When I was younger, I took tumbling from one GREAT lady, Judy Shay. She not only taught me how to do gymnastics, she taught me many life lessons. At the time I was learning them, I didn't realize the important lessons that were being absorbed into my character. She taught me about friendship, the effect of believing in yourself, the importance of consistence, how to be independent, how to be tough skinned, to be strong (in every sense of the word), to trust and be trusted, the value of honoring yourself and respecting others, how to push yourself to the limit and never give up, the reward of competition, and she taught me to be humble. She was was always there for me to give me advice, to kick me in the rear, or to just put me in my place. She is a great person and she helped mold the person that I am today. I love her and honor her and am grateful that I had the opportunity to be taught by her. I think this next generation of kids could use a Judy in their life. I hope that my girls will someday have a mentor as half as good as her.
In May, many of Judy's past tumbling students and parents were able to surprise her at the USTA State tumbling meet in Peoria. She had no idea that we were all there to support her as she was honored for her years of service in tumbling. It was a great tribute and I was so glad that I was able to attend. It was awesome to see some familiar faces again and to see how everyone loved and respected her.
 |
| everyone that showed up for Judy! |
 |
| Receiving her reward. |
 |
| Judy and former students of The Royal Rockettes |
 |
| Our Jude:) |
|
 |
| Judy also had a close and special relationship with all the parents. |
No comments:
Post a Comment