Lesson to Self #6: Accountability

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My 10-year old granddaughter is a competitive gymnast. After missing last year’s entire season due to a fracture of her right radius and ulna that required 2 plates and 6 screws to fix, she has been making up for lost time. She has had some stellar performances, earning her podium recognition on every event as well as all-around in every meet this season. But that changed this past Sunday.
Her four routines were solid, scoring between 9.175 and 9.50. Those were not her best performances but they were certainly not poor scores. Admittedly, Addy was not perfect but avoided any major breaks.  Her execution was pretty, making watching her a pleasure. By the time the awards came around, we were pretty sure that the clinking of medals around her neck was sure to follow.
And clink she did, ending up with three shiny medals: beam, bars, and all-around. But for the first time all season, she failed to find a place on the podium in the other two events. Hum. How would she take it?
When I drove her to school on Tuesday morning, we chatted casually about this, that, and the other. When opportunity presented itself, I queried her perspective on the meet. She said nothing about the medals that did not find a place around her neck. Rather, she explained that though her scores were not bad, she failed to score higher because some of the required skills were performed at – not above - the minimal level. (For example, her cast from the high bar met the minimal horizontal standard but her body did not rise above that mark. Her first vault landing included a big step and her block off the platform on the second vault was not what it should have been.) Addy made no excuses, nor did she express jealousy for her teammates who threw down best-ever performances. I was impressed and relieved.
Even at her young age, Addy took accountability for her actions. She clearly understood the reasons for her lower-than-expected scores and missing medals. This honest appraisal allowed her to accept her scores without placing blame on judges or other circumstances. Practice the following day proved very productive because she went into it knowing exactly what needed to be improved.
If a 10-year old can accept accountability for her own actions, we should be so wise.


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