"You must practice over and over. Do 100 cartwheels everyday!" said Maddy's coach. So Maddy practiced. She tried to do her cartwheel over and over again, but no matter how hard she tried, her feet would not go on the beam. They would not land on the little beam, the low beam or the high beam
"Don't be afraid of it!" said her coach.
"I'm not afraid," said Maddy, "but I think maybe my feet are a little scared!"
During the time of Nicolae Ceausescu's regime, Romanian gymnasts competed not just for the love of sport and the glory of competition. They also competed in the hopes of being rewarded with apartments, more food and even luxuries such as a car.
Of the eight little girls learning carthweels that cold winter day, one died of an eating disorder, two quit gymnastics when they hit puberty and the remaining five went on to compete internationally.
The little one who struggled with the cartwheel competed around the world and had great success. She even competed in an Olympiad. Eventually she escaped to Canada where she now is happily married with two children. She can often be found near the balance beams, coaching small girls with big dreams!
