Robyne in her Own Words - About Gymnastics
"To me gymnastics is a lot more than just a sport where pretty girls doll themselves up and slink into those skimpy leotards and flip around and dance all prettily and stuff... To me gymnastics is about having guts and courage. It takes a lot of balls to stand in front of crowd and be judged for every tiny little detail. It takes fearlessness to subject yourself to all the criticism, training, pressure, dieting, physical work, and mental anxiety... and for what? A score? Five seconds to two minutes of routine followed by a number score on a flashing board? All your hard work hangs on the approval of a panel of judges and if you make one mistep or screw up some tiny bit... who will respect you and pat you on the back?"
"That is fear... fear that you may fail and lose everything... fear that that score is all you'll ever be to these people. It's not always about the eating disorders and fatigue and injuries and mental games you play with yourself. It's ultimately about proving to someone or yourself that you're good enough. You're good enough to hurl your body in the air and land on your feet. You're good enough to look past the judges and think beyond the crowds of people hoping you screw up or do something awesome and spectacular. It goes way beyond being afraid of your own body in a skin tight leotard. If you can go beyond all the bull... and look back at that score and shrug it off...and go on to the next day... and still love yourself and love what you are doing... you are fearless."
"For me, I love the thrill of flying. I love the feeling of making everyone around me catch their breath. I love having control over something... my emotions, my body, and my fears. And when I land from my Yurchenko or Tsukahara vault routine and look at that score... no matter if it's a 1.0 or a 9.75 or something... I can still say, at least I wasn't afraid."
"I may not control much in my life right now... but damn it, I will control my gymnastics... and gymnastics will never control me. And for once in my life I will not be afraid to fly."
These words capture the essence of Robyne's attitude and help illustrate how I use something not quite typical horror fare- a sport like gymnastics- to show you a shade of fear and a different type of horror and courage. Sports novels are everywhere and they pretty much talk of courage and guts and glory... but do they ever talk about the fear so much? Do they explain why the athlete needs so much guts and courage? Do they really explain what glory is? Or do they simply fill your head with imagery and statistics? Maybe the sports novel is more about drama, but lacking in why it is drama? It's just an opinion.
With Robyne, there is a lot more going on that we don't see. But through her gymnastics routines we do catch a glimpse of it. We may gradually learn why she is seeking fearlessness. We may eventually get to know what she is running away from and why. And if we watch closely, we may see the strength she needs to stop running away and start facing that thing she fears most.
Chasing Shadows: Tales of East River... still available at www.publishamerica.com at a reasonable price. Check it out.
"That is fear... fear that you may fail and lose everything... fear that that score is all you'll ever be to these people. It's not always about the eating disorders and fatigue and injuries and mental games you play with yourself. It's ultimately about proving to someone or yourself that you're good enough. You're good enough to hurl your body in the air and land on your feet. You're good enough to look past the judges and think beyond the crowds of people hoping you screw up or do something awesome and spectacular. It goes way beyond being afraid of your own body in a skin tight leotard. If you can go beyond all the bull... and look back at that score and shrug it off...and go on to the next day... and still love yourself and love what you are doing... you are fearless."
"For me, I love the thrill of flying. I love the feeling of making everyone around me catch their breath. I love having control over something... my emotions, my body, and my fears. And when I land from my Yurchenko or Tsukahara vault routine and look at that score... no matter if it's a 1.0 or a 9.75 or something... I can still say, at least I wasn't afraid."
"I may not control much in my life right now... but damn it, I will control my gymnastics... and gymnastics will never control me. And for once in my life I will not be afraid to fly."
These words capture the essence of Robyne's attitude and help illustrate how I use something not quite typical horror fare- a sport like gymnastics- to show you a shade of fear and a different type of horror and courage. Sports novels are everywhere and they pretty much talk of courage and guts and glory... but do they ever talk about the fear so much? Do they explain why the athlete needs so much guts and courage? Do they really explain what glory is? Or do they simply fill your head with imagery and statistics? Maybe the sports novel is more about drama, but lacking in why it is drama? It's just an opinion.
With Robyne, there is a lot more going on that we don't see. But through her gymnastics routines we do catch a glimpse of it. We may gradually learn why she is seeking fearlessness. We may eventually get to know what she is running away from and why. And if we watch closely, we may see the strength she needs to stop running away and start facing that thing she fears most.
Chasing Shadows: Tales of East River... still available at www.publishamerica.com at a reasonable price. Check it out.
posted by The Vampire, David at 11:07 PM
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