Opening Ceremonies at Nationals 2009 in Downingtown, PA

Well, we had come a long way. Literally.

I finally made it into Philly at 9am on Wednesday, June 24th from Vegas. I had flown all night and didn't sleep a wink.
Megan, fortunately, was with the team coach Jane, and I was able to meet them and pick Megan up.
We stopped to have lunch and then headed over to the hotel.
I was hoping for a hot shower and a nap before heading over to opening ceremonies!

Well, the hot shower I was able to get.
A nap...I was not.
Soon it was time to head over, so Megan got her team t-shirt on and we headed over for what was supposed to be a 15 minute drive.

A few miles from the exit we were to take, we were stopped dead in traffic.
Uh-oh, I hadn't taken THAT into consideration!
She was due at the field at 3:30. It was 3:23 and we weren't anywhere close!!!!

Some other parents called to commiserate. One of them had the banner that the girls were going to carry during the ceremony.
I let her in front of my car, and another set squeezed in behind me. At least we were late as a team...

We got there just in time for the girls to grab the banner and line up!
What a beautiful job they did on the banner.
They didn't place (it was a contest) but hands down, we believe they had the best one!





Megan and her teammates line up, in gear and excited!

Isn't that awesome!!! The red "stripes" are the girl's handprints with their names.
Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Gymnastics!

The theme was "A revolution is coming", so Jane led the way on her "horse"!

Go Licking County!

Anticipation for the fun of opening ceremonies...

Part of the fun of attending opening ceremonies is that you not only get to hang out with your team, but you also get to have a little fun!
There were more than 4,500 attending the opening ceremonies, and they were busy trying to prepare dinner for everyone.
In honor of it being held near Philadelphia, the menu consisted of real Philly Cheesteak sanwiches, Bavarian-style pretzels, and lots of salads, fruit, cookies and drinks.
It was a hot day but beautiful for this type of crowd!




The "before" picture while everyone was still attending the ceremony!

Dinner for 4,500 guests

Time for Megan and Lajeyda to have a little fun!
There were bounce houses and games, but mostly they were doing what gymnasts love - tumbling, flipping, and laughing!

Lajeyda's parents were part of the caravan from Licking County.
We were all so excited to be a part of it!

YMCA Gymnastics Nationals in Downingtown, PA

The official day of the competition was here!!
Megan and I had a lazy morning at the hotel. We slept in, had a lavish breakfast and took our time getting ready.
I wanted her to be relaxed for the competition but also enjoy her day.

We took a quick trip to the King of Prussia mall, about 7 miles from our hotel.
What could be better than shopping to calm the nerves?

After finding a cute couple of items for the rest of the trip, Megan and I had lunch and we were on our way to the Sports Center.


Megan in front of King of Prussia Mall - Bloomingdales

The Level 5 competition is ready to begin at 5 PM!!!

Megan's second event was the Bars. As you can see, she had a GREAT score. It earned her $25!

The Nationals team takes a break in the hot gym!