Hello and welcome to my new blog. This autumn I’ve been getting my skills back, achieving new ones and really flying high (I really felt like I was doing amazing gymnastics things again)! However now we are two weeks into another national lockdown due to the coronavirus and the gym has had to close for 4 weeks again. It’s a shame, but we have to do what’s right for everyone to stay safe.

Friday 18 Sept. It was a full all day session at gym with Kelly 10am – 5pm. It was a great day.  I achieved a lot today and I was much quicker! I loved being in the gym.

Here’s a video of me doing a straight front double twist the other day.

Sun 20 Sept. Training, 12pm-4.30pm, it was a good afternoon as I improved on my skills and tried a half twist on vault. Straight after training it was the Wacky World fun event. My friends, brother and sister all went and we had fun bouncing and going on all the activities on the inflatables at Tarka for an hour and half. It was hot!

It’s now week 3 of being back at school since the summer.

Mon 4.30 8.30pm It was a frustrating day.  Tues 22 September, 4-8.30pm I had a headache and I was really tired but I pushed on and I made it through! I had a treat of a Mcflurry after eating my hot food in the car after gym! The Prime Minister made another announcement to the nation about coronavirus and more restrictions. I really hope I can continue gym. Weds, off. Thurs 5-9pm It was a good day and I did some new connections on beam.

Fri 1.30-5.30pm Oh my days, I was tired today, but I worked hard. Saturday – rest!!!!! Sun 12-5pm It was such hard work. I was exhausted at the end of training. My Dad ran a marathon today and it was tough, so I couldn’t complain to him!

Mon 28 September 4.30-8.30pm My throat was so dry today. After training my stomach was making so many noises as I was really hungry. My vault was better today and my forward giants and giant fulls were good too. Tues 4-8.30pm. A good day. Weds, off. Thurs 5-9pm I felt sick during the evening and had such a sore throat. Unfortunately I was sick in the night so  I couldn’t train all day on Friday as I was not well. On Saturday I still had a headache and was tired and exhausted. I felt better on Sunday and although I was a bit under the weather I managed to train 12-5pm.
Mon 5 Oct I felt so cold today! Gym 4.30-8.30pm I did my yerchenko straight on vault.  ♥ Tues 4-8.30pm A great day and I did some moes. All my pieces were good! Weds off, Thurs 5-9pm. My skills are becoming more consistent now. Fri 9th October 2020. 1.30-6.30pm Owww my back hurts. I think I might have niggled or jarred something when I was doing a leap on fast track. My lower back is really sore. My legs and bum are tight too. I think I need lots of massage to ease it off! Guess what, I did my shoots by myself today (with a mat and block). Yay!

Saturday – I rested, massaged, stretched, rolled, had baths and watched TV!!! Sun 12-5pm I managed to stay the whole session. My back was a bit sore, but the pain seemed higher up not near my lower back. At home I gave my back lots more heat and Mum massaged.  

Monday 12 Oct 4.30-8.30pm. I did more in the gym today, which felt good. I think my back might be stiff in the morning. There were more Covid government announcements today. The government has set up three tiers. 
Tues 4-8.30pm. Weds off. Thurs I was on my own with the coach today training 5-8.30pm. I am feeling very happy with how my gymnastics is going at the moment. After my session I felt really bouncy and my Dad bought me a special Orange Twirl treat! The song I really like and play at the moment before I go to sleep is ‘Midnight sky’ by Miley Cyrus. We’ve received several England Squad emails this week, about online programmes, and new England kit! Fri 10am-5pm It was another full day in the gym, and it was a great day. I did some jaegers and tried some shaps on bars. It was brilliant because I achieved some more stickers for my chart, so I received my magic 50 and I received a prize! Sat off. Sun 12-5pm.

I did some shoots without a pad and mat! Yay.

Mon 19 October 4.30-8.30pm I did double pikes again yay! So exciting.  Please watch this video! It means so much to me to be doing this skill again.

My jeagers were better too.

Tues 4-8.30 I think I am working really really hard in the gym. I just have to keep looking forward and aiming towards any big comps that might happen next year. I can’t wait to start learning my new floor routine choreography. Hopefully it’s not long to wait! I have my new music!!!  It’s FANTASTIC. There are lots of different types of styles in 1 min 30sec! Weds off. Thurs, Mum has a GB and England Performance Pathway Parent Forum Zoom type thing tonight. I wonder what they will talk to the parents about. We’ve got some new kit for England 2021 to get. A tracksuit, a top and leotard. It’s a new design for 2021. I did my yerchenko straight full on vault tonight!  Fri, school then gym 1.30-7.30pm. I made some more progress with my shaps. Sun 12-5pm. I did a real wipe out on bars today! opps. The video of me was very funny. I did a really nice shoot and stalder but then wiped out like a monkey on the bars to the floor!

