My Coach

By Rain Davila

In gymnastics everyone is my friend. My goal is to get a 9.9 on bars. The three gymnastics stars are Rain, Toni and Mandi.

On the bars I feel like I'm home -- I just love it! Swinging on them is like wind flowing across the bars. They sting my hands.

The beam is a wonderful thing. It is straight, slim and hard. I feel its vibrations. On it I see nothing but the beam. There is nothing but the beam.

I run and fly over the vault and land on my hands. The coach talks hard, "Drive your heels up. Do your best. Do better than your best."

I dance on the floor and I'm strong on it. I feel amazingly strong. I hear the pounding of my feet and hands. I hear the talking of girls around me.

I love my coach, and he loves me

• Rain Davila, 9, lives in Palmer.