Lesson to Self #12: Be really good at the little things

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My husband and I attended the USAG Virginia State gymnastics championships this past weekend. Our granddaughter, a spunky and spry 10-year old was competing and had a great day, coming away with a podium finish in the all-around as well as individual medals in each of the four events. She was quite happy, and we continue to be enormously grateful for her God-given abilities.

Addy has been scoring quite well this season, after losing the entire 2024 season due to a badly broken arm and subsequent surgery. She has come back strong, showing resilience and conquering any remnants of fear and trepidation. That said, her golden ring of scores—a 38.00—remains to be earned. Sunday she came ever so close: 37.850 and that got me thinking.

That barely noticeable body position corrections on beam cost her 0.1 for each one. Her beautiful and graceful floor routine was ever so slightly off from the music. Another tenth or two deduction. Perhaps the judges saw her feet slightly misaligned: minus a fraction of a point. Correcting just one or two of these very small problems would have pushed her score beyond the hallowed 38.00.

She had no major breaks on any event, but the judges saw things that needed to be perfected. Though she scored a solid 9.5 on vault, on landing she took a step forward with one foot before drawing it back. This is not an uncommon execution error, but it becomes more understandable when watching the warm-up vaults. Almost without exception, the majority of young gymnasts walked out of their landings. They did not appear to fight for the all important “stick.” So even though the actual vault itself may have been excellent, failure to prioritize a rock-solid landing in practice made it difficult to do so in competition.

In the gym or anywhere, I am reminded of the need to be faithful in the small things. Pay attention to the details. Be excellent in every aspect of our endeavors. Don’t get caught thinking that the seemingly insignificant minutiae are just that—insignificant. Because they aren’t.

If we ignore the little things, our big things will never be the best.

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See prior posts for Lessons 1-11

Please reach out if I can provide value to your team or organization by helping you think deeply about these character skills that can drive performance.

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