photos copyright by Mark Warren
I was there for the last session on Sunday to watch my daughter. The competition was close and everyone had a wonderful time watching their gymnast compete.
Nadia flew in from Atlanta late Sunday in time to hand out awards, speak to the crowd and sign autographs. You could tell she was tired, but stayed until everyone got a picture or autograph.
What a wonderful giving person she is. Nadia also handed out some special awards to 3 girls. Before she called out their names, Nadia explained these girls may or may not have placed high in the competition, but showed true competitive spirit.
One of the gymnast she gave the special award to was deaf. She was a Level 5 nine year old that truly inspired us all when we watched her perform her floor exercise. To be able dance and tumble, and yet not able to hear her music took courage.
I think Nadia and the BCGA staff were inspired too, and decided she should receive Nadia's special award. Very, cool.
Bart was absent this year and I can only assume he was gone working on one of the many projects he has doing.
The Nadia Invitational is a well run event and credit should go to the BCGA staff and parents for the job they did. Many of the visiting parents sitting around us commented how much they were impressed with how the meet was being run. Once again, most of the moms and dads were more excited about seeing and meeting Nadia since they grew up watching her. The kids know she's a very important person in the gymnastics community and competed at the Olympic level.