Gemma stood at the start of the run-up, ready to run. She pictured a handspring in her mind – legs together, bum tucked in … up and over the vault. But she didn’t run yet. She was waiting for Michael to nod his head.

Michael was Gemma’s gymnastics coach. He kicked a safety mat into place, then stood next to the vault, ready to help Gemma over.

Finally, Michael nodded his head.

Gemma wiped her hands on her legs, and looked at the vault. Then she ran.

She ran fast, pumping her arms.

As Gemma ran up to the vault, Michael reached in to help her over.

But as Gemma jumped, her foot slipped. Her legs went apart and her bum stuck out. She did it all wrong. She was just about to crash into the vault when Michael pushed her up and over – legs apart, bum out, almost over …

Thud.

One of Gemma’s legs – out of control – hit Michael in the face. Gemma landed on her back, arms and legs out.

It had been a very bad vault.

Gemma lay on her back, surprised that she had made it over. That had been close. Was anything hurt? Nothing.

Then Gemma remembered the thud. She rolled off the mat.

Michael stood in the same spot with his face in his hands.

‘Sorry,’ Gemma said quietly.

This was bad. Was Michael all right?

‘I’m so sorry,’ Gemma said a bit louder.

Michael lifted his head.

Blood trickled from his nose onto the palm of his hand.

‘Are you all right?’ Gemma asked, but it felt like a silly question. His nose was bleeding.

Michael looked at Gemma and shook his head. He wiped his nose with a tissue. ‘Team meeting,’ he said, and walked away.

The rest of the team were sitting at the start of the run-up. The four girls sat in a row with their mouths dropped open and their eyes wide. They looked as if they had just seen a ghost. Either that, or the worst vault ever.

Gemma sat down next to her best friend, Kathy. Kathy had dark curly hair that bounced when she moved, and a broad smile. Gemma thought Kathy was beautiful.

Kathy looked at Gemma as if to say, We’re in for it now.

Gemma raised her eyebrows back at Kathy. Was she about to be kicked off the team?

Michael was a good coach, the best at the club. But he yelled a lot. Most of the gymnasts were afraid of him. He had hairy eyebrows that made it look like he was always frowning.

‘You don’t have to like me. But you have to listen to me!’ Michael would often yell at the girls.

So kicking him in the head was not very good at all.

‘OK, level six,’ Michael wiped his nose again.‘It’s time to talk.’

The five girls sat in a row. For the next ten minutes, they listened to Michael. He talked, he frowned, he yelled. For the whole ten minutes, the girls didn’t move.

Gemma loved gymnastics. Her school friends called her ‘Gemma the gymnast’. But they had no idea how hard Gemma worked at gym.

She had worked so hard that she was now in a real team. Being in a team meant that she had her own routines and entered competitions. Soon, the level six team would go to the state finals.

But being in a team meant more than that. It meant that Michael was Gemma’s coach. And Michael was the top coach. Some of the girls in his teams had even made it to the Olympics. So Gemma was delighted to be in Michael’s team.

Now Michael talked about working hard – harder than ever before. He talked about what it takes to be the best.

‘It’s time to get serious,’ he said.

At the end of his talk, Michael sent the rest of the team to the uneven bars.

Then he looked at Gemma.‘Let’s go to my office,’ he said.

Gemma looked at the f loor and nodded. She swallowed a big lump in her throat. This was it. Her life as a gymnast was over.

She was about to be kicked off the team.