie recently began her second year of gymnastics.  Let's all recall her response last year when I enrolled her at The Little Gym . . . "Well, you do know that I'm going to need a BIGGER gym when I do gymnastics at LSU."  She dreams big, this one.  This year she got what she asked for.  She's taking a gym class at LSU.

She was very excited the first day.  I think she was also a bit nervous, too.

Her class meets in the LSU gymnastics practice facility.  It's big.  It's probably bigger than what she asked for.  It seemed like she was even a little intimidated at first, which is saying a lot for Ellie.  But she has settled in now, and she's enjoying it.  I think her favorite discipline right now is the vault.  They've spent a lot of time on that, and she's learning how to stick her landings (they aren't flipping yet).  

It's practice season now so we've seen many of the LSU gymnasts going and coming.  Last week we met Sarah Finnegan.  She flashed that brilliant smile of hers at Ellie.  I should've asked her for a picture, but I didn't.  I wasn't sure how she'd feel about that.

The gymnastics facility is in the same area of campus as Tiger Stadium, P-Mac, sand volleyball court, track and field house.  There's also been a lot of construction in that area during the past couple of years with a lot of housing units added for the athletes.  They've also done some infrastructure work.  So that area of campus has seen a major upgrade, and it was much needed.  They've also upped their signage game so you know exactly where you are and what every building is.  When we were leaving after her first day of class, she looked around and asked me, "Why are there so many LSU signs everywhere?"

I mean, really?!