I Got This: To Gold and Beyond

Gymnaverse was created from WWgym!

Join today & you can REMOVE the ads for FREE!

Join Log in
Q

QuietColours

4 Years 2,250 Posts No Ads!
Joined
Jan 31, 2021
Messages
2,301
Reaction score
4,677
By Laurie Hernandez
Copyright 2017
In the acknowledgements, she lists Lisa Sharkey; her editor Sara Sargent; and her collaborator Hope Innelli, but no formally acknowledged ghost writer

Introduction :)

  • On August 15, 2016, whispered "I got this" as she touched the beam for her final routine in the team final
  • Didn't expect those words to blow up on social media
  • They continued to have power for her as she competed on Dancing with the Stars
  • 2016 was a magical year for her, with many wishes coming true
  • Hopes everyone hears "You got this" in every line of the book

Family First :love:
Chapter 1

  • Actual name is Lauren Zoe Hernandez, but on the first day of gymnastics class her teacher decided to call her Laurie to differentiate from the other Laurens in the class, and the nickname stuck
  • Also earned the nickname "The Human Emoji" because of her animated faces in her floor routine. Most people think she most resembles the "Epic grin" expression
  • A lot of the joy people see comes from her doing something she's passionate about and from her home life
  • Her father, Anthony, is a court clerk and her mother, Wanda, is an elementary school social worker. They met in college; her mother would study a lot in the library and her dad would joke around with her. He's the comedian in the family and always makes everyone laugh. Communication has always been important to them, and they've made sure it's important to the rest of the family too
  • Her mother grew up in a not-great neighborhood in New York City and saw a lot of abuse, and they decided they wanted to start a family far from that, so they moved to Old Bridge Township in New Jersey. It's a friendly community, and her mom made sure the kids grew up with respect and love
  • Two siblings: Jelysa and Marcus. They all think their parents are great life coaches who raised them to treat each other with respect, and it's because of their example that the kids are always so nice to each other. They don't fight, because they understand they're going to be there for the rest of each other's lives. When they're upset, they talk it out, and once they settle the disagreement, they leave it behind them
  • Jay (Jelysa) is 11 years older than Laurie and is a big sister, extra mom, and best friend rolled into one. She has a masters degree and is a social worker like their mother. They're very close, despite the age gap.When they were younger they'd have sleepovers, where Laurie would crawl into Jay's room and they'd stay up all night talking.They finish each other's sentences and have the same mannerisms
  • Marcus is four years older than Laurie and in college studying economics and sports management. He ran track in high school and was a middle distance runner during his freshman year at college. Laurie's always impressed by how he juggles many responsibilities–she focuses on gymnastics; he juggles school, family, social responsibilities, and track
  • Misses her family while she's on the road and training and competing a lot, especially things like spontaneous dance parties while cleaning the house. Their home is always filled with laughter, a joyous environment that thought her about respect
  • Watching her parents, she's learned you can always change your circumstances in life if you put your mind to it.
 
The Karate Kids 😂
Chapter 2

  • Whole family is athletic
    • Dad played baseball when he was young (center field)
    • Mom played volleyball and tennis and was in the Army Reserve in the 80s
  • Kids all did martial arts; Laurie started karate at 2.5–their mom wanted them to know self defense after growing up in an unsafe area
  • Only Jelsya and Marcus were enrolled, but Laurie came along to watch, dressed in her own gi. Her mom says Laurie would stand behind the sensei and copy everything they did. When the senseis saw she could keep up, they encouraged her to come over and try the different moves
  • When her mom realized how flexible she was, she signed her up for ballet. But Laurie just wanted to dance around and ballet was too serious. She did like the sugar cookies they got at the end of the session though, so she always made it through the class
  • She did like the performance aspect. At her first recital, all the other kids were shy about performing, but Laurie stepped out, found the spotlight, and did it exactly like she'd practiced
  • By five, she was very energetic and her mom decided to sign her up for acrobatics. But no one else registered for the class, so the instructor cancelled it
  • One day she saw Shawn Johnson on tv doing flips and decided she wanted to do acrobatics. Her mom found a 45 minute beginners class
  • Her mom told the instructor she wanted her daughter to learn a cartwheel and a split, and that she'd continue enrollment if Laurie got them in 6 weeks. She got them much faster than that. That was the end of dance and karate–she was hooked on gymnastics
  • One of her earliest memories of that time was doing a pretend competition. It was a tiny audience, but her whole family was there. The transition to real competitions feels like it happened very quickly
  • Jelysa ended up getting her black belt
  • Marcus' track training gave him the speed and stamina to get away from any bad situation
  • Laurie was in constant motion

