Verona van de Leur - Simply Verona

Simply Verona

Breaking All the Rules

Verona van de Leur

Simply Verona

Breaking All the Rules

Gaudium Publishing

Las Vegas Oxford Palm Beach

Published in the United States of America by

Histria Books, a division of Histria LLC

7181 N. Hualapai Way

Las Vegas, NV 89166 USA

HistriaBooks.com

Gaudium Publishing is an imprint of Histria Books. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without the permission in writing from the Publisher.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019952945

ISBN 978-1-59211-021-6 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-1-59211-022-3 (softbound)

Copyright 2020 by Histria Books

Introduction

S aturday, November 23, 2002...

As I walked through the streets of downtown Debrecen, together with my teammates and the team doctor, looking through the stores in search of some souvenirs for family and friends back home in the Netherlands, I enjoyed a rare moment of relaxation amidst all the hard work, stressful training sessions, and competitions. We were there in Hungary not for a vacation, but to compete in the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. Four girls, ages 16 and 17, away from home for two weeks to qualify for the finals in hopes of winning some medals. We all had individual qualifying competitions that week on our favorite apparatuses, but not many of us on the team reached the final 8.

Tomorrow would be Sunday, and although I hadnt performed as I would have liked on the other three apparatuses, I was the only one on our team still in the competition, with a final on the floor exercise. It seemed strange because all of my teammates were finished with the competition, except for me. You could sense that, after two very intense weeks, they no longer felt any pressure no more training, they could eat normally again, and even go to bed a little later than usual. I, on the other hand, still felt enormous pressure from my head coach, Frank Louter, from my parents, my fans, and the Dutch Gymnastics Federation (which had high expectations for these Worlds and now hoped to take home at least one medal for the Netherlands), as I was their only gymnast still competing, their last hope for success.

I tried not to think too much about the final routine for the following day, but in my mind, I knew there was a chance for me to win a medal (and that, of course, would be a dream come true). My toughest competition in this floor final was little Elena Gomez from Spain. She was a great gymnast, with excellent tumbling skills and unique choreography. But one could not forget all the other capable gymnasts from the United States, Romania, Brazil, Russia, Mexico, and Uzbekistan also in the final. The chance to win a medal almost seemed like the luck of the draw. Even though you may have qualified first during the week, it did not count in the finals. All 8 gymnasts now started on even footing.

After we returned to the hotel from our one-hour shopping trip in the center of the city, my coach Frank, who was not only my personal coach but also the head coach of the Dutch National Gymnastics Team, called me over for a serious talk about tomorrows competition. It started like a normal conversation, which normal between Frank and I always meant a great deal of tension in the air. We often had such talks at competitions, to keep focused through to the final day. That is an even harder task when all the others are finished and you have to train alone and to compete by yourself. But that wasnt the only thing he wanted to talk to me about.

Frank said, I have some big news, are you ready for it? I grew even more nervous. What could it be? I had no idea what he would say, but I said, yes, tell me.

Your parents and your sister are now on their way to Debrecen to see you in the final tomorrow, he informed me. Stunned at this news, I was quiet for a minute. I didnt know if I should be happy or nervous, so many feelings overcame me at that moment! To have my family there was nice, but it also put even more stress on me, to fulfill their expectations.

After I sat silent for a moment, Frank asked me, what do you think?

Im so happy for them, I replied, but how is this possible?

I knew my parents couldnt afford such a trip, they never came to see me when a competition was outside the Netherlands, so that was the first thought that entered my mind. Frank told me that my sponsor, Univ , had paid for their trip, the hotel, everything. As soon as they learned that I had qualified for the final 8 on the floor exercise, they contacted my parents. I almost started to cry, but I broke out a big smile instead.

It was funny because before I left the airport in Amsterdam, I told my parents that I would record the flight on the airplane for them. At that time, they were in their forties and had never flown in their lives, and they always asked me if its fun, or how it feels, or how do the clouds look from up above. So that was the promise I made to them. And now they were flying themselves! I was so very happy for them, that they could experience something new, but at the same time, I now felt even more pressure! If I didnt win a medal, Id let everyone down, most of all my sponsor, who had done so much for both me and my family. Frank tried to calm me down. He told me that I needed to go to bed early, warm-up in the morning, and just go to the competition and see what happens.

The next morning, after I received good luck wishes from my teammates, who tried to encourage me, I left for the arena. I was even more nervous than usual, but, at the same time, I knew my routines inside and out. The hard thing for me though was that you cannot warm-up at the finals. It may sound strange, but its a rule that when you make it to the final 8 you can train before the competition on the competition apparatus in the arena, but when the competition begins, with the television cameras rolling and the judges waiting, you are not allowed the 30 seconds to get accommodated with the apparatus that you have in a normal meet. Thats why they set up a training area next to the competition arena to warm-up in, but its never exactly the same. But everyone has the same disadvantage.

It was now time. As the first gymnast began competing in the floor final, I read the starting list over and over: Verona van de Leur 7th, Elena Gomez 8th. I was still a little nervous, but I told myself, When you walk from the training area to the competition area, dont look at the first 6 scores on the board. Because, if I did, and their scores were high, I would know that there was no chance to win a medal. On the other hand, if the scores were lower than normal, I knew I had a chance.

Frank called my name when it was time to enter the arena. Without saying a word, I could read on his face that the other scores were not insurmountable and that I had a chance for a medal. Taking a last deep breath, I walked from behind the curtains into the competition area to my seat, to place my bag and my shoes. During the final minutes, before I stepped out onto the floor, I reviewed in my mind the last details of my tumbling routine. Even though its not advised, I then looked out into the crowd, trying to spot my family. I saw them, dressed in Orange clothes, like good Dutchmen, ready to cheer me on. Samantha Sheehan from the United States had just finished her routine, earning the highest score so far, with a 9.325, but I didnt know it at the time.