Back on the Beam (4 page)

dangerous
(DAYN-jur-uhss)—not safe, risky

doomed
(DOOMD)—sure to suffer a serious fate

event
(i-VENT)—one of the activities during a sports competition

improvement
(im-PROOV-muhnt)—if you have made an improvement, you have gotten better

leotard
(LEE-uh-tard)—a tight, one-piece garment worn for exercise

performance
(pur-FOR-muhnss)—if someone is watching your performance, they are taking note of how well you are doing

second nature
(SEK-uhnd NAY-chur)—if something is second nature, you are used to doing it

tryouts
(TRYE-outs)—a test used to measure ability

Balance Beam:
A gymnast performs a choreographed routine of flips, leaps, turns, somersaults, and other skills on a narrow beam. The beam is only 4 inches (10 centimeters) wide.

Floor Exercise:
A gymnast flips, dances, jumps, turns, and tumbles across the floor to a choregraphed routine. The music must be instrumental.

Uneven Bars:
A gymnast moves between two bars by flipping, swinging, circling, and releasing. The height of the bars is always the same, but the width may be changed.

Vault:
A gymnast must sprint down a runway, hit the springboard, and flip over the vaulting table.

aerial
(AIR-ee-uhl)—a move performed in the air

cartwheel
(KART-weel)—a sideways handspring with arms and legs straight out

dismount
(DISS-mount)—a move used to get off a piece of gymnastics equipment

flip
(FLIP)—a somersault done in the air

handspring
(HAND-spring)—a flip forward or backward where the feet go over the head and then land back on the ground

mount
(MOUNT)—a move used to get on a piece of gymnastics equipment

pirouette
(pir-oo-ET)—a fast spin of the body

routine
(roo-TEEN)—a full exercise consisting of all the moves a gymnast performs

splits
(SPLITS)—a move in which a person's body is on the floor with the legs extended in opposite directions

springboard
(SPRING-bord)—a flexible board that helps a gymnast jump high into the air

1. Why did Nadia's ankle hurt?
   
2. Blaire doesn't treat Nadia very well. What are some things Nadia could have tried to get Blaire to stop being mean?
   
3. At the end of this book, Nadia is able to do her routine without stumbling. What happened to change how she was feeling?
   

1. Nadia and her friends have fun doing gymnastics together. Write about something you and your friends like to do together.
   
2. In this book, Blaire tries to be the boss of the group of girls who do the balance beam event. Write about a time someone tried to boss you around. What did they do? How did you react? What happened?
   
3. Sometimes it can be interesting to think about a story from another person's point of view. Try writing chapter 3 from Blaire's point of view. What happens? What does Blaire see and hear? How does she feel?
   

Molly has always dreamed of taking horseback riding lessons, and now she is! Everything is great . . . except that two girls at school keep making fun of Molly. She'll need to figure out a way to keep her confidence both in and out of the saddle.

 

Allie loves everything about volleyball—except hitting. Finally, she asks for help. Her idol, Nikki, agrees to coach her once a week. If Allie can learn to spike as well as she blocks, she could become one of the team's strongest players.

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Jake Maddox Books are published by Stone Arch Books,
A Capstone Imprint
1710 Roe Crest Drive
North Mankato, Minnesota 56003
www.capstonepub.com

Copyright © 2009 by Stone Arch Books

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Maddox, Jake.
Back on the Beam / by Jake Maddox; illustrated by Tuesday Mourning.
p. cm. — (Impact Books. A Jake Maddox Sports Story)
ISBN 978-1-4342-1211-5 (library binding)
ISBN 978-1-4342-1396-9 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-1-4342-8905-6 (ebook)
[1. Gymnastics—Fiction.] I. Mourning, Tuesday, ill. II. Title.
PZ7.M25643Bab 2009
[Fic]—dc22 2008031952

Summary: Because of an injury, Nadia couldn't practice her balance beam routines all summer. Her ankle is healed now, but she's nervous about being back in competition. It seems like every time she sees her rival, Blaire, her ankle starts to hurt again. Will Nadia find her balance, or will she let Blaire's mean comments keep her from winning?

Art Director: Heather Kindseth
Graphic Designer: Kay Fraser

Creative Director: Heather Kindseth
Graphic Designer: Carla Zetina-Yglesias

Photo Credits:
Karon Dubke, cover (background), 1 (background)