12-04-03
Well even though I had a pretty bad day overall yesterday there was a good part. I'm competing at the Night of the Stars Invitational at Pacific Gym Stars which I'm really excited about. I'm so happy that I was asked to compete and I really hope that I do well. Alexa Curtis, Jess Atler, and Krista Carr are on the senior team with me and Ling Lan and Lydia Carlington are competing as juniors. I hope we all do really well!
The roommates list was posted and my roommate is Ling Lan. I don't really care who my roommate is though. As long as they don't mind me eating constantly hehe.
Lydia Carlington is new to the gym and I met her briefly and she seems nice. Between school and gym and I haven't really had much of a chance to just go around and catch up with everyone and meet some people that I don't really know so I want to try to do that.
Well off to do homework.
Marina
12-03-03
I hate beam. I really hate beam. Sometimes I think that maybe I'm starting to get better at beam but then I have a practice like I had today and well I forget about all of those positive beam thoughts. We had to do the 30 mounts and dismounts things. It's torture, pure torture. I don't see why we have to do it I mean it really can't be necessary. I consider it to be evil. It's like child abuse or something. It's just so awful. I get so frustrated because I just can't do it. I managed to make all 30 after many attempts. Then we had to make 5 routines which was pretty awful. Aren't the 30 mounts and dismounts enough? Do we really need to do the routines? I had lots of falls and wobbles in my routines and that was frustrating. I finally managed to make 5 routines and by this point I was really frustrated. Luckily I went to bars next and I like bars. The rest of the events went pretty well for me but beam was just so awful that it basically ruined my whole day. I thought I was going to have some sort of mental break down during conditioning because I was just so tired. I guess being mad makes you tired. But I managed to get through workout.
Then I had to go to school. I was really tired and I pretty much zoned out in every class. I took notes but I don't think I really comprehended what the teachers were saying. I got through school and finally I could come back to my room and just relax. I should be doing homework but I really don't know if my brain can handle it.
Marina
11-23-03
I'm so tired. I had a pretty good workout today. I was really tired but I managed to get through and I made a few corrections. My skills and routines are improving.
After practice I came back to my room and did a little bit of homework but I was really tired and I couldn't really concentrate. So I took a small nap. I got up at around 2 and got food and looked at a magazine for a little and then I decided that I better get back to my homework. So I finished up my homework and just rested for the rest of the afternoon. It felt good to just sit around and basically do nothing. I wandered around the dorms for a little bit and then I went and got dinner. I'm pretty bored but it is nice to just be able to relax and have nothing to do.
Marina
11-22-03
I had a pretty good workout today. I'm really happy with how my routines are looking and I'm really happy about all the progress I've made. I'm pretty tired and sore after the first week of practices back at Topo but I feel like I've accomplished a lot. I still have a lot of work to do though.
Today after practice I just rested up a lot and iced a little bit, I want to have some energy for next week.
Next week shouldn't be too bad. I only have 3 days of school and then it's Thanksgiving so I'll probably go home for Thanksgiving dinner with my family. I'll probably workout a few times over Thanksgiving break. I have off of school on Thursday, Friday, and Monday so that should be a pretty nice break.
Marina
11-20-03
Rankings came out today for Monday and Tuesday and I'm tied for 7th which is last. But yesterday and today I feel that I really worked hard and hopefully I can bring my ranking up. We get dorm and squad assignments soon so I'm really excited about that.
My practice went really well today. My routines are all coming back and I'm really happy with the progress I've made. My bhs+piked full on beam is looking pretty good and I made a lot on high beam today which I'm very happy about and my form is improving on every event. I'm really tired from the longer workouts but I think they're helping. I really want to get my routines back to where they were before I left Topo to train level 10. I just need to keep working hard and stay motivated.
School has been going pretty well. I stayed at the same school after I left Topo so I didn't have to go through switching schools along with getting back to Topo so that made things a little easier for me.
Well I have to go do homework.
Marina
11-19-03
Practices started on Monday and I'm pretty happy with my progress so far. The skills I kept training while I was a level 10 are looking pretty good for the most part and I'm continuing to make corrections. The skills that I wasn't training at level 10 are coming back and I'm pretty happy with the progress I've made on those skills. I'm trying to get used to 2 a day practices everyday again. I decided that I would remain at public school when I came back to Topo so I've been pretty tired. Instead of just going to the gym in the morning, going back to my room and doing schoolwork or working with a tutor, and going back to the gym I go to the gym, go straight to school, come back to my room for a little and then go to practice. Then I have to fit eating, showering, and homework in there someplace. Next week is Thanksgiving so I have off school for a few days so that should give me a little bit of a break.
I'm so happy to be back at Topo!
Marina
11/15/03
I'm so happy that Topo is reopening! I know when I left Topo a few months ago I wasn't too motivated or into gymnastics anymore but taking a step back and doing level 10 really helped. I didn't practice as much and I had time to do all the things that normal kids do. I'm not going to lie and say that without elite gymnastics my life was boring because it wasn't. On Fridays I practiced from 6-9am and then I had all Friday night to hang out with friends. I had Wednesdays off and on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday I didn't have morning practices. On Saturdays I practiced from 8-12 so I had all afternoon and evening on Saturday to do stuff. I didn't have to go into school late everday, just Friday. And I actually got to live at home! Over that time I rediscovered my love of gymnastics and I'm now ready to try elite again.
