My first gymnastics meet experience was everything I wanted it to be. I couldn’t have asked for a better initiation.
Read about my preparation in
Ready For My First Gymnastics Meet
I’m still trying to process the day.
On Sunday, February 22, 2026, I competed in the Red Hawk Classic at the Meadowlands Gymnastics Academy. What an incredible experience.
While I was certainly nervous about the meet itself, what was just as daunting was the impending snowpocalypse that was threatening the northeast. For days, we were watching the forecast and seeing the predicted snowfalls climb. I think the worst projections were 17 to 22 inches. Even the night before, we watched eagle-eyed to see if it had started.
Despite the threat of blizzard, I dutifully laid out my outfit the night before. If there was a window of opportunity, I’d be ready.
The day before, we got an email from the meet coordinator that they were moving the meet back an hour, since the prediction was that the snow would start in the early afternoon. We actually got a pre-blizzard snowfall around 7 a.m., which gave me a terrible feeling in my gut. Fortunately, it didn’t last. My poor husband Chris kept looking at me with eyes that whispered “are you sure you want to do this?” He was going with me, no matter what.
I had my pre-workout breakfast of a protein shake and an apple as I studied the hourly forecast. There was a blizzard warning, but the worst wouldn’t hit until later that afternoon.
Fortunately, the early snowfall abated before it was time to leave. While it was cloudy, the roads were still clear. I felt terrible for the college clubs who were traveling to get there. As it turns out, only one school from Delaware scratched (the gymnastics word for canceled). Everyone else showed up.
The fun begins!
Of course Tammy and I, the Geriatric Gymnasts, arrived early. I needed to orient myself to a new place and we both needed lots of warmup time.
Tammy and I found a little corner to wrap all of our joints.
Chris took this without me even knowing. 😂😂😂
After an official 20-minute warmup and stretch, it was time to get things started.
Pre-meet line up!
My nerves are challenging me right now. Trying to stay loose.
Let the competition begin!
Because of the impending snow and one of the clubs canceling, the order of events was changed at the last minute. The original lineup for me was vault, bars, beam and finishing on floor.
Then, right before we started, I learned my first event was floor. Yikes. Time to pivot! Fortunately, I’ve spent my teaching career learning how to adjust to last minute changes.
Event 1: FLOOR
Overall, I’m happy with my first floor routine. I now know there are adjustments I can make to add a few more skills and beef it up. But for my debut performance, I did well. Unfortunately, the music began after the beep, so I felt a little like I was in catch-up mode from the start. But I just kept going. This is Chris’ view from the stands. He was so proud of his woman!
FLOOR SCORE: 8.75
Event 2: VAULT
Since my Achilles rupture in December 2024, I haven’t had a whole lot of time to practice any vaulting. I started trying once in a while in October, and didn’t put it into regular weekly practice until January. That said, I’m happy with the results. You can hear my adorable husband narrating in the video.
VAULT SCORE: 8.95
Event 3: BARS
I think I’ve come the furthest on bars. My back hip circles were all but gone after my Achilles recovery. To see that I could perform this routine well in a strange place gives me a big confidence boost.
BARS SCORE: 8.9
Event 4: BEAM
Ah, beam. My nemesis. Of all the events, this one gives me the heebie-jeebies. The idea of doing any sort of gymnastics feats on a four inch wide wooden beam four feet off the ground is just dumb. And yet, we do it anyway. I will say, I fully expected to get a score of 5 or 6. Instead, I did much better than that.
I only fell once, on the forward roll. And it wasn’t a big fall. More like a foot hit the mat and hop back on. Otherwise, my feet stayed on the beam the whole time. And, I stuck the dismount!
BEAM SCORE: 8.55
Photo courtesy of Frederic Moretta
Some takeaways
They say that your first meet is a benchmark. That’s for sure. I now understand, at a minimum, what my base scores are. I can go into my future practices knowing what I can work on for subsequent meets.
While I brought plenty of snacks, I was in no mood to eat anything during the meet. But as soon as I got in the car, the hunger hit.
Save for Tammy and maybe one other person, I was the oldest gymnast there. I was “competing” against college kids in their early 20s. Only seven people in my category actually participated in all four events. I was one of them. I missed the podium for Silver All Around by just .25 points. Lisette, my 30-something flippy friend, won All Around. SO PROUD!
Even at 54, as slow as my body often feels, I still have a lot of power in these muscles. Things aren’t quite as quick and snappy, but there’s plenty I can do in gymnastics. Apparently, I can keep up with the young ones!
What’s next?
Right now, the Masters Gymnastics World Cup (a 30+ meet) in Cambridge, MA is on the calendar in May. But after this experience, I’m considering adding one more meet in March to make some changes/improvements and try again. We’ll see. I have to say, I had an amazing experience being immersed in such a supportive environment. Despite being a Geriatric Gymnast, I felt like I belonged there.
For now, I’ll let my body recover from the meet and shoveling snow and get back to work at the gym.
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