On Monday we completed one round of the INSANITY exercise dvd. We did this of course before we went to support the Terps Football team at their game against Miami! It was such an intense, exciting game and the Terps won! The score ended up being 32 to 24 and we could not be more proud of our team. On Tuesday we worked through our first weight lifting circuit with our trainer Mike. Weight lifting with Mike is a new experience for all of us and although it is difficult and a hard workout it is also a lot of fun! Mike is a fantastic trainer and he motivates the team to keep working hard.

Wednesday was our day off of boot camp because we had our photo shoot for the 2011-2012 Maryland Gymnastics poster! It was so much fun! The girls and I got to dress up in our newest competition leotards and figure out our poses for the poster. Although it sounds easy, picking out the perfect pose is quite difficult! We were all asking one another for assistance but eventually we were able to figure it out. The poster is going to look amazing!

Thursday we were in the weight room again with Mike for another lift and then on Friday we had Zumba dance! I think the girls and I can agree that our abs got a workout just from the amount of laughing we did throughout the exercise because we were all struggling with the dance moves. We definitely looked a little silly during our Zumba class but it was perfect to end the week with some great fun and a good laugh.

One thing that I love about the Maryland gymnastics team is the overall willingness to help out others. On Saturday morning, the girls and I went to the Catholic Student Center to help make sandwiches for the homeless. We came together as a team and were able to make nearly 1,000 sandwiches. It was an incredible experience and made us realize how blessed we are for all that we have. We plan on volunteering a lot more through out the year and are looking forward to all of our opportunities to help!

Another thing we came together as a team to participate in this weekend was the Walk of Remembrance for the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. We each walked for a person who lost their life on that day. While we walked along the path, we held a stone in our hand for the person we were walking for and when we got the end, we placed our stones in a circle together. It was sad seeing all of the stones together knowing that they each represented a life lost, but I am glad we came together to bring our support to them and their families.

Another week is soon to begin and the Terps are excited! We are going to work hard in the gym and push each other to keep doing our best! Stay posted to hear more about our journey to the top!

Lets Go Terps!
Lizzy Garcia