The Mighty Blue and Gold
David Gleeson
The light grey t-shirt never left my side. It was almost always attached to me everywhere I went. Every competition it was the last item to be packed. It was always full of success. This shirt was the greatest possession in my life, and I have always been grateful for it. A friend saw the mighty blue and gold colors and told my mom that I would probably be interested in it. Of course, my mom said yes, I would love it. After a couple practices in the blue and gold my chin was super high.
Each competition I had the same ritual warm up would be done in the lucky blue and gold shirt. Some of the meets were risky to wear the shirt at. Being at West Point and having a blue and gold shirt on was mighty bold in my opinion. But why should I care I had something to prove. I wanted the Navy coaches to know who I was and why they should have me on their team. After warmups were done the first event was right around the corner. The shirt came off and it was time to go to work.
The first event flowed like a smooth piece of glass. I went out and told myself I will hit this in front of everyone. I remember saying stick this first pass and the rest will follow. As soon as my arm went up for the judge, I was ready to go. My adrenaline took me into that first pass with a powerful aggression. First pass was a double back and I stuck that just like I told myself I would. The rest was history. I went out and did my job and caught the attention where it needed to be. As soon as I’m done the shirt goes back on. Keeps me on edge and not forget my mission. The next event had to be the hardest one ever. It just so happens I thrive on this event, and I was ready to start swinging in front of the judges. My adrenaline had me going insane I was just having so much fun at this point I wanted to just tear everything up.
As I stepped up to the event the feeling of a roller coaster came to mind. Saluting the judge started the incline of the roller coaster. As I approached the event, I could see the bottom of the track and was a little nervous. But as soon as I touched the event, I began to zoom down the track. At this point I was just working the event and having the time of my life. When I stuck the dismount, it was the greatest feeling ever. I felt like I conquered the world. Again, the mighty blue and gold went back on as we moved to the next event. I just wanted to keep the momentum going.
The next event was not particularly my favorite, but it was still a good one. A little high up under the bright lights but I was ready to go. Shirt came off I stepped up to the mat got the signal and jumped up to the rings. When I jumped up I reached for the swinging circular rings and got a good grip for my routine. As I swung, I tried to be pristine and show off every detail of the routine. Trying to control my breathing on each skill I remained calm and controlled on each skill. I had a little mishap on my giant which was a skill done from handstand where you swing through the bottom and end back in a handstand. I recovered with a stuck landing which made my adrenaline go absolutely insane. It felt like I was on fire.
I didn’t want the competition to end. The next event really stands out in my mind. It is the fastest event that you will do for the entire competition. It takes less than ten seconds. While I waited with my blue and gold on my chest, I envisioned the massive stick I was about to put down on the mat. I was second to last, so I had time to relax and get myself ready for what I was about to do. When it was time, the shirt came off and I was all focus. I saluted and all I remember was a big deep breath and sprinting down the runway. As I approached the table, I had a he entry with a beautiful vault that ended with the biggest stick of the competition. I saluted to the judge and celebrated my big accomplishment. I was hyped beyond belief.
I had two more events to do. One of them I was okay at and the other I knew I was terrible at. The first one went alright it was a little choppy but ended with a good landing. The last event though don’t even get me started. I was absolutely terrible at this event. Being under the bright lights for this event always made me nervous. I was always embarrassed to compete it in front of a large crowd. But I got up there and did my job for the team. It ended up being okay but not great like the rest of the meet.
It was definitely one of the meets of my life. I felt like I was on cloud 9 the whole time and dominated on what I needed to do. It was time for a good lunch and a big nap. The result of the competition was partially the mighty blue and gold on my chest that kept me motivated and focused on the task at hand.
Each competition I had the same ritual warm up would be done in the lucky blue and gold shirt. Some of the meets were risky to wear the shirt at. Being at West Point and having a blue and gold shirt on was mighty bold in my opinion. But why should I care I had something to prove. I wanted the Navy coaches to know who I was and why they should have me on their team. After warmups were done the first event was right around the corner. The shirt came off and it was time to go to work.
The first event flowed like a smooth piece of glass. I went out and told myself I will hit this in front of everyone. I remember saying stick this first pass and the rest will follow. As soon as my arm went up for the judge, I was ready to go. My adrenaline took me into that first pass with a powerful aggression. First pass was a double back and I stuck that just like I told myself I would. The rest was history. I went out and did my job and caught the attention where it needed to be. As soon as I’m done the shirt goes back on. Keeps me on edge and not forget my mission. The next event had to be the hardest one ever. It just so happens I thrive on this event, and I was ready to start swinging in front of the judges. My adrenaline had me going insane I was just having so much fun at this point I wanted to just tear everything up.
As I stepped up to the event the feeling of a roller coaster came to mind. Saluting the judge started the incline of the roller coaster. As I approached the event, I could see the bottom of the track and was a little nervous. But as soon as I touched the event, I began to zoom down the track. At this point I was just working the event and having the time of my life. When I stuck the dismount, it was the greatest feeling ever. I felt like I conquered the world. Again, the mighty blue and gold went back on as we moved to the next event. I just wanted to keep the momentum going.
The next event was not particularly my favorite, but it was still a good one. A little high up under the bright lights but I was ready to go. Shirt came off I stepped up to the mat got the signal and jumped up to the rings. When I jumped up I reached for the swinging circular rings and got a good grip for my routine. As I swung, I tried to be pristine and show off every detail of the routine. Trying to control my breathing on each skill I remained calm and controlled on each skill. I had a little mishap on my giant which was a skill done from handstand where you swing through the bottom and end back in a handstand. I recovered with a stuck landing which made my adrenaline go absolutely insane. It felt like I was on fire.
I didn’t want the competition to end. The next event really stands out in my mind. It is the fastest event that you will do for the entire competition. It takes less than ten seconds. While I waited with my blue and gold on my chest, I envisioned the massive stick I was about to put down on the mat. I was second to last, so I had time to relax and get myself ready for what I was about to do. When it was time, the shirt came off and I was all focus. I saluted and all I remember was a big deep breath and sprinting down the runway. As I approached the table, I had a he entry with a beautiful vault that ended with the biggest stick of the competition. I saluted to the judge and celebrated my big accomplishment. I was hyped beyond belief.
I had two more events to do. One of them I was okay at and the other I knew I was terrible at. The first one went alright it was a little choppy but ended with a good landing. The last event though don’t even get me started. I was absolutely terrible at this event. Being under the bright lights for this event always made me nervous. I was always embarrassed to compete it in front of a large crowd. But I got up there and did my job for the team. It ended up being okay but not great like the rest of the meet.
It was definitely one of the meets of my life. I felt like I was on cloud 9 the whole time and dominated on what I needed to do. It was time for a good lunch and a big nap. The result of the competition was partially the mighty blue and gold on my chest that kept me motivated and focused on the task at hand.
Gleeson is a cadet at NMMI.