Gymnastics Mystery Read Free

cartwheeled across thick blue mats.
    “Wow!” exclaimed Benny. “It’s like those people at the circus. What do you call them?”
    “Acrobats,” Henry replied.
    “Some of the tricks we do in gymnastics are what acrobats do,” said Katya. “There’s my coach!”
    A woman with short blond hair strode over with a clipboard. “Katya,” she said in the same accent as Katya’s. “I’m so glad to see you. Are you ready to begin?”
    “Yes. These are the Aldens, the family I am staying with.” She introduced Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny to her coach, who was named Irina.
    “Is it okay if we watch?” Jessie asked. The athletes were practicing for a serious competition, she knew. Maybe they didn’t like outsiders around while they worked.
    “Of course,” said Irina. “Gymnasts are used to spectators. Katya will warm up and stretch first. Then she will go through her sets on the balance beam and the uneven parallel bars.”
    Taking off her blue-and-white jacket, Katya laid it on a bleacher seat. Then she stepped out of the pants and took off her shoes and socks.
    Dressed in a matching blue-and-white leotard, the girl seemed tinier than ever, Violet thought. But her legs and shoulders looked strong.
    Katya joined the other members of her team. The Aldens found seats in the bleachers near where the team was working.
    “I have to condition first,” Katya told them from the mat. “If I don’t, I could pull a muscle and hurt myself.”
    She did sit-ups, push-ups, and ran around the arena. When she returned from her run, she sat on the mat and stretched.
    “These exercises keep my muscles limber,” she said, sitting so her legs were straight out to her sides. “This is called a straddle split.”
    After warming up, Katya went over to the balance beam. The Aldens were in awe as Katya leaped lightly onto the narrow beam and performed tricks on it. Her coach stood nearby, in case she fell.
    Next Katya did her routine on the uneven parallel bars. These were two bars set at different heights. Katya rubbed chalk on her hands so she wouldn’t slip, then swung from the lowest bar. Her legs split as she flipped completely over, catching her hands on the higher bar.
    “Look at that!” gasped Benny.
    “She’s great,” Henry agreed.
    When the session was over, a breathless Katya joined the Aldens. She immediately pulled on her warm-up suit.
    “So my muscles will not get cold,” she explained.
    “Can you teach me to do that?” Benny asked.
    Katya laughed. “Well, maybe one or two things.”
    “Yippee!” Benny was delighted.
    They left the arena and walked out to the curb, where Grandfather was waiting in the station wagon.
    “How did it go?” he asked.
    “Katya is the best one,” Benny stated. “She’s going to teach me to be a gymnast, too. How long will it take?”
    “About five years,” Katya replied.
    “Oh,” said Benny thoughtfully. “Can you stay with us that long?”
    Grandfather, the older Alden children, and Katya burst into laughter. Benny looked disappointed.
    Back home, they all sat down to a lunch of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Katya explained how she had been training since she was younger than Benny.
    “I won my first competition when I was six,” she said.
    “That’s how old I am now,” Benny said, dismayed.
    “But Katya had been training for years,” Grandfather reminded him.
    Jessie tried to imagine being so good at something at such a young age. “How do you train?”
    “I go to the gym every day,” Katya replied. “I work with Irina at least five hours. Then I go to school. After school, I work another hour or two at home. My father built a low balance beam, only a few inches off the floor. So I can work without worrying about falling.”
    “Whew!” Henry commented. “That’s a lot of hard work.”
    “Yes, but I enjoy it,” said Katya. “My home—” She broke off suddenly.
    “What about your home?” Violet urged.
    Katya stared into her soup