down. From the corner of my eye I saw Kova step in. My toes tapped hard to gain momentum at the bottom of the swing where I pushed my chest and hips forward to create an arch with my body. Right when I was parallel with the bar with an extended body, I let go and flipped through the air over the bar. The bar snapped back to give me a bit more of a thrust and I spotted for it as I came over and down, grasping it. Chalk dusted the air, specks hit my eyes as I breathed it in, and soared back up to a handstand seconds later.
Kova didn’t step away as two more release moves were coming up back-to-back. He knew everyone's routines by heart. Once those were done, he backed off and crouched down, critiquing my form from a different angle. Everything flowed so effortlessly after that.
With two giants left and a dismount, I gave it my all and landed my dismount with a very small, slight hop. I saluted the judges and turned.
"Not bad, but not as great as vault," Kova said simply as I stepped to him, his hand cupping the small of my back. "There will be a few deductions, but not enough to keep you out of the standings."
I removed my grips. "Sometimes I wish you would just lie to me. You know how stressed I've been over this meet."
"We have never lied to each other before, I am not going to make things more complicated by giving you false hope now. Do not mistake me, it was good, maybe even great, just not fantastic."
I sighed. He had a point. I never wanted lies.
"Where did I mess up?"
Before he could respond, my score flashed on the high screen.
I stood there, motionless and stunned, stone-faced with my jaw hanging open. Kova said it wasn't bad, but it was better than good because I was now in first place, again, not only helping me, but helping my team's overall score as well. Happiness spread through my chest. I grinned from ear to ear and looked at Kova. He gave me a satisfied nod with a deep dip of his chin.
Madeline made a beeline for me. She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and pulled me into a bear hug, praising me on my form and score.
My heart was about near ready to burst. This was going better than I had expected. I needed a minimum score to test elite, and so far, I was on the right track. And through it all, I stayed relatively calm thanks to Kova. Deep down I knew he had more to do with my composed attitude than I was giving him credit for.
Looking up toward the spectators, I finally caved and searched for my parents but soon stopped. The meet was packed, not an empty seat, and finding them would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Floor was next.
Kova placed a hand on my shoulder as we walked side by side. "I know you want to take less steps in your tumbling passes, but you need to make sure that you use the length of the floor."
"I know."
It was true—if I didn’t extend my body and use up the floor, not only would it throw off my routine, but it would earn me a deduction. The thing was, I got so much height as it was that I didn't want to step out of bounds either.
"Your perception will be off since we are on podium. Everything is going to be bouncier and harder to absorb the landing."
I nodded quickly, then walked onto floor. I jumped a few times, feeling the spring beneath my feet. It was much spongier, but I was confident I had it under control.
Once the judges gave me the okay, I stepped onto the royal blue carpeted floor and took my stance.
Forty-Two
I held my position while I listened for the faint que of music to begin.
While I excelled in two other events, I loved floor. It was my absolute favorite. A classical melody reverberated around the room. I began counting in my head, flowing freely and softly as a feather into each skill that took me into the corner for my first tumbling pass. Bringing my arms down gently, I took a deep breath and exhaled as I eyed the corner at the opposite end of the floor.
Gearing up for the first of four tumbling passes, I took fewer steps and hurdled