MY SUPERSTAR SISTER

MY LITTLE SISTER, HANNAH, IS A USAG GYMNAST. SHE STARTED WHEN SHE WAS 3 YEARS OLD AND IS NOW ON THE COMPETING USAG CERTIFIED TEAM AT GEM STATE GYMNASTICS ACADEMY IN BOISE. SHE IS CURRENTLY A LEVEL 5 AND IS TRYING OH SO HARD TO MAKE SCORES FOR LEVEL 6! WHEN HANNAH FIRST STARTED GYMNASTICS, AT AGE 3, WE JUST THOUGHT IT WAS SOMETHING FUN FOR HER TO DO, BUT SHE QUICKLY GREW TO LOVE THE SPORT AND IS NOW A SERIOUS COMPETITOR. HANNAH HAS COME SO FAR IN HER GYMNASTICS JOURNEY. SHE STARTED AT A GYM IN CALDWELL AND EVENTUALLY HAD TO MOVE ON TO ANOTHER GYM WHERE SHE ADVANCED SO QUICKLY. THE WAY SHE FLOATS SO SWIFTLY ON THE UNEVEN BARS IS JUST SO BEAUTIFUL AND THE WAY SHE RUNS DOWN THAT VAULT LINE MAKES YOU FEEL THIS INSPIRING POWER WATCHING HER USE ALL HER MIGHT TO GET OVER THAT VAULT TABLE WHILE MAKING IT LOOK SO EFFORTLESS. THE BEAM IS HER PLATFORM TO SHOW HER GRACEFUL SKILLS OF BALANCE, AND THE WAY SHE MOVES SO EFFORTLESSLY ON HER FLOOR ROUTINE COULD MOVE YOU TO TEARS. I THINK IT IS SAFE TO SAY THAT HANNAH EARLY IS, IN MY OPINION, THE BEST FLIPPIN’ GYMNAST OUT THERE BECAUSE OF HER MOTTO “I CAN ONLY GET BETTER FROM HERE.” SURE IT’S NICE TO PLACE HIGHLY, BUT TO HANNAH, RANK DOESN’T MATTER AS LONG AS SHE’S HAVING FUN AND CHALLENGING HERSELF. AS SHE GETS TO THE HIGHER LEVELS IT GETS HARDER AND HARDER FOR ME TO WATCH HER BECAUSE I’M SUCH A WORRYWART THAT I JUST CAN’T STAND TO LOOK SOMETIMES. SHE REASSURES ME THOUGH THAT SHE’LL BE FINE AND GOD IS TAKING CARE OF HER. HANNAH’S GYMNASTICS HEROS ARE NASTIA LIUKIN AND SHAWN JOHNSON. THIS SUMMER WE WERE ABLE TO ATTEND THE SAN JOSE PRE-OLYMPIC TRIALS WHERE HANNAH GOT TO SEE NASTIA AND SHAWN UP CLOSE! OH BOY WAS SHE EXCITED! I WILL NEVER FORGET THE PRICELESS LOOK ON MY LITTLE SISTER’S FACE. IT WAS SO MOVING I HAD TO TRY NOT TO CRY BECAUSE SHE WOULD JUST THINK I WAS SUPER WEIRD. THEN OF COURSE THERE WAS THAT MOMENT WHEN NASTIA LIUKIN FELL FROM HER BARS ROUTINE AND THE ENTIRE STADIUM GASPED AND THEN WENT QUIET. OH MY HEART JUST STOPPED AND I IMMEDIATELY LOOKED AT HANNAH WHO’S FACE WAS JUST TORN SHE DIDN’T KNOW WHETHER TO REMAIN SHOCKED OR CRY. IT WAS SO HEARTBREAKING! UNFORTUNATELY NASTIA DIDN’T MAKE TEAM USA’S OLYMPIC TEAM, BUT HANNAH WAS OK, SHE UNDERSTOOD THAT AS GYMNASTS GET OLDER IT IS HARD TO KEEP COMPETING AND THEY SOMETIMES HAVE TO MOVE ON. HANNAH STILL ABSOLUTELY ADORES BOTH SHAWN AND NASTIA, BUT ALSO HAS NEW FAVORITE GYMNASTS, GABBY DOUGLAS, KYLA ROSS, AND MCKAYLA MARONEY. HANNAH AND HER FRIEND MADDI, WHO HAS BEEN IN GYMNASTICS WITH HANNAH SINCE THEY WERE 3, SAID THAT THEY WERE SHOOTING FOR THE 2014 OLYMPICS IN RIO. THEY’VE GOT A LONG WAY TO GO BEFORE THEY GET THERE, BUT WITH ALL THEIR PERSEVERANCE WE KNOW THEY COULD DO IT IF THEY REALLY PUT THEIR MINDS TO IT. HANNAH EARLY AND MADDISON MOSS FUTURE GYMNASTS OF TEAM USA!!