February is Bring a Friend Month at Central Coast Gymnastics here in SLO, and ten years ago, Chloe brought her friend, Natalie, to try out a class for free. Chloe was taking a recreational gymnastics class for 9- to 12-year-old girls, and even though Natalie was 7 at the time, she was allowed to take the class with her older friend. Natalie had done gymnastics at a different gym but was taking a break, and she was excited to try more classes, especially with Chloe.
I don’t use this phrase lightly, but little did we know the impact the invitation to that one class would have on Natalie and our family. Natalie loved the class, and even though Chloe didn’t continue doing gymnastics at CCG for more than a few months, Natalie stayed with it. The gym’s atmosphere was a good fit, and over the next several years, we signed Natalie up for just about every class the gym offered, eventually up to the competitive Xcel (girls gymnastics) team in 2018.
In her second season competing, at a meet in Las Vegas in early March 2020, Natalie felt a new pain in her back while doing her floor routine. Lower back X-rays later showed that she had a stress fracture and slipped vertebra, a common injury for gymnasts. She decided to taper off the competitive team, but in God's goodness, he opened the door immediately for her to volunteer at CCG and later work as a coach. She currently coaches classes for girls ages 5 to 7 and 7 to 9.
Perhaps most lastingly, only time will tell, Natalie has chosen a career path out of her experience—she wants to pursue becoming a physical therapist. She attributes this aspiration largely to Chloe’s invitation to CCG a decade ago and all that’s happened since then. Thank you, Chloe, for bringing your friend.
Thank you for sharing this! Love it.