Over the past few months I've grown 2-3 inches. It actually wasn't too hard to adapt my gymnastics to the height change and if anything I think it makes my gymnastics look better.
I'm so excited to get back to practicing at Topo!!
Marina
01/23/03
The Bridgeview Classic starts on Saturday!! I'm really excited now and I'm starting to get a little more nervous. Hopefully my nerves will calm down by Saturday though. My routines looked alot better in practice today and I really hope they look as good as they did today at the meet. I just want to do my best and not have any falls. My routines are the same as last season so I've had time to work really hard on perfecting them and making them look nicer and they do look alot better then last season. So hopefully my scores will show improvement too. This is my first meet in a little while so it should be fun competing again. We're on our way there now actually. I can't wait until we get there and can see the gym and everything. I'm so excited!! Well I have to go finish my homework.
~~Rina~~
01/22/03
Practice was a little better today. I seem to be
improving a
little bit at a time so I guess that's good. I leave for the Bridgeview
Classic tomorrow and the meet is on Saturday and Sunday. I'm really
excited
about it and a little nervous too. Hopefully I can just go out and do
my
best. Bars is looking the best for my followed by floor then vault then
beam. Vault and beam have improved alot though and are looking alot
better
and floor has improved too. I seem to be alot tighter in all of my
routines
now which is good. My beam also seems to be getting more consistent and
I
seem to be getting my vaults around the whole way more consistently. So
I'm
pretty happy with all of the improvments I've made. School has been
going
pretty well too. I had my first big test yesterday. It was a science
test on
radioactivity and that kind of stuff. I got a 90% on it so I'm very
happy
about that. Well I have to get to the gym.
~~Rina~~
01/20/03
Hello. Practice went much better today. My routines
aren't as
good as I would like them but they are improving. So hopefully they'll
continue to improve. Beam looked better today. I'm still I little
shakey on
some of the skills but I'm working on getting them more consistent.
Vault
looked better today too. I didn't have as many wild landings and I made
more
completely around. Floor looked pretty good too. My tumbling felt
tighter
and I didn't have as many crazy lands. Bars is still my best event. My
skills are looking the best there and my routine feels really good. So
hopefully my routines will look pretty good at the Bridgeview Classic.
If
you were born in 1988 then you have the choice of competeing junior or
senior this year. I've decided to try to compete senior. Only seniors
can
make the World Team and while I probably won't be good enough for the
World
Team it's worth a try. So I just need to work my butt off so I don't
make
too much of a fool of myself competing with the seniors. Schools going
pretty well. I think I'm getting used to going to school and the gym so
hopefully I won't be so tired this week. Well I guess that's about it.
~~Rina~~
January 19
Practice went better today. I didn't fly all over the
place
on my vault landings and I managed to stay in bounds on some of my
tumbling
passes. Beam was still not so great. I really hope I can start
imrpoving
beam. The Bridgeview Classic is from the 23rd to the 26th I think, yes
I
know, I really should know the details. So I guess I have a few more
days to
work on some things. It's over the weekend so I'll only be missing
school on
Friday so that's good. This will be my second week at school so
hopefully I
won't be as tired this week. I need to have some energy left for the
meet.
Today I pretty much just took it easy and tried to rest. I went to the
gym
in the morning for workout then I just sat around the dorm. I don't do
much
exciting stuff. Well I must go eat.
~~Rina~~
January 18
Another crappy practice today. My practices better start
getting better soon. I made the team for the Bridgeview Classic. I
think
it's in New York. Yeah I know, I really should know where my meets are,
but
I don't. Bars is looking really good, floor is looking pretty good, not
the
greatest, but not too bad. Vault is okay. I really need to start making
my
vaults more consistently and I need to work on staying tighter. Beam is
well
it's beam. I need alot of help on beam. I wobble all over the place and
I'm
loose. I have alot of skills on beam, they just aren't consistent and
they
don't look to pretty. But I really hope I can get beam straightened
out. I'm
sooo tired!! I need sleep.
~~Rina~~
January 17
I'm tired. Practice majorly sucked today. I felt like
crap
and I'm sure I looked like crap too. I wobbled all over the place on
beam
and my vaults were quite out of control. Bars went okay. It wasn't my
best
though. The same thing with floor. But I guess every practice can't be
great. This was my first week at public school and that mixed with
practice,
well I guess I can see why I'm tired. School went okay. I nearly fell
asleep
in Algebra. Well it's right after lunch what do you expect? Caroline
sits
next to me, and she poked me. It wasn't like I was actually asleep. I
was
just daydreaming I guess. Let's see, did I do anything exciting today??
Not
that I can think of. Ugh I need something exciting to do. I do the same
thing everyday and it's getting to be quite boring. School help change
things around a little, but how much fun can school be? Well it's late
so I
should get to sleep, but I don't want to sleep. Soo umm yeah, I'll go
anyway.
~~Rina~~
January 15
I'm sooo tired!!! This is my first week of going to
public
school so I'm still getting used to it. When I was at Topo before and
when I
first came back I had a private tutor but I was thinking about it and
decided that I wanted to try public school, so my first day was Monday.
My
schedule is pretty hectic but hopefully I'll get used to it. I have
gym in
the morning at 6:30 and then I go to school afterwards which is usually
around 9-9:30. Then I go to school until 3. I get back to my dorm and
do
homework and then I go back to the gym from like 4-8 or so. Then I get
back
to my dorm eat, do homework, and then I have some time to just hang
out. But
public school is pretty fun and I'm pretty glad I made the decision I
did.
