ARTICLES

WE PARENTS

After the Managers, after the Athletes themselves, it is now time for a parent to write, not in the name of all the other parents, but maybe interpreting the thoughts of a lot of them. While I am writing, my mind goes easily back in time and sees a very little girl who, escaping from her father's hand, gets into a gym and stands there to look, unseen, seven or eight little girls who are using strange implements. The sweeter, lighter and more persuasive was the trainer's tone, the more the athletes increased their efforts.

In that magic moment, however, fatigue didn't count for much to that child's eyes; the only thing that did count was the athletes' ability in handling the ever more familiar implements. She could not suppress a feeble but clear and unmistakable "ME TOO!!". At the right moment, without knowing, I became an ever more untamed fan, an expert capable to distinguish between a "flick" and a "rondata", an occasional judge that could see supposed injustices made by the true judges, or even to precede their judgement at the end of exercise.
When nothing more seemed to imperil the no - negligible preparation on beam, uneven bars, vault and floor (ops, I was forgetting, even the Majorettes, for who we assumed naturally even the role of traffic controllers), it appeared on the scene a range of new specialities as the Aerobics, The Acrosport, The Tumbling, and the Trampoline. Lots of new opportunities that the Artistic Gymnastics Association was offering to the city and to the families, without thinking that it obliged entering into a whirl with no - end, cause everything must be tried, nothing could be left out. Training followed training, and events followed events, and during the pauses, always full of activities, exhibition sand shows were added in square sand, sport centre.
As to make it all easier the Russian trainers arrived who brought a little bit of internationality. Which is never bad. So, as it wasn't enough, they put to flight, with their sweet but inflexible professionality, even the vain attempts to convince the athletes that avoiding some disciplines was not so horrible. But the recalls, probably dictated by the adult's incapacity to understand, were not heard. I couldn't understand that in spite of infernal rhythm and obsessive events, everything pleasant, harmonious and interesting.

Everything continued like before, more than before and better than before. Now Going backwards in the time, everything moderates and adjusts, I start to understand the obstinacy of some choices because following these, young athletes have found a justification to their days, an inner balance equilibrium, away of being that collides to their ideal. I've to thank the Sportive Association for this as they have been able build a sound environment. Where over the medals, results, Italian wins that arrived; over the daily and pleasant sufferings of the training hours the proofs and the events, little girls are grown. They have known their potentiality but their limits, too, then they have become persons. Like that little girl, that I know so well, who so many years ago said: "ME TOO!!". She knew everything yet; the only one who didn't know anything was, maybe, his father. Thanks so much.

A parent.