Sunday, June 5, 2011

The show I've put off watching...until now

by Brittany Geragotelis

I was a hardcore gymnast from the time I was 8 until about 16. In fact, when I quit, I was training for the Olympics. From the day that I was told that's where I was headed, I started to stress out big-time. I woke up every morning thinking about how I might mess up in front of the whole world. And by this age, I'd also started to realize that if I made a mistake, I could actually die. In basketball you just miss a shot or in volleyball you hit the net. Not a lot of danger there. But in gymnastics? One misstep and you're paralyzed or worse.

But I digress. The point is, gymnastics was my sport. It was my passion and what I trained all my young life for. And I cut my career and dreams short because of fear. Needless to say, I haven't watched gymnastics since. I haven't seen a single Olympics since I've quit. I can't stomach it. It just reminds me of what I could have been...

photo credit: ABCFamily/Make it or Break it
Because of this, I've been putting off watching the show, "Make It or Break It" on ABC Family ever since it started. But I recently finished watching the entire "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" series and needed a new show to watch. So, at the insistence of several friends, I gave it a go. And although it brings back certain old feelings and I definitely miss those days of training hard for something, I'm actually enjoying the show.

The stars don't exactly have gymnast bodies and some of the drama is a little over the top, but they do get some stuff right. The gymnastics scenes are intense and super fun to watch and the politics that come along with the sport are spot on. I can't help but feel like Jessica Bendinger's movie Stick It helped pave the way for this show in terms of the public's interest in these tremendous athletes. Way to go Jessica!

Either way, I'm definitely getting sucked into "MIOBI" and if you haven't already checked it out, you should--Even if you're mourning the loss of your own gymnastics career. I promise, It'll be worth it!

5x5,
B.

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