Doing My Best 😘
Chapter 3

  • Different ways to do competitive gymnastics
    • AAU–multisport organization for amateur athletes
    • USAG is how you get to the Olympics
  • Explains the USAG level system
  • Met Maggie Haney at 7 years old. She was coaching a girls' team for level 4+. Most of the level 4s were a year or two older, but Laurie picked up the skills quickly and stayed with the same group for levels 5 and 6
  • Her mother started noticing Laurie's lines were improving significantly and her skills were developing more quickly than the other girls, and questioned if things were advancing too slowly for Laurie. Maggie had never trained an elite, so she decided to contact USAG about TOPS
  • Laurie tried TOPS at age nine. It was the first time she thought that she'd been really progressing. She ended up getting the number one score for nine-year-olds in the country
  • Got an invite to the TOPS developmental camp at the ranch. It was exciting but nerve-racking. Camp was run by Marta Karolyi, who is legendary for having helped mold some of the greatest gymnasts in the world. It was a privilege to go there
  • Camp was on a huge complex in Huntsville, TX with state-of-the-art equipment, a dance room, several types of gyms, a medical room, a dining room, and dorm rooms
  • At first she trained there five days every two months; then five days every month
  • Marta brought in experts to give the gymnasts tips and help the coaches learn different techniques
  • She'd study new skills and then go home and work on them with Maggie
  • Loved the weeks at camp and realized she wanted to dedicate herself to gymnastics full time
  • They had morning and afternoon practices and time off in between. Met girls from all over the country and slept in dorms that looked like log cabins
  • This was also when she began home schooling, because she missed so much school traveling for camps. She was two weeks into third grade, so she wasn't leaving long term friends, and she got to be at the gym all day doing what she loved the most
  • Still got to play with neighborhood friends–it was a close community, and they celebrated holidays with family friends as well
  • Favorite get together was New Year's Eve, where they'd have a formal dinner with lots of music, parents and kids all dancing
  • Shannon and Paloma Rodriguez, her best friends, are like sisters to her. Their moms met in the military and were very close, and by coincidence her mom also knew their dad from growing up in NY. They see them all the time and even vacation together.
  • She likes home schooling through A Beka Academy, a Christian-based K-12 curriculum. It came with a series of CDs and videos, and the CDs connected her to a teacher, while the videos followed whatever book she was using. Her mom had a manual with the assignments for each day. There were different marking periods where she had to take tests, and quizzes and reports to do. Then they'd pack up all her work and send it to Florida to be reviewed, and she'd get a report card. She liked that it was designed for her to learn at her own pace.
  • She's a good student who's always liked writing, and she's appreciated history more and more as she gets older.
  • She'd sit with her teammates and do their homeschooling together, which made it less isolating. They were at different grades, so they could help each other. Older kids deserved As for taking care of the younger ones. It was like a private school where everyone took advanced placement phys ed
  • She was practicing about 35 hours a week, and those hours grew longer as she began to compete more. She was at the gym from 8:30-1 and 3:30-5:30, six days a week. In between was meals, homework, and sleep. Plus PT, special stretching sessions, and massages
  • Massages are not a luxury for an athlete; they're a necessity. Marta teaches that rehab and taking care of their bodies is the fifth event, as important as all the others
  • They also need down time–it helps revive you so you can do better
  • Between her intense training, self-care regime, and education, she took care of herself mind, body, and spirit
 
