Proud

Today Prissy had a baton clinic in the bay area (that's Northern Cali - San Francisco Area for all of those that don't actually LIVE in CA.) Anyway - it was a clinic where great coaches were brought in and a few select girls were chosen to come and they got to work on new skills and a few team routines. Then, got to work on their individual routines.

I'm just so proud of Prissy - she just keeps working. I can't tell you how hard she works and tries and puts effort into the day... Yes, I think that Prissy walks on water with baton (I'm not a twirler - so I think she's pretty spectacular..) But, it's not that - it's the fact that she makes friends with all the other girls, that she pushes herself (this mama don't push - this mama says, "you look tired honey, you wanna go home?") She keeps working.... I think she has this ideal in her head and she's gonna achieve it damnit!

Often times, I have to make her quit practicing. She is often saying, "I want to catch just ONE... fill in the blank..." Today, she was about ready to call it quits when the world champion two baton twirler (really - world champion - seriously - if it was in the olympics - he would have won..) wanted to work with her on her two baton routine. She was tired, her legs and arms were sore - but she couldn't pass up working with him. He completely changed her routine (added in some seriously cool tricks - and made her routine a stretch for her...) Then, she wanted to practice it. After she had the routine down - she said she wanted to go through it 3 more times.. I knew she was pretty tired after twirling all day - two baton is seriously strenuous - I almost considered telling her no... But, she wanted to do it... And she did... And she rocked it...

It's hard to explain - I'm proud of her because she has a tenacity that I simply do not posess. I'm proud of her because she pushes through exhaustion when I would have given up long ago... I'm proud of her for being so damn sweet to the other kids and realizing that a clinic is a great time to make friends when I would have been scoping out the competition. I'm proud of her for not giving up when given something beyond her skill set (she was by far the youngest kid there)... I think I would have gotten frustrated and quit... Even at her age - she's so much better than me. And that's really what we want isn't it?

She's an amazing young woman... And it almost hurts my heart. I wrote - she's an amazing little girl- and she's not a little girl anymore.. She really is a young woman.

And a young woman that I'm so incredibly proud of.