By Liz Bramlett
The announcer’s voice echoes through the gym as the lights brighten and shine on the laid out mat.
With shaky hands she steps upon the mat, getting ready to show everyone what she was made to do.
She has been preparing for this moment for weeks, the most nerve wracking weeks of her life. Finally, she is able to throw her stunning skills in front of hundreds of people.
Freshman Addi Mosier has been competing in gymnastics since she was just two years old. She competes at Cole Academy in Muncie.
There are many events in gymnastics including bar, floor, vault and beam. Mosier said she is most confident on the bars.
Mosier said this is also her favorite event, although some days she does better at other events.
Mosier is level excel platinum. She is trying to go up to the diamond level next.
About 12 years ago, Mosier´s parents put her into gymnastics and she said she has stuck with it since with just one small break.
¨I took a break, but I realized how much I loved it,¨ Mosier said.
Mosier typically competes throughout the months of November to April, with a regional at the end of the season.
She prepares for these meets by practicing almost every day for two to three hours each practice.
Even though she takes all this time practicing and training, there are still difficulties that come with it.
Such as mental blocks.
A mental block is a psychological barrier that causes an athlete, in this case a gymnast, to not be able to do a skill they previously had.
¨The worst thing is when you get a skill and lose it over time and have to work harder to get it back,¨ Mosier said
She has had several incidents of mental blocks. One took place recently.
Previously when Mosier has thrown her roundoff tuck, she has had some pretty bad falls. So now it is hard for her to be confident when throwing this skill. But her love and passion for the sport has kept her coming back.
***
Sophomore Trace Wilson has been doing motocross from a very young age, starting at 4 years old. Wilson trains at SSR out of Brazil, Ind.
Training for motocross is important and repetitive.
This includes completing lap after lap, ascending over long jumps, and carving through the curves to make sure you understand the physical part of motocross.
But also making split-second decisions, having the confidence to get up to high speeds, and concentrating on every lap.
When Wilson was four years old, his dad got him his first dirt bike. This would later influence the rest of his teenage years.
Because there is indoor motocross and outdoor motocross, Wilson gets to race all year round which keeps him entertained.
During the school year, he has double the amount of responsibility to take care of and work for.
Wilson mainly races on weekends, but on the days he has off he trains. Wilson said if he ever has extra time when he is bored or needs more practice he will train after school.
Wilson said motocross can be full of adrenaline and entertaining during the wins but also hard and despairing during the losses.
Wilson said one of his more exciting times during motocross is when he won the regional qualifier to make it to nationals in Loretta Lynn’s in 2022.
¨It was one of the best feelings,¨ Wilson said, ¨because I knew I was going to Loretta Lynn’s.¨
Loretta Lynn’s is a big race in Hurricane Mills, Tenn.
Wilson said at times motocross requires lots of precision and focus, yet it is also a way to be free of your thoughts.
Wilson races a 2023 GASGAS 250.
***
Junior Emma Carrigan is a dancer at Premier Dance Center in Yorktown. She has been dancing since she was in kindergarten.
Carrigan says she is a very passionate dancer and likes to show strong emotions through her movements and facial expressions.
Her favorite dance style is contemporary. This is a style of interpretive dance and a mixture of many techniques from different genres.
Carrigan´s dance team competes about three times a year with practices throughout the week.
“Ẅe dance a lot during the week,” Carrigan said, “so balancing school work and dance is hard.”
Her dance team travels to Ohio as well as Illinois during their season, which is all year except the summer.
One of Carrigan´s best moves is turns. But on the other hand, she said one of her weaker points is flexibility.
Carrigan said that her turns are very controlled as well as stable. She said she feels like her flexibility is restricted.
Even with her weak points, Carrigan still finds ways to contribute to her studio in various ways, like her drive and determination and to find enjoyment in every corner.
¨I love the community and all the people who are involved,¨ Carrigan said.