MaryClare said:
So what exactly did recovery look like under Marta? If several gymnasts have mentioned it, then it must have been a “thing”. But yet gymnasts were constantly competing with injuries
Click to expand...
My guess? Martha: you have ten hours to heal that stress fracture before the next practice begins and if you aren't ready to perform, you'll never make a team again! (Dismissive laughter) Figure it out! (Puts claws on back of gymnast's neck and walks them to the "nutritionist" who gives them exactly 200 calories worth of gruel.)
 
makam said:
My guess? Martha: you have ten hours to heal that stress fracture before the next practice begins and if you aren't ready to perform, you'll never make a team again! (Dismissive laughter) Figure it out! (Puts claws on back of gymnast's neck and walks them to the "nutritionist" who gives them exactly 200 calories worth of gruel.)
Click to expand...
I hope we get a full tell-all about the Ranch and the Karolyis, not just snippets that are background to another tale.
 
Sweaty Palms, Prayers, and Peppermint Oil :cool:
Chapter 4

  • Gets very nervous at competitions right before she gets on the equipment, but once she starts moving she's okay, especially on floor. The crowd noise during her floor routines helps her
  • Remembers a Level 4 meet where she forgot her beam routine (beam always made her the most nervous) and needed a spot on bars, but she got to floor and got a 9.5
  • Another day she was struggling with nerves in the gym, Maggie shut off the music so it was dead silent. She made everyone–kids, parents, and staff–sit on the floor and watch Laurie do her beam routine, over and over until she was comfortable. Laurie hated it, but it made competing feel better
  • Thinks it's the music that makes floor less stressful–you have to multitask to dance and stay on beat, so there's no room for nerves. With beam and bars,the music is off and it's just you, your thoughts, and the equipment
  • When she's nervous at competitions, she'll take a couple of minutes to just smell peppermint oil she brings. It clears her head. When she did Dancing With the Stars, the show bought her some
  • Has a calming ritual on beam. Puts one hand on her stomach, closes her eyes, inhales, pause, exhale. As she feels her stomach expand and contract with the breath, the anxiety and adrenaline melt away. It's a habit now–almost part of her routine
  • These techniques don't help with the disappointment after a bad meet
  • Remembers 2012 P&G Championships–it was only her second big meet, and she came in 21st. She was disappointed in herself, and her coach was disappointed too. Her mother said, "Do you know how many people would love to be 21st at P&Gs? … We're going to celebrate!" They got some ice cream. A little girl saw them eating and whispered, "Look, there's Laurie," to her dad, and asked for her autograph and a picture. She thinks about that moment when she's fangirling–you never know how much your appreciation can lift someone up.
  • Later, her mother reminded her that disappointment can be what helps you grow–it presents an opportunity to improve. If you've done the best you can in the moment, then you're only responsible for your own reaction
  • There's a lot of prayer and faith in her family
  • Now she recovers from disappointment more quickly and with more optimism
  • There's no reason to be anxious–she just has to be chill and go with it

Go Time! 😮
Chapter 5

  • Worked her way up to Level 10 from 2009-2012. Every so often she'd look back and be amazed how far she'd come
  • At 12, she started trying to qualify as a junior elite. When you see the girls in your age group doing amazing skills, you have to take a moment and think, "Wow, I'm a past of the that
  • Explains how scoring works
  • First Level 10 event (presumable she means elite) was the Secret Classic. Remembers her hot pink leo from that day (she likes hot pink) and being on podium being a little scary. Fell on bars, but had to pretend nothing had happened to move on. She ended up needing a 13.45 on vault to qualify for Championships, and that's exactly what she got. Ended up placing 11th in the junior division
  • Was asked to train at National Team training camps about this time as well.
  • Found camps intimidating–"Am I supposed to be here?"
  • Watched how the other girls did everything
  • Got to know them, see how they managed their time and relaxed because everyone roomed together
  • All became friends
 
