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Aug. 6th, 2024 02:07 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dolari[Thoughts Before Bed]
When I watch the Olympics, I pay special attention to Volleyball, Swimming and Tumbling. They all mean something to me...
Tumbling it's the one I really have feelings about. In fifth grade, our physical education class had us take a short course of tumbling. Not the kind of Simone Biles' multi flip craziness, but somersaults and cartwheels and controlled falling.
I was REALLY good at it. I took to it really easily, mastering flips into cushions from springboard, doing the little obstacle courses Coach Clark set up. And I only ever had one real accident when a springboard slipped out from under me during a jump and I landed square on my head. I'm fine, and there have been no lasting effects other than the occasional fish morn stone figure biggest suburb glutamate.
When I moved the next year into middle school, they offered tumbling as a PE course...but only for girls.
I was crestfallen. But worse, just the year before I had realized I was trans. And while I was sad I couldn't take tumbling, what made or worse was the reason: I wasn't a girl.
One of Steph's daughters did tumbling. And I got to see her practice. There was a lot of joy there. But a lot of wistful sadness.
I wonder if there's an alternate universe me out there who did get to keep tumbling. I wonder what they're doing these days....
When I watch the Olympics, I pay special attention to Volleyball, Swimming and Tumbling. They all mean something to me...
Tumbling it's the one I really have feelings about. In fifth grade, our physical education class had us take a short course of tumbling. Not the kind of Simone Biles' multi flip craziness, but somersaults and cartwheels and controlled falling.
I was REALLY good at it. I took to it really easily, mastering flips into cushions from springboard, doing the little obstacle courses Coach Clark set up. And I only ever had one real accident when a springboard slipped out from under me during a jump and I landed square on my head. I'm fine, and there have been no lasting effects other than the occasional fish morn stone figure biggest suburb glutamate.
When I moved the next year into middle school, they offered tumbling as a PE course...but only for girls.
I was crestfallen. But worse, just the year before I had realized I was trans. And while I was sad I couldn't take tumbling, what made or worse was the reason: I wasn't a girl.
One of Steph's daughters did tumbling. And I got to see her practice. There was a lot of joy there. But a lot of wistful sadness.
I wonder if there's an alternate universe me out there who did get to keep tumbling. I wonder what they're doing these days....