I've made a few friends. Caroline was the first person I met and she
introduced me to her friends. She was a gymnast and was going to
compete
level 10 this season but has a back injury and the doctor said she
could
still do gymnastics but it would probably hurt alot and there were no
promises that it wouldn't get worse. So she just decided to quit. But
she's
really nice and we have alot in common. She's in alot of my classes and
I
eat lunch with her and her friends. She wants to come see our next
intersquad, yay, maybe I'll have someone to cheer for me!! Practices
with
the Lilly Squad are going really well and I'm having alot of fun. Soyon
is
really nice and a great coach. My routines are looking pretty good. I
didn't
get picked to go to the Texas Flyers Meet but I didn't really expect
that.
Hopefully I'll get picked to go to some other meet. I'm not sure who is
going from the Lilly Squad. But I'm sure they'll do great!! Today is
Jennie's 16th Birthday!! She's having a party tonight. I got her a
light
blue shirt with sparkles all over it and a dark blue sparkley leo. SO
I'm
excited about the party. We are going skating, I think. It should be
fun.
Well I have to start getting ready for Jennie's party.
~~Rina~~
January 14
Practice went really well today. My routines are really
improving and I'm happy. Hopefully I can move up in the rankings a bit.
Well
let's see did anything exciting happen today?? Well umm, not really. I
got
up, ate, went to the gym. Then I went to school and yeah I guess there
isn't
much you can do at school besides going to classes. I'm trying out
going to
pubblic school so we'll see how it goes. I have a few friends from
school
which is cool, I have someone to eat lunch with:). But I like public
school
so far, it gives me some variety so I'm not always thinking about
gymnastics. I got home from school and did my homework and ate dinner
then I
was bored so I walked aroung for a little. Then I went back to the gym.
After my workout I came back to my dorm and got online and talked to T.
She's doing alot better at Crystal Lake which is really good. Then I
just
read a magazine and sort of sat around. So nothing too exciting.
Jennie's
birthday is on the 15th so she's having a party. Oh gosh, that's
tomorrow
and I don't have a gift for her yet!! Umm well I better find something.
I'll
think of something. Well I guess that's it.
Love,
~~Rina~~
January 12
Hello. My practice went pretty well today. I really like
working with Soyon. She's a really good coach especially on floor and
beam
so hopefully she'll help me improve my beam. M floor is looking pretty
good
but I'm thinking of possibly changing my routine. I'm not sure what I
want
to change it to though. I'm thinking of using Objection by Shakira, but
who
knows. I'll have to make sure I don't have any meets coming up because
I
don't want to change my routine and then have a meet like a week after
I
change it. But I might decide to keep the same music, who knows. But as
of
now I think I want to try something different. Morgan gave me chocolate
last
night, I was happy. But Morgan and Madison got into a fight and I just
happened to witness it. Boy was that an adventure. Well I guess that's
it.
~~Rina~~
January 11
Well let's see. Nothing much happened today. I went to
the
gym and had my first full workout with Soyon and it went pretty well. I
really hope she can help me fix my problems on beam. The beam and I
have
many issues and some of those issues really need to be resolved. So
today I
pretty much worked on my routines. They are all looking alot better.
I'm
back to 17th in the rankings which isn't the greatest and I really hope
to
move back up so I guess I need to work harder. There's a meet coming up
and
you have to be somewhere around the top 12 in rankings and I really
would
like to go but I guess we'll see what happens. There are alot of people
here
who are really good and probably workout more then me. But if I don't
make
it to that meet I'm sure there will be others. Well I guess that's it
for
today.
~~Rina~~
January 10
We got squads. I'm on the Lilly Squad. I had been on the
Tiger Squad before so this is a bit of a change but I think this squad
should do really well. I don't remember everyone who is on the squad
but I
know that Eva and Jenna are on it and they are pretty nice. I'm really
excited about working out with the squad and competing as a squad at
intersquads and stuff. I got 14th at the Intersquad on the 8th. I'm a
little
disappointed but I guess I didn't expect to do much better then that. I
really hope that I can improve on that and do better at the next
intersquad.
Practice went pretty well today. All of my routines and skills have
improved
alot and I'm really happy with all of the improvements I've made. I've
pretty much just worked on making my routines from last year look
better and
I think they are looking alot better. My form is improving alot and I
am
alot more consistent. So hopefully I can keep improving. Well that's
about
it.
~~Rina~~
January 8
I'm soo nervous for the Intersquad. I know it's not a
big
meet but I really want to do well. I'm excited to see what squad I'm in
though and who else is on the squad with me. Hopefully I'll get a fun
group,
but I know I will. I don't think I've met my roomie yet. She seems to
everywhere that I'm not. Oh well I'll get to meet her eventually. But
I've
met some other people that are new here or that I didn't really get to
meet
before. It's different not having Alana here. Her sister is here
though, and
she's quite interesting. I like her hair:). Alana's doing ballet in
Boston
and a bunch of us might go on a trip to see one of her performances.
Let's
see who else can I talk about. Wll there's Morgan who has the head of a
pig
and eats burritos with me. Well I guess that's it.
