Friendships and Backflips Read online

  She held her head high with a joyful smile and drank in the applause that burst from the audience. Then she came down neatly, and they flew through another section full of dance and gymnastics skills, including one-handed cartwheels and walkovers into the splits. When Lindsay held Tara above her head in front angel, Tara knew the routine was nearly finished. She raised her head. Her arms were held beautifully out to the sides and her toes were pointed. She felt like she was flying. In only a few seconds, they’d have got through the whole routine without any mistakes, but Tara didn’t want it to end.

  They held their final poses for a second, breathless but smiling, and then walked neatly off the floor, to the sound of loud applause. Tara couldn’t make out Emily and Kate’s voices, but she knew that they’d be cheering louder than anyone. As soon as Tara and Lindsay’s feet left the springy floor, they became a huddle of blue velvet hugs and laughter.

  “We held it!” Tara and Lindsay squealed to each other at exactly the same time.

  “Good job, you two,” Sam said, nodding.

  “I was sure I couldn’t hold on in counter-balance,” gabbled Tara. “My feet were so slippy! Good thing you were gripping me so tightly!”

  Sophie laughed. “We felt like that too! We’ll all need to use more chalk when we go to Nationals.”

  Tara and Lindsay stopped talking and looked at Sophie. Nationals. Had their routine been good enough to get them there? They sat down as the judges finished making notes. Clare gave them a thumbs up and Tara grinned.

  “You two did a really good routine,” Clare said. Tara was desperate to know if they had a chance of winning, but her coach’s face gave nothing away.

  The lead judge shuffled around some scorecards. Tara gripped Lindsay’s hand on one side and Jasmine’s on the other. The judge finally held up their score. 28.5 – they were in first place, with only two pairs to go!

  Tara could hardly bear to watch the last routines. All she cared about were the black and white cards that came at the end. One pair were good but slightly messy, and the others had played it safe and only performed very easy balances and gymnastic movements.

  At last the final scores were in, and cheers went up from the Silverdale bench: Tara and Lindsay were the winners. They were Regional Champions! Tara kept thinking those words, over and over again, unable to believe it was true. She was still full of the feeling she’d had on the floor, excitement and nervousness all mixed up into one brilliant kind of energy.

  After that, everything passed in an ecstatic blur. There were hugs all round, all over again. All six of the Silverdale girls had got through to the Nationals. The boys were disappointed not to be going too, but they were happy for the girls and if they were jealous, they didn’t let it show.

  Tara couldn’t wait to compete again – the Nationals would be even bigger, even better! She twisted round on the bench and tried to catch Kate and Emily’s eyes. Anna waved madly with a huge smile. Kate and Emily were so excited they looked like they might fall out of their seats. Having her best friends there as a part of this moment made winning feel even more perfect.

  The medal-winning gymnasts from all levels were announced and when Tara heard her name called along with Lindsay’s, her stomach did backflips all over again. She could hardly believe this was really happening. They took their places on the floor to the sound of applause and medals were hung around their necks. Tara still felt as if she was flying – even higher than when she was held high above Lindsay’s head.

  “We did it!” whispered Lindsay. “We won.”

  Tara looked down at her medal shining against her navy blue leotard. She was a real gymnast at a real competition, and now she’d even won a gold medal. It was her favourite daydream come true! She knew that she was going to relive this moment again and again. But then she smiled up at her family and at Kate and Emily and she realized that their cheering and clapping meant more to her than any medal ever could. She was lucky enough to have her friends, her family and gym. She looked at Lindsay and the others, with their matching gold medals, and thought there was only one way she could possibly be any happier. And that was a whole competition away. A National competition.

  Glossary of Gym Moves

  There are lots of different gym moves. Here are some of the moves that Tara and Lindsay learn. They work together in Acro Gymnastics as a pair. Lindsay is the base so she lifts and holds Tara, who is the top, in different balances.

  Backflip: a move where Tara swings her arms back and pushes off with her feet. She lands on her hands with her body arched then flips her legs up and over her head, then she pushes off with her hands to land back on both feet.

  Backward walkover: Tara bends over backwards from a standing position with one leg raised until her hands reach the floor and her body forms an arch. Her legs then kick over, passing through the splits, to land standing up again.

  Balance: where Tara holds a fixed pose with Lindsay.

  Counter-balance: Lindsay stands with her knees bent and feet apart. Tara stands on Lindsay’s thighs, facing her. They grip each other’s wrists, both then lean back until their arms are straight.

  Front somersault: Tara turns head over heels in the air in a tucked shape to land back on her feet.

  Handspring: a move where Tara lunges into a handstand, then flips over onto her feet.

  Round-off: a fast cartwheel which Tara springs out of and lands on two feet.

  Standing front angel: Lindsay stands up straight and holds Tara above her head. Tara balances horizontally in a T shape with Lindsay’s hands on her hips.

  Standing on shoulders balance: Tara stands with one foot on each of Lindsay’s shoulders while Lindsay holds onto her calves. They can do this with Lindsay kneeling down, kneeling up with one foot on the floor, or standing.

  Straddle: in this position Tara sits on the floor with her legs out wide making a right angle.

  Straddle lever balance: Tara balances on her hands with her legs held in the straddle position.

  Y-balance: standing on one leg, Tara holds her other foot with her hand and stretches her leg out to the side, so that her body forms a Y shape.

  Q and A Session with Jane Lawes

  Why did you write Gym Stars?

  My sister and I loved gymnastics when we were younger, but our local library only had one very old series about it. When I started writing Summertime and Somersaults, I just tried to write the book that I would have wanted to read. I absolutely loved writing Gym Stars, and hope you enjoy them too!

  When did you start doing gym?

  I’d always enjoyed doing cartwheels and handstands in PE lessons at school, but I think I was about ten or eleven – the same age as Tara – when I started to practise in the garden all the time.

  Who is your favourite gymnast?

  I admire Beth Tweddle because she did so much to lead Team GB and bring the sport into the spotlight, but my favourite gymnast who’ll be competing in Rio is Claudia Fragapane – she’s so powerful and her floor routines are fantastic. Plus, she’s small like me!

  Who is your favourite Acro Gymnastics group?

  Spelbound, who won Britain’s Got Talent in 2010, went to the same gym club as me – they’re great!

  What is your favourite gymnastics move?

  I always loved doing backward walkovers because I worked so hard to learn how to do them, and once I could it felt great! Somersaults are fun, too, and they look amazing when champion gymnasts perform them with twists.

  What is your gymnastics top tip?

  Gymnastics moves can take a long time to learn, so don’t be disappointed if you can’t do something straight away – keep practising and you’ll get there! Gymnastics is a lot of fun, so enjoy it!

  About the Author

  Jane Lawes studied American Literature and Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia
and started a PCGE in primary education, before deciding that her real passion lay in books. She currently works in publishing by day, and as an author by night and at the weekends.

  Gym Stars: Summertime and Somersaults

  Gym Stars: Handsprings and Homework

  (Not yet available as ebooks)

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  This ebook edition first published in the UK in 2016 by Usborne Publishing Ltd,

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  First published in the UK in 2012

  Copyright © Jane Lawes, 2012

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