Chapter One
The judge lifted his card, and the music began. Dana raised her fingers in the air and pulsed her hips to the beat. Then she ran.
Her toes bounced off the mat, and she hurled herself through the air. She did a flip before landing back on the mat. The crowd applauded, and Dana finished with three back handsprings.
“Nice work, Dana!” her team cheered.
She smiled to herself. She knew she nailed the routine. Only a cartwheel and split left. Not a wobble on either move.
“You did it! You did it!” cheered her best friend and co-captain Mallory.
“Atta girl,” said Coach Jasmine.
Dana beamed as she sat on the bleachers and waited for the other girls to complete their routines. She was happy with her routine.
“Wish me luck, girl,” said Mallory. She unzipped her River City Raiders jacket and went to warm up on the uneven bars.
“You don’t need it,” said Dana, smiling. She was superstitious about wishing other gymnasts luck. And saying “break a leg” would be disastrous.
Mallory jogged to the bars shaking her head. Dana could swear she was grinning.
Dana rubbed her palms together and blew on them. The Halsey Gym wasn’t cold, but she shivered. She watched her teammates Connie and Paula on the beam and vault. Their routines were flawless.
Then it was Mallory’s turn. Dana sucked in her breath and felt an arm around her. Coach Jasmine always knew when to calm her nerves.
“Mal will do great,” she said. “I bet you’re more nervous than she is.”
Dana nodded and tried to smile. Mallory grabbed the lower bar and raised her body into a handstand. Dana counted the hold count in her head. She knew Mallory wanted to hold it for two full seconds.
Mallory swung her legs down and raised her legs straight over her head again. She did three rotations on the high bar before landing with a firm grip on the lower bar and turning again.
Dana held her breath as Mallory prepared for her dismount. Since they spent most of their waking hours together, each member of the team knew the others’ routines.
Dana and the other girls leaned in and grabbed hands as Mallory flung herself to the top bar again. She rotated four times, flew through the air, and completed a somersault.
The stadium applauded as Mallory planted her feet on the mat, then raised herself to full height. Her smile was huge.
“She did it!” screamed Dana. She didn’t have to look at the scoreboard to know that Mallory earned a high score.
Coach Jasmine gathered her team in a big hug as soon as Mallory reached the stands.
“This is big, ladies,” Coach said as she pointed to the board. There were the results of their hard work.
A gold medal for the River City Raiders.