January 7
Well the first Intersquad is tomorrow. I don't know
what to
expect from myself. I really hope that I do well and am at least able
to
hit all of my routines. Bars is looking really good for me and is
probably
my best event right now. Floor probably comes next. Those are also my
two
favorite events. So I think those will probably be the 2 events I do
the
best on. Vault is looking ok. I'm competing a Yurchenko 2.5 and a Tsuk
Double. Occasionally I don't get them the whole way around or I have
large
steps on the landind or form breaks but overall they aren't too bad
and
have improved alot. Beam is well beam. I think that would probably
have to
be my weakest event right now. I don't have alot of falls really just
alot
of wobbles. I also have some steps on my landing and form breaks. So
hopefully I can just make all of my routines. We get our squads after
the
Intersquad tomorrow and I'm pretty excited to see who I'm with.
Hopefully I
get a good squad with some good gymnasts who are fun people too. I think everyone at Topo is nice, but
some
I know better then others. So hopefully I'm with some people that I
know
pretty well and maybe some others that I can get to know better. Hmmm,
I
cna't seem to think of anything else to write so yeah, that's it I
guess.
Love,
~~Rina~~
January 6
I got a roomie! At first it was Dominique Miller but now it's Shannon Rowling. But I don't really care. Practice has been going really well the past few days and I really feel like my routines are getting better. We get put into squads after the intersquad so I can't wait to see what squad I'm in. I really hope I do well at the intersquad. I'm really happy to be back at Topo and have readjusted pretty well so far. I still miss T but I think I'm getting used to training without her again. I talked to her online last night and she seems to be having more fun at Crystal Lake which is good. I talked to my parents last night too. Their gym is coming along pretty well and all of my siblings are doing great. Well I guess I don't really have much to write today. So umm, yeah, I guess that's it.
~~Rina~~
January 4
Wow, I'm amazed at how well my pratices have been going! I've
improved alot of stuff and I think my routines and skills are looking
alot
better. I guess we all know that I have some problems with form and
staying
tight and I've really worked on correcting that and my skills are
looking
alot tighter. I've also worked alot on bein more consistent with my
skills.
I still have some work to do but I'm getting better. Hopefully I can
keep
improving and hopefully my scores will also improve!! I talked to T
online
lat night and she seems to be doing better. She's met a few people to
hang
out with which is good. There is going to be a team meeting on Tuesday
and
today is get to know your teammates day or something, so that should be
fun.
But does anyone really want to get to know me? I'm just the crazy one
who
loves food:0). Well I guess that's about it. I'll talk to you later.
Love,
~~Rina~~
January 3
Well practice went pretty well today. All of my routines are
pretty much the same as last year so I've had time to work on them and
make
them look better. I've really been working hard on form and consistency
and
both of those areas seem to be improving. All of my routines are
looking
pretty nice and they feel like they are alot tighter then last season.
So
hopefully I'll see an improvement in my scores. I've adjusted to coming
back
to Topo pretty well and I'm glad that I kept training when Topo was
closed,
if I hadn't been training, I think I might have been pretty sore. I
called T
again today and she seems to be doing better. I really miss her too.
But I
guess we'll both get used to be apart again. She said she has talked to
some
other people at Crystal Lake which is good because we pretty much spent
all
of our time with each other. And usually she is pretty shy and doesn't
like
talking to people she doesn't know. So I really hope she can have fun
again.
Well I guess that's about it. I'll talk to you later.
~~Marina~~
January 2
Hi. My workout today and yesterday went pretty well. It's exciting
to be back at Topo and working out in the Topo gym with the Topo coaches.
I've been working on my form on all of the events. I think today all of my
routines and skills looked better than yesterday. I also need to work on
consistency. But I hopefully if I keep working on those things I can
improve. I think I'm going to keep the same floor routine this year. But who
knows, maybe I'll decide to switch to something else. I really miss T. I
called her last night when I got in and we talked for about 10 minutes. She
told me she had been crying alot and I cried quite a bit yesterday too. I
really love being with her and she is my best friend. But I guess we'll get
used to living apart again and we aren't as far apart this time as we were
when I was at Topo and she was in Russia. So hopefully we'll be able to see
each other at meets and go to visit each other. Well I guess that's about
it. I'll talk to you later.
Love,
~~Rina~~
January 1
Well I'm back at Topo. It's been a rather eventful journey
for me
since Topo closed at the end of the summer. I competed at Topo
Nationals
then went home to Russia for a little while. I guess you could call it
a
break, but I was still doing gym the whole time I was there. It was
good to
see my family again and train at the gym I had basically grown up in. I
got
to hang out with alot of my friends that I hadn't seen for a few months
and
working with the coaches I hadn't worked with for several months. I
spent
alot of time with T(Tatiana). I had missed her so much and was so happy
to
be able to spend time with her like we did before I came to train at
Topo.
But after some time at home I was ready to try something else. I love
living
at home with my family but I needed something new to keep me
interested. I
love gymnastics and the gym in St. Petersburg is great but I wanted to
see
if their was maybe something different that I would like. So I left for
Cascade Locks. Some other Topo girls were there and it was a nice gym
and
the coaches were great. But I guess I just didn't feel like I fit in or
something. And I missed T alot. She came to visit me at Cascade and I
decided I wanted to train with her again. So we went on a search for a
gym
that would take both of us. So we came across Crystal Lake. So I left
Cascade Locks and T and I both moved to Crystal Lake. So that's where
I've
been. The coaches at Crystal Lake were great. But then I got the e-mail
that
Topo would be re-opening, o I decided I would come back. T and I talked
about it and she decided that she wanted to stay at Crystal Lake. So we
went
home to Russia for the Holidays and saw our family and the new gym my
Parents built in St. Petersburg, which is really nice. We got back to
Crystal Lake for New Years and practice on New Years Eve. T and I
rented a
movie and watched that on New Years Eve then watched the Nw Years
festivities on tv. I left for Topo this morning and T and I both cried.