Getting Out of the Country 😛
Chapter 6

  • First meet of 2013 was the WOGA Classic, placed 2nd AA
  • American Classic 2013 was 1st floor, 2nd AA, and 3rd on beam/vault. Jordyn Wieber was also staying in her hotel. Laurie snuck out and got a picture with her
  • Got added to the National Team after she turned 134
  • Secret Classic placed 6th AA and won floor
  • P&G Championships was a lot less intimidating this year, with so much more experience. Hit all her events and was 2nd on bars and floor and tied for 3rd on beam with Alexis Vasquez, and won silver in the AA behind Bailie Key, one of the gymnasts she admires most in the sport
  • Noticed a pattern–horrible warm ups usually led to hitting a good routine–lets her get the jitters out
  • When she started competing at the national level, people would say, "All you have to do is get out of the country"--you have to be good enough and consistent enough to be sent to international competitions
  • Sept 2013, she was sent to the Japan Junior International in Yokohama.
    • Family couldn't come with her, but they watched the lives tream. Marta didn't come either–it was Laurie and Bailie, Maggie, and Bailie's coach. Bailie was the perfect person to go with because she'd been to some international meets already, so Laurie could follow her lead
    • One of the biggest challenges is the time difference. Slept on the flight there and scheduled a workout for the evening they arrived. She had a hard time sleeping in the hotel, because the beds were solid wood under the mattress and the pillow felt like a bean bag.
    • Since she couldn't sleep, she'd get up and call her family as they were getting home for the day. Bailie did the same (the walls between their rooms were very thin). They'd bang on the walls between the rooms in the morning to make sure they were both out of bed on time
    • The meet ended up being rough–she was tired and nervous. She fell on bars, hit beam in quals but fell in finals. Got the AA bronze, 3rd on vault, 4th on floor, and 6th on beam
  • Around Thanksgiving went to the International Junior Mexican Cup in Acapulco.
    • She was excited to travel, but it was hard to do so on the holidays or when your family was on vacation. The host federation had a special Thanksgiving dinner for them. It would have been nice to spend more time with their new friends, but they had to go back to the hotel so they could go to bed early
    • Marta and some seniors were also there
    • She hit beam over and over in practice, and Marta noticed, telling her the routine was absolutely beautiful
    • Vault went well. After that it was back and forth between Laurie and Bailie: Laurie made floor and Bailie fell; Bailie made bars and Laurie fell. It came down to beam. Beam went well
    • They won team gold (team was Bailie, Laurie, Nica Hults, and Emily Gaskins), and Laurie was 2nd AA to Bailie
    • She was pretty surprised she was only .3 behind Bailie in the AA, and she thinks Marta was surprised and impressed too. Marta looked closely at all the junior scores because there were so many girls, she couldn't watch all of them and her focus was the seniors
    • Had dinner on the beach after the competition and saw Nadia Comaneci sitting with coaches nearby. Laurie introduced herself–Nadia said, "I know who you are. I watched you at the competition. Keep going. You're going to be great,"
    • While it was Nadia who made the world fall in love with artistic gymnastics, it's been Bela and Marta who kept that love alive by fostering the careers of so many gymnasts since then, like MLR and Simone Biles. The sport owes so much to all three of them, and so does Laurie

