New Doors

There is a proverb that states, "When one door closes, another opens." This may seem like a simple saying, but it has a much deeper meaning than many people imply. 

Growing up, my parents always made sure I was being active and doing something with a team. I did soccer, dance, and gymnastics as a kid. I ended up not loving soccer and quit altogether. When I was about eight years old, my parents had me make my first big decision that I can remember. I had to choose between dance and gymnastics. I chose gymnastics.

Throughout every PCS, I was able to find a new gym to attend. My gym in Texas was where I advanced the most. I made my first competition team there. Despite this, I never got to compete because we moved yet again.

We were stationed in Yuma, Arizona. It’s a very small town on the border of California and Mexico. There is not much to do, but there was a gym for me to attend. In 2020, I shattered my elbow and had to get surgery. I spent the rest of my year doing strength training, physical therapy, and basically had to start over. We moved again in 2021.

Before we moved to North Carolina, my mom quickly realized that the closest gym was around an hour away from where our house would be. She told me, and I remember the wave of sadness I felt. Gymnastics has been my life since I was three years old. I felt angry, blaming it on the PCS and the military. It was my final semester of middle school, so I did not get to try out for any sports at my school either, which only added to the anger. My mom subtly suggested that I try out for the high school's junior varsity cheer team, since I was going to be a freshman soon. Though I was extremely iffy, my mom told me I would probably be good at it since I could tumble and jump. With her encouragement, I agreed, and she helped me learn the material to try out when it came out.

I made the JV team, and strangely, I felt excited. I would get to meet new friends before school started at the summer workouts, and that was great news to me. I made one super close friend that year, who is still one of my best friends now, as a junior. I got closer with my other best friend on cheer during my sophomore year on the varsity cheer team.

The PCS that I thought took everything from me ended up leading me to a completely new sport and allowed me to meet my two best friends. I have done cheer all three years of high school now, and I plan to try out again, along with track and field (which I also started when we moved here to North Carolina). 

Being a military kid comes with hardships, and you don’t always get the same opportunities at every location you are stationed at. But it also comes with new doors that open for you and lead you to better things. Looking at that proverb from before, my experiences as a military kid have helped me truly understand what it means when one door closes but another one opens.