I'll
miss her alot. But I guess we'll see each other at meets and we can go
visit
each other. But I guess I'm glad to be back at Topo. Hopefully I'll get
settled in and back into the swing of things shortly. Well I guess
that's
about it. I'll talk to you later.
Love,
~~Rina~~
July 31
Hi. Practice went pretty well today. My Skills and Routines
are
looking pretty good.
I talked to alana for a while yesterday. It was alot of fun and I think
I
realized alot about me. I was already nervous about the Intersquad and
it
really helped get my mind of that and now I'm not as nervous which is
good.
We talked about our families and I told her how hard it is having a 12
year
old sister who is better than you. I think just telling someone that
made me
feel better. She's alot more positive then me, of course most people
probably are. But maybe she can help make me more positive. But I also
realized that I don't have to make an Olympic Team. I mean I'm not
giving up
hope on that but if I don't make it, I now realize that it would be
okay and
that just being an Elite is good enough. We also found out that we have
alot
in common. She likes reading and writing too. She also likes food,
hehe. We
decided that we should have an International Buffet, hehe.
So Alana is by any chance you read this, thanks for being a great
frined!!
Well I'll talk to you later.
Love,
~~Marina~~
July 28
Hi. I'm a little disappointed with my placement at the Intersquad. I got 18th. I didn't get picked for any of the three Meets that Topo is sending Gymnasts to either. I guess I really need to work a little harder. I hope I can improve on that Placement. I went to the Vault Workout and worked on my Vaults. They are looking really good and have really improved alot. The CVGI Training Camp went pretty well. Most of my Routines are already out of 10's s I just worked on my Routines. I worked on some more Vaults that are out of 10s and want to be able to Compete 2 10 Vaults. My Birthday was really fun. Tatiana came and she made me a cake. Some of my Teammates got me presents which they really didn't have to do. I had alot of fun though. Tatiana went back to Russia though. I really wish she could have stayed longer. The Team is going to Paris in August and Tatiana has an International Meet there a few days before we get there so she is going to stay for a little bit so I can see her. My Parents will be there also so I will get to see them. I really hope I get to Compete in Paris though. If I don't get to Compete I still get to go though. I just really need to work on improving my Intersquad Placement. Well I'll talk to you later.
Love,
~~Marina~~
July 16
Hi. I did alot better at this weeks Intersquad and placed 13th!! I'm pretty happy with that. I hope that I can improve from that. I was put on the CVGI Training Camp Team and I'm very happy about being selected for that. I hope that this Camp will help me improve my Skills and Routines. My Birthday is in 1 day!! Tatiana came to visit today and I'm very happy to see her!! I went to the Mall over the Weekend with Brittany. That was lots of fun!! I got a shirt for Tatiana. At the CVGI Camp I think we are working on getting the Start Values of our Routines up. I hope to improve on my Skills so that all of my Routines are out of 10.0 Start Values. I want to have my Routines looking nicer too. Well I'll tak to you later.
Love,
~~Marina~~
July 10
Hi. Practice has been going really well!! All of my Skills and Routines are looking alot better. I hope that I can do better at this weeks Intersquad and move up in the Rankings!! I talked to my Family on he phone last night and my Mom said that my Sister Tatiana might be able to come out for my Birthday!! That would be sooo much fun!! She probably wouldn't be able to stay too long because she has to get back to Russia so she can Train for upcoming Meets and stuff, but it would be good to see her for a few days. My Birthday is in 6 days!! My Brothers, Sister, and Parents are all doing very well. My oldest Brother, Sergei, and Tatiana have some International Meets coming up. I'm soo happy for them!! Alexei is going to Compete Class V and Sasha is going to Compete Level 7. My Parents are Coaching quite a few Elites and they are very hhappy about that. Well talk to you later.
Love,
~~Marina~~
July 9
Hi. Well I'm not very happy with how I did at the InterSquad. I got 30th All- Around. I really want to improve on that. I hope that I can do better!! All of my Routines and Skills are looking pretty good. Well I got another Roommate!! Her name is Keshira Smith and I think she was at Topo before!! I haven't really gotten to talk to her yet. She is on the Opilly Squad I think. It is nice to have a Roommate though. Maybe we can decorate our Dorm!! That would be cool. Well my Birthday is in 8 days!! There is a Training Camp and the North American Gymnastics Challenge or something ehich is a Tri- Meet between Canada, Mexico, and the US coming up. We got to tell the Coach which one we wanted to go to. I said I wanted to go to the Tri- Meet but the Training Camp would be fine too. Topo gets to represent the US at the Tri- Meet so that's pretty cool. I want to Compete so that I have a chance to show people that I can do better then how I did at the Intersquad. So I just need to work really hard!! Well I'll talk to you later.
