The Finished Mystery

Ally stood at the head of the approach and looked with nervous excitement at the vault that lay beyond her. This is the type of moment that she savours…. she loves to perform, and this time, in front of an appreciative crowd, especially her proud parents, she will be able to demonstrate to her world what she can do, what she has worked so hard for so long to achieve. As she dips one foot then the other into a basin containing a preparation to enhance her traction, she reviews in her mind every minute detail of the actions she will cause her body to do. She repeats over and over in her mind what her coach told her, that ‘if you can do it in your mind, then your body will follow’. Her fit, well toned body is warmed up and prepared, every muscle she has is ready for the challenge and she is feeling limber and agile for what she is about to do. Nothing has been left to chance. All she needs to do now is to give herself the winning mindset. She knows she can do it; she has practised it so many times. All the falls and pains she had while perfecting this manoeuvre have been well worth this moment. The crowd are cheering her, but she has reached the point now where they are fading from her consciousness, they are no longer a distraction. All she sees is the vault and what she will do when she gets to it. Even if a perfect score is not achieved, that’s ok, she wants to at least perform as perfect an execution of her act as possible, achieve a personal best. The pressure of competition is not too confronting for her, rather it seems to drive and empower her, and adrenaline is rushing wildly through her system. This manoeuvre is very difficult, involving perfect timing, perfect speed and perfect concentration so that she lands just right, and she only gets one crack at it, this is the final. If she were successful now, she and her team would qualify for the upcoming national, and she wants that more than anything. Her ultimate goal is to be good enough to go on to the Olympics! She stands erect before the runway, then she raises her powdered hands into the air, stretches her body from side to side, flexes all her muscles, breathes deeply a second and third time, and then for a moment now she closes her eyes to view her movements once more in her imagination. Now the time is right, and after one more deep breath her feet begin the run that will result in her body becoming airborne. She gains speed like a jetliner taxiing down the runway while her eyes are fixed intently on the vault which is rapidly looming up, then with lightening precision at just the right point she leaps up, connects her hands with the cushion atop it then catapults her body high up into the air, then curling up into a ball with her hands cradling her knees she executes a dizzying triple somersault before straightening out her nimble body and landing squarely feet first on the mat below with hardly a waver. She did it! A perfect landing; exactly as she had done in her mind moments before! She jubilantly raises her arms in joy at her success. What a moment!!! She made it look so easy, and what a pleasure it was for the onlookers to see such a fine acrobatic performance, and they shout in applause for this powerful young girl who is all of 15 years old. She is in her element. After a bow she races back to her base where she is instantly smothered with hugs of joy and congratulation from all her team-mates and her coach. Next, all eyes turn towards the scoreboard waiting for the judge’s result, this is a tense moment and no-one is more anxious than Ally:- 10.00 which is the highest score for this event and that makes her the clear winner!!! More cheers and hugs from the team! What a feeling of elation she has! If only a moment like this could last forever she thought. But the memory of it is sure to live forever, not only in her mind and heart, but also in those of her proud parents. They felt so much love for her right then, they just had to run down and embrace her. All her friends were there too, cheering for her, and feeling her joy along with her. This is also a proud moment for her school too, Palm Beach Currumbin High, or PBC, which has been keen to produce excellence in all sports. Gymnastics is an especially prestigious sport because it requires a high degree of skill and coaching to make a champion. Relatively few athletes have the right calibre to be an accomplished gymnast. This reflects well on the school, and Ally has all the makings of a champion. She has the passion and the drive to be excellent, and that is already half the battle won, so she is now a star at her school. Already, amidst the jubilation, there are many things running through Allys mind, confirming future plans and dreaming about the things she will now go on to accomplish. Her heart already beats with excitement just thinking about what comes next. By the upcoming national competition she wants to have perfected her work on the beam, then there is the floor routine, which she is already creating along with her coach Adam Richards, and she gets to choose the music, which makes her more than happy. She glances over towards the floor set-up, and pictures herself doing her fabulous routine in her minds eye even now. There is so much work to do!!! With all this excitement going on, Ally suddenly becomes aware that someone is missing. The one person who is closest and dearest to her heart has not yet come down to see her. She looks around to see if she can find her boyfriend, Dave Marshall. He feels ecstatically happy for her, but something keeps him riveted to his seat in the stands for now. Dave has been watching her all evening, he knows how hard she has trained for this, and this is a very high point in her life. He is glad to be here and would not want to be anywhere else on earth right now. He is near to the only girl he loves. He is filled with a new and even deeper love for her at this moment, and he is also filled with a deep sadness because he knows that in a few weeks he will be leaving Australia along with his family to live overseas for 2 long years. He can’t bear the thought of leaving Ally behind and watching her do that perfect routine just now only served to deepen his love for her even more. For him, she is no longer just a girlfriend; she has just become an inseparable part of him. This strange new love he is feeling for her has him immobilised for the moment, he is frozen in his seat as he tries to comprehend what is happening to him; he has never felt like this before.