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Gymnastic Dreams

Gymnastic Dreams
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 6 to 8
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   6.57

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    leapfrog, lucrative, off-balance, scrunchy, straddle, walkover, posing, regional, springboard, impressive, burning, pose, tally, hurried, oklahoma, leading
     content words:    Courtney Bixby, Tessa Randall, Olga Korbut, Nadia Comaneci, Mary Lou Retton, Shannon Miller, Magnificent Seven, Hope Singh, Montreal Olympic Games, Olympic Games

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Gymnastic Dreams
By Brenda B. Covert 		  
1     Hope Singh gazed into the mirror and admired her new purple leotard. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail with a matching scrunchy. Satisfied with her reflection, she hurried out of the dressing room to join her teammates for practice. They were preparing for a regional competition in rhythmic gymnastics. Hope had high expectations for herself, but to reach those expectations, she would have to work hard!
 
2     Hope was competing on the vault and the balance beam. She paused to watch Courtney Bixby on the uneven parallel bars. Courtney would be tough to beat. Hope was glad that she would not be a part of that competition! Courtney could skin the cat in the blink of an eye, sail from bar to bar with apparent ease, and stick her dismounts like a pro.
 
3     Coach Cristina clapped sharply. "Hope! Focus!" she called.
 
4     Hope's cheeks were burning as she got into position to race toward the vault. She took off with a burst of speed and hit the springboard with both feet. On her way over the vault, she planted her hands squarely in the center and pushed off, spreading her legs wide for the straddle vault. It looked like a form of leapfrog! On the other side of the vault, she landed firmly on the mat. She held her position with bent knees for only a moment. Then she straightened her legs and raised her arms in the final pose.
 
5     "Good one!" called teammate Tessa Randall.

Paragraphs 6 to 13:
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