Mon, half term week. Mum had a review appointment with Kelly today. Training for me was 4.30-8.30pm and I had a good session, and it was hard work. Tues 10-2pm, Weds off gym BUT it was THE DAY TO LEARN MY NEW FLOOR ROUTINE CHOREOGRAPHY with Sarah in the evening. YES! My new routine, I am so excited. Mum, Bella and I went to the Dancing Feet studio, and we all learnt the routine. The routine Sarah has made up is so much fun and full of energy. Thank you so much, Sarah. I learnt the whole thing and I think I picked it up quite quickly. I will keep practicing at home all the time.

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Thursday. I am practicing the dance bits and watching the video of my floor routine from yesterday over and over again. I want to get it right, so I can then work it out on the actual gym floor, and eventually put in my tumbles and leaps. Training 5-9pm.

Fri 10am-5pm I caught my first jaeger on bars!!!  Sat 31 October . Day off and I get to be with my lovely friend   The Prime Minister gave another announcement tonight. Covid is spreading so fast that we need another lockdown for everyone in the country. This starts on Thursday for one month. It looks like gym will have to close down  but school will still be open this time. I just have to keep fit somehow, but it’s harder outside in the dark and its dark early now. I won’t be able to go running or cycling outside during the week. Sun 12-5pm we didn’t do conditioning testing after all today! I did some stamina floor routines. 

Monday 2 November 4.30-8.30pm, a great session. I caught two more jaegers!!! Funnily I was wearing the same leotard as the day I did my first jaeger the other day. My leotard I call ‘diamonds’. I did loads of change leg ring leaps tonight too and beam elements and a floor routine dance. 

Tues 4-8.30pm. My last gym session in the gym for at least 4 weeks. During lockdown I can work on my flexibility and keep my strength and cardio up.

Thursday 5 November. The start of national lockdown number two, until 2 Dec. It is the US Presidential Election between Trump and Biden, and I am finding it so exciting! It’s so close! Oh no, I was given a letter at school today. I have to self isolate at home for 14 days, as I have come into close contact with a Covid positive student. I am trying to compute it. I have to stay at home and now can’t go to school as well as gym  I feel a bit upset about it. I’ll have to do online school work again. Oh well. I just have to do it. At least I can have a lie in! I just hope I don’t get the virus. I did some online training in the evening with my friends.

 
Week 1 of Lockdown 2.0 and also my first week of self isolation at home. I am doing lots of online school working during the day, and several hours of fitness, strength and conditioning every day at home in the evening.

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It’s been hard work, but also fun. I still practice my handstand holds. They are always around 1 min 43, but my PB is 2mins 20s, although I only have 2 mins on video! It’s actually OK being in lockdown and in self isolation from school. The days do seem very long though, but I like not having to get up early to go to school! 
They say there might be a vaccine from December, maybe? 

Here are some autumn gym photos of me in my garden. I can’t leave the house or garden but I feel lucky that at least we have a garden.

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Week 2 of lockdown.

Monday 16 November – Grampy’s birthday today, but I can’t go and see him. I did more online work then strength and conditioning exercises in the evening. Guess what I did tonight. I am so proud of myself!!! A new PB. 13 straddle levers to handstand in a row without stopping, whoop whoop. Yay!!! I am really pleased.

This is my video of me back in the first lockdown doing my 10 straddle levers to handstand. Now I have achieved 13. 

Tues. More conditioning! Weds day off gym stuff and my last day at home doing so much school work. I am really looking forward to going back to school tomorrow and getting out in the world after two weeks! I even ironed my school clothes and polished my shoes  

Thursday 19 Nov. School! Then fitness strength and conditioning after school at home.  Friday 20 November. Today was weird. It was my first full day of school on a Friday for years!!! Normally I am at gymnastics training, but I can’t due to lockdown so I’m at school. It’s so strange! It was great to do PE today.  After school I did lots more strength and conditioning exercises for a couple of hours at home.   Falcons has just set up a House system for all the development gymnasts. Today I found out that I am in the Green House team called JAEGER! That’s cool! It links to me actually being about to do my first jaegers before we went into lockdown! Sat – I was allowed to go outside, outside of my home and garden! Sunday I trained in the morning and taught some tik toks! 

I just have to keep motivated. I need to have little things to aim for every week, and to keep my mind positive and my body fit and my body strong . 
I had a meeting today and I found out that unfortunately the English Championships that I was working towards in February has had to be cancelled due to coronavirus, and we don’t know what is going to happen about the British Championships yet. 
I need to look forward to six months time when hopefully everything will be much more normal, with competitions, squads and national camps and all the fun with gymnastics and my friends. 

I will keep working hard and aiming high.

It’s Monday 23 November and the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has just announced that gyms can reopen next week!!! Yay!!! To let you in on a secret, a little bit of me has liked not rushing around ALL the time going places (normally every minute of my day from morning to bed time late at night is planned!) and I’ve enjoyed more time in my home space, but I can’t wait to be back in the gym on all the kit! Suddenly next week seems so close and this lockdown seems to now be going fast. Oh my days, soon it will be Christmas, and I love Christmas! Hope I get some Lindor chocolates – they are my dream chocolate!

Thank you for reading my blog and supporting me. Keep healthy and safe.

Fliss x