Love,
~~Marina~~
July 8
Hi. Well my Roommate Alyssa, has left Topopolilly. So I don't have a Roommate. I don't think anyone really knows if she left or what. Sarah said that she read an article in the Library about Opilly only having 5 members for this weeks intersquad. So I really don't know. Maybe I'll talk to Coach Lois about it, she would know. If she did leave, I hope I get another Roommate soon. I don't want to be by myself. I have been talking to some of the girls from Kimball Park and they all seem really nice. Brooke and Crystal Star are twins and Crystal was put on the Topo waiting list. She is 14, so maybe she could be my Roommmate. Alana DeBrinski is also really nice, but I'm not sure how old she is or if she is on the Topo waiting list, I think she is still at Kimball though. My Birthday is in 9 Days!! I'll be 14!! Well I'll talk to you later.
Love,
~~Marina~~
July 3
Hi. I Competed in a duel Meet against Endo Virtual Gymnastics Academy. The whole Tiger Squad competed as a Team, then there was the Endo Squad, and a mixed Topopolilly Team 2 which consisted of Jennie Ray, Ling Lan, Emily Yim, Sarah Torrence, Morgan Raducan, and Brittany Maddux. The Tiger Squad got 1st!! I am very happy about that!! Everyone in the Tiger Squad placed in the top 10 in the All- Around also!! I got a tied for 3rd with Christy Douglas from Endo with a 37.525!! I'm very ahppy about that also. I got a 9.300 on Vault, a 9.500 on Bars, a 9.200 on Beam, and a 9.525 on Floor. I'm very happy about that Meet and hope that I can continue to do well in Meets!! The Russian Gymnasts got here yesterday!! We have a Campout tonight and the Meet on Friday!! It is so fun to see all of them again and to have them Train at Topo with us!! We now have a Dance Studio and will have Dance Classes 2 times a week. Hopefully my Floor Routine will improve even more with Dance Training!! I'm in Dance Group D and have Dance Classes on Thursday and Friday. The other group members are Madison Whitney, Sarah Torrence, Emily Yim, Eva Volatil, and Kelly Phillips. My Birthday is in 14 days!! I'll be 14 on July 17th!! My Sister Sasha turned 7 on June 28th and my other sister Tatiana turned 12 yesterday(July 2nd). I sent them some Leotards, Gymnastics Tee- Shirts, Glitter Hairspray, and Hair Gems. I also called them on their Birthdays to say hi and wish them a Happy Birthday. Tatiana Competed at Junior Nationals and placed 2nd!! I'm so happy for her!! She also won Floor and Bars, just like I did when I was 12!! Natioanls were held earlier this year. They were supposed to be a few days after I left Russia but werepostponed until the 2nd. Tatiana Competed on her Birthday!! So when
I called to wish her a Happy Birthday she told me she got 2nd at Nationals!!
My Official Website is almost finished!! My Webmaster has been working
very hard on it. Well I'll talk to you later.
Love,
~~Marina~~
June 30
Hi. Well I improved a little bit at the Inmtersquad and came in 14th!! Hopefully I can continue improving from that placement. All of my Routines are looking very good and all of my Skills look great. The Russian Gymnasts are coming to Train with us for a little. I'm very excited about that. We are supposed to go Camping with them which should be fun. We are trying to think up some other things to do with them. Coach Lois worked on my Routines and made up some with 10 start values that I'm working on. All of the Skills are looking very nice and hopefully that will help to improve my placement at Meets. Well I'll talk to you later.
Love,
~~Marina~~
June 25
Hi. The Pet Power Festival was pretty fun but I think I could have done better at the Intersqaud. I got 15th. It isn't that bad I guess but I wanted to keep moving up in the ranks. I guess I just need to Train harder. The Tiger Squad got 1st though!! That was pretty cool since we had been placing last. My pet Kiwi was sooo adorable!! I loved getting my picture taken with her!! She was adopted by a very nice Family with 4 little kids so I was happy about that. It was fun walking around the Festival and seeing all of the different animals. I liked looking at the dogs and cats the most. They were all soo cute. It was fun meeting the Family who was adopting Kiwi. They watched me Compete. They knew they wanted Kiwi before the Meet so I got to meet them before the Meet started and they cheered me on. Their kids were soo cute!! They had 2 girls and 2 boys. Daniel was 9, Johnny was 7, Christie was 8, and Rachel was 6. Christie does Gymnastics at a local Club and is a Level 8!! But it was overall a pretty fun expierience. Well I'll talk to you later.
Love,
~~Marina~~
June 22
Hi. Practices have been going really well for me. My Skills and Routines are all looking very good. I've had some time to rest since coming back from Moscow and feel that I'm ready for the Pet Power Festival Meet. We arrived in Hamiliton County yesterday afternoon. We had the photo shoot with our pets then headed to Cincinatti Gymnastics Academy for Individual Workouts. Kiwi, my pet, is soooo cute!! I absolutely loved her. She was so playful and tiny. It was alot of fun to get my picture taken with her. I hope she gets adopted by a loving family!! My Workout went really well yesterday. My Form and Consistency has really improved. After Practice we went to the festival’s kickoff barbeque banquet. The food was really good and I had a fun evening. Then we went back to our Hotel and hung arond there for a little while. This morning I had another Workout at Cincinatti Gymnastics Academy which went very well. We are about to head of to the Fairgrounds. We get to walk around the Festival all day!! It seems like it should be a pretty fun Festival!! At 8:00pm we have our Meet. I'm really excited about it and hope that I can do well!! I also hope that the Tiger Squad can do well also!! Well I'll talk to you later.