My Big Break ;)
Chapter 7

  • Started 2013 thinking things would just get better and better
  • In the winter, she fell on her beam series and landed on her wrist. She had a distal radius fracture
  • Had fractured her wrist once before–she'd been stumbling a lot in practice and realized her wrist had been hurting all day. Her mom took her to get it checked out and it was fractured, probably from overuse
  • The timing of the 2013 fracture was frustrating because she'd have to sit out competitions she'd been looking forward to. The best athletes have to train themselves to deal mentally with injury the same way they train physically. It wasn't a career ending injury and she'd be back next season. She let herself sulk for a couple of days, and then made the best of it–she had to rest it and let it heal, but that didn't mean practice or her life had to stop
  • A big part of recovery is doing what the doctor tells you
  • Her doctor specializes in sports-related trauma, especially elbow, hand, shoulder, and wrist injuries, and he explained things very well. Spent eight weeks in a cast: 3 with it past the elbow, 5 cut just above the wrist
  • Continued doing what skills and conditioning she could. Her legs got stronger!
  • Continued to see her doctor after she healed for prevention and wellness. He promoted self-care before, during, and after practice and competition. Her mother and sister taught her self care is also mental and emotional
  • Injury can be the body's way of saying it needs time off. Must practice patience, stay positive, and be resourceful about continuing your training. Her approach to workouts when injured helped improve those qualities in her
  • After healing from the wrist fracture, in June 2014, she twisted into the ground on a vault and heard a pop in her knee. It didn't hurt right away, although it was uncomfortable. She told the trainers, but there was no visible sign anything was wrong. Marta told her not to practice the rest of the day
  • By the end of the week, the knee was very swollen and painful. They got it checked out when she returned home, and it was a dislocated knee, torn patella ligament, and a bruised MCL. It needed surgery
  • Her mom told her they needed to rest it and repair it as soon as possible so she could heal and come back quickly. USAG recommended Dr. John Fulkerson, an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in sports medicine
  • Dr. Fulkerson was very calm in telling Laurie he'd get her back to good health. She was grateful to be working with a top surgeon who'd performed thousands of procedures like this. His positivity and understanding meant a lot to her and to her family.
  • Her parents never pushed her to do gymnastics–it was her dream, not theirs. They sometimes wondered if letting her do it was the right thing, but Laurie always said it was what she wanted. They'd ask, "Are we good?" and whatever she answered her parents would have been on board with. They asked her that about the surgery and she said, "We're good," so they supported her in every way
 
QuietColours said:
While it was Nadia who made the world fall in love with artistic gymnastics, it's been Bela and Marta who kept that love alive by fostering the careers of so many gymnasts since then, like MLR and Simone Biles. The sport owes so much to all three of them, and so does Laurie
Click to expand...
🤮 wonder how Laurie feels about the Karolyis now
 
QuietColours said:
  • After healing from the wrist fracture, in June 2014, she twisted into the ground on a vault and heard a pop in her knee. It didn't hurt right away, although it was uncomfortable. She told the trainers, but there was no visible sign anything was wrong. Marta told her not to practice the rest of the day
  • By the end of the week, the knee was very swollen and painful. They got it checked out when she returned home, and it was a dislocated knee, torn patella ligament, and a bruised MCL. It needed surgery
Click to expand...
How the fuck did the training staff at camp miss that a child suffered a major knee injury like that? For fuck's sake.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Gymnaverse was created from WWgym!

Join today & you can REMOVE the ads for FREE!

Join Log in

Trending Discussions

Similar threads

Q
Off Balance: A Memoir
3 4 5
Replies
83
Views
5K
irichluck21
irichluck21
Amber
Unwilling routine - Book summary
2 3
Replies
57
Views
3K
Amber
Amber
Q
Chalked Up: Inside Elite Gymnastics' Merciless Coaching, Overzealous Parents, Eating Disorders, and Elusive Olympic Dreams
9 10 11
Replies
214
Views
11K
OnoNoKomachi
OnoNoKomachi
Q
Landing on My Feet: A Diary of Dreams by Kerri Strug
4 5 6
Replies
115
Views
6K
Kittentoes
Kittentoes
Q
My Journey: Trust the Process
3 4 5
Replies
89
Views
9K
Joe
J

Latest posts

Upcoming events

Back