Love,
~~Marina~~
June 19
Hi. We are back from Russia. I had alot of fun in Russia and enjoyed seeing my Family again along with some of the Russian Gymnasts that I used to know. I was pleased with my improvement while in Russia and I hope I can keep improving my Skills now that I'm back. At the intersquad I placed 13th which I was pretty happy with. It was an improvement from the last intersquad and we were Competing against the Russians this time. The Squads have been rearranged and each group has a Mascot and colors. Tia Yael and Jessica Atler are now in our group and our mascot is a tiger, which makes sense. Our colors are blue and gold. Hopefully wew ill be able to improve at Intersquads now with the groups rearranged. Well I'll talk to you later.
Love,
~~Marina~~
June 15
Hi. I had a very fun day today!! Practice went very well and all of my Skills and Routines are looking very good. The Form and Consistency have also improved. We went to a Russian and Mexican Restaurant for Lunch which was very good. I had a Russian Dish that I enjoyed very much. Then we went to the Arena place for another Practice. This Practice went very well also. All of my Routines and Skills looked very good. After this Practice we went to another Restaurant that had Music and stuff. It was a pretty cool place. My Parents met me here for Dinner. I had another Russian Dish that was very good. After Dinner we went to the Theatre and saw Swan Lake. It had been a little while since I saw a Russian Ballet and I enjoyed it very much. I had alot of fun. After the Ballet we went back to the Dorms. The Teams for the Meet haven't been announced yet. I really want to find out who is on my Team. Well I'll talk to you later.
Love,
~~Marina~~
June 14
Hi. Today was very fun, but very busy also!! Practice went very well and my Routines and Skills are looking much better, My Form and Consistency have also improved. I ate Lunch in the Cafeteria with my Family, Inessa, Mariya, and Zhanna. After Lunch Inessa, Mariya, Zhanna, and I went back to the Dorms and hung arund there. Dance Class went better today. I think I remembered a little more of what I learned while I was Training in Russia. The Afternoon Practice went very well also. I worked on Beam and Bars. All of my Skills are looking much better. I then got ready for the Banquet. I wore a Green flowery Dress. The Banquet was very fun. It was a several course Meal and they served some of my Favorite Russian dishes!! All of the Food was very good. Then they gave a speech in Russian about International Sports Relations and stuff like that. There was a Translator but it is fun to hear people speaking in Russian again!! There were TV Cameras there taping us!! That was very fun also!! Then we went and saw I Am Sam in Russian. It had English subtitles but I again listened to the Russian since I don't here Russian very often anymore!! The Movie was very good and I really enoyed it. It was around Midnight when we returned to the Dorms. I was very tired. Well talk to you later.
Love,
~~Marina~~
June 13
Hi. I'm really having fun in Russia!! I've gotten to see alot of my Family since they've been here and I've gotten to see alot of the Gymnasts I used to Compete with. I had a Training Session this Morning then I ate Lunch in the Cafeteria with my Family, Mariya, and Inessa. Then we went back to the Dorms and Inessa, Mariya, and I hung around and Zhanna joined us also. My Afternoon Workout went very well and I'm happy with theProgress I've made. After Practice I went to the City with my Family, Inessa, Mariya, and Zhanna for Dinner. We went to a few little Shops in the City and I visited a few more Relatives. Then I went back to the Dorms with Inessa, Mariya, and Zhanna and we just hung around there. Then we went and visited a few other Russian Gymnasts in the Dorms. Elizaveta, Yuliya, and Galina were very nice. So was everyone else but we spent the most time in Elizaveta, Yuliya, and Galina's Room. I really like being back in Russia. It is very fun!! Well I'll talk to you later.
Love,
~~Marina~~
June 12
Hi. Russia is really fun!! My Parents came today!! I got to see them between Workouts. They brought all of my siblings and some of my Teammates(the ones going to the Training Camp). I went out to dinner with them after practice and Mariya and Inessa came along also. It was really fun to see all of them and spend some time with them. It was also fun to spend time with Mariya and Inessa. We got to perfrom our Routines in front of everyone at Practice today and my Parents were in the Gym Training their group from St. Petersburg so they got to watch me also. It was really fun!! We get to pick Teams for our intersquad Meet. Mariya and I wanted to be with Inessa but another group already took her. So it's just me and Mariya so far. Maybe another Team will join us or maybe we'll join another Team. But I really wanted to be with Inessa also. But I'm glad I at least got Mariya. We were thinking back to Junior Europeans like 2 years ago and we thought about how much fun we had together. The 3 of us had stayed in a Hotel together. It was fun to be with both of them again. I was alos very happy to see my Family and old Teammates. My Family loved their Gifts. We got to go around Moscow after all of our Practices which was fun. We stopped by some of our Relatives houses and visited. We ate at a very good Restaurant and stopped in some little Shops. It was so fun!! I'm so happy to be back in Russia with people who speak Russian and with Russian food and everything. Well I'll talk to you later.
Love,
~~Marina~~
June 8
Hi. Things have been going pretty well. I'm a bit tired but excited at the same time. I'm really excited about the Summerfest. I hope I'll do well. I want the Tiger Squad to move up in Rankings as well as myself. I also want to do well compared to the other Teams. Hopfully I can remember all of my Corrections and hit my Routines. But all I can ask for from myself is to do my best. It is my Roommate Alyssa's Birthday today. I got her a Gymnastics Sweatshirt and Gymnastics Socks and I put Happy Birthday Balloons all over our Dorm. I still really haven't gotten to know her but I thought that sine she is my Roommate I should get her a Gift. Well I'll talk to you later.
Love,
~~Marina~~
June 7
Hi!! The Swiss Cup has been an awesome expierience!! It was so cool being able to Compete. I can't wait for the Results and I hope I did really well. As soon as I get back from the Swiss Cup I have the Summerfest!! I'm pretty tired but excited at the same time. I hear that the Summerfest is a pretty big Meet so I hope I do well. It is our Intersquad for this Week. Then on the 9th we leave for Moscow!! I'm going to be pretty busy and tired. Hopefully I won't be too tired though. I'm really excited about going to Russia and getting to see my Family!! It should be fun to be in Russia again. We stay in Russia until the 14th. The International Elite Cup is from the 15th- 17th but I don't know if I'm going yet. Well I'll talk to you later.
Love,
~~Marina~~
June 5th
Hi. I'm at the Swiss Cup right now!! I'm really excited to be
Competing and I hope I do well!! After the Swiss Cup we have the
SummerFest
at Topopolilly and then we leave for Moscow, Russia!! I'm so happy to
be
able to go to Russia!! My Family is coming down from St. Petersburg and
I'm
really happy!! We will be Training with a Team in Moscow for a little
and
then having a Meet with them. After our Trip to Moscow we have an
intersquad
at the Humane Society Pet Power Festival at the Hamilton County
Fairgrounds
in Hamiliton County, Ohio on June 22nd. We leave the 21st after Morning
Workout. It will take us about 2 hours to get there. We will then check
into
our Hotel and have an Individual Training Session at Cincinatti
Gymnastics
Academy. Then we will go to the festival’s kickoff barbeque banquet.
Then we
go back to our Hotel. We have a Training Session on Saturday then we
get to
walk around the Festival. At 8:00pm we have our Meet. The cool thing is
that
we each get !
to "sponsor" a pet. On Friday we will have a Photo Shoot wit our Pets
and
the pictures will be put in the Meet Program. The pets will come to the
Meet
and afterwards we get to stay and see who adopts our pet. The person
who
adopts the pet gets an autographed picture of the Sponsor. I chose a
Dachshund, Beagle Mix named Kiwi!! She is 8 Months old and only weighs
around 15- 20 Pounds. She is so cute!! I hope alot of Pets get
adopted!!
Also all of the money from ticket sales goes to the Humane Society. I
hope
we raise alot of money for them!! I don't think I've really given out
autographs before so that's kind of cool also. Well I'll talk to you
later.
Love,
~~Marina~~
June 4th
Hi. Practice has been going pretty well and I have the Swiss Cup Meet to go to. I really want to do well. My Routines look pretty good. I'm pretty happy with my progress at Topopolilly. I finished 14th at the InterSquad Meet which I think is the best so far. I'm pretty happy with that. As long as I keep improving. I still haven't really talked to my Roommate Alyssa Anderson. I like Topopolilly alot. Everyone seems pretty nice. Well I'll talk to you later.
Love,
~~Marina~~
May 27
I'm going to the Swiss Cup!! I improved my finish at the
intersquad
to 15th. I'm really happy about being selected to go to the Swiss Cup
but
still feel that my intersquad placement could be better. All I can do
is
work harder and hopefully that will improve!! My Skills and Routines
are
going great. My Consistency and Form is also improving. Practice went
well
today. I worked on my Vaults and my BH-Back Pike with a Full Twist on
Beam.
My Beam is really improving!! My Tumbling looks pretty good and overall
my
Routine is pretty consistent. I still really haven't had a chance to
talk to
my Roommate Alyssa. I went to the Meeting last night but Coach didn't
show
up. That was okay though. Well I'll write later.
Love,
~~Marina~~
May 26
Practice has been going great lately!! My Routines are all
finished and they look great!! On Vault I'm doing a Double Twisitng Tsuk and a
Yurchenko Layout 2.5 Twist. They are both really fun to do and they
look pretty good. On Floor I'm doing a RO-Whip 1/2-Double Front. It is so
fun to do, I love it!! My Floor Music is a Looney Tunes Medely and I like it
alot. It's fun being at Topo with all these great Gymasts because it pushes
me to try harder and makes we want to do better, that's what I like about
this Gym. I'm in the Tiger Squad with a whole bunch of really good Gymnasts.
We got last at last Weeks intersquad but hopefully we'll do better at this
one!! I hope to improve my place since I only got 18th last time. Well
I'll write later.
Love,
~~Marina~~
6
January 20
Dear Diary,
I'm doing pretty good. I really like Topopolilly. I miss Home but am
starting to get used to it here. The girls are all very nice. Lara
Findlay was extremely nice to me. She is in the Tiger Group with me and was
in a Dorm near mine. But she got injured and went home for a while. I
really miss her. But my skills and routines look great and I'm working
on some new skills. Well talk to you later.
Love,
~~Marina~~
January 10
Dear Journal,
I Love Topopolilly so far. I'm in the Tiger Squad and my roommate
is Jennie Ray. I think she is 14 or 15. There are alot of good Gymnasts
here. But it helps because they are pushing me to do my best and I
think it helps. The other Gymnasts seem nice too. My skills and routines
are looking great. I feel like I'm improving. I do miss my Family and
friends but I think that will get better when I have some more Friends to
talk to. It's harder here than at Kimball Park but I like that. It
challenges me and makes me a better Gymnast.
Love,
~~Marina~~