My name is Elizabeth Erdey. Yes, I’m the one that everyone sees on the cover of the magazines and on the news. I guess you could say I’m famous, but then again, I don’t really know what I am.
I wake up to a warm summer morning. I hear the birds singing and I also hear the sound of the morning traffic, of people going to work. I, only being 13, don’t have a job, I just go to school and do what my family expects of me, which is everlasting studying. I don’t like school very much and I just wish I could just stay in the gym and do gymnastics all day long. Growing up in a family of doctors and lawyers, I am expected to live up to the family’s reputation and take up a highly respected occupation. Let me tell you one thing, I cannot stand the sight of blood and I hate arguing with people. If someone cares about something enough to argue with me about it, I just let them have it their way, because I don’t feel like wasting my own time that I could be using to do gymnastics. I only have one dream, and that is to become just like the Olympic gold medalist, Nastia Liukin. My coaches say I am on the right path to becoming an Olympic gymnast, and that if I keep going at this rate I could be in the 2016 summer Olympics. Wow, it sounds so surreal. When I was little all I dreamed about was to go to the Olympics, but I never thought it would actually happen. I was just a little kid with a big dream.
I just now remembered that I have to be at the bus stop in fifteen minutes. My mom walks in my room and says, “Honey you need to get out of bed and get ready, you have to go to school this morning.”
“I know mom, I was just thinking.”

“About what?” she asked while she seemed very confused.
“About how I have always dreamed about going to the Olympics, and to think, it might actually happen.”
“Sweetheart, you never had a chance at going to the Olympics and you never will. You are going to go to medical school and become a successful doctor. You’re going to make the family proud. ”
She walked out of the room in a way that she usually does when she wants to avoid something and I knew what it was. She was scared that I was going to become famous and our entire family would be disappointed that I didn’t do something that actually requires intelligence, which gymnastics requires more intelligence than people think. If you think about it, everything about gymnastics has to do with physics. Gymnastics teaches you more discipline than most people learn in an entire lifetime. But anyways, I realized I really need to get school, so I threw on some clothes just like I normally do and run out the door to try and catch the bus.
As I step onto the bus, I hear whispers like, that’s that creepy, flexible gymnastics freak, and that’s the girl who disgraces her family name to do gymnastics. I try to ignore all of them but it’s really hard when everyone is giving you dirty looks. I sat next to my best friend Ali who, like nobody else, completely supported my dream of gymnastics, and also thought it was super cool that I could flip through the air. She calls me her ninja best friend, which I think I really refreshing to find that someone actually respects the art of gymnastics and how much determination it takes. She says, “how did it go with your mom? Is she still in denial that you won’t go to the Olympics?”
“That’s what she thinks.” I say in frustration. “I just have to prove to her that I am capable of being a great athlete and that being a doctor isn’t the only important thing in the world. You know what?” I say to Ali.
“What?”
“I’m going to practice as much as I can. I need to prove to everyone, including my parents, that I can make it to the Olympics.”
“How are you going to do it?” she asks me concerned, but seemed very interested in the idea.
“I’m going to have to lie to my parents. It’s the only way it will be possible, because they would never let me skip out on extra studying time just for gymnastics. I’ll just tell them I joined a new study group and we are going to go to the library straight after school every day. They will be so supportive of it, they won’t even question if it is true or not.”
“I really hope this works, because if it doesn’t, you’re dead.”
“Me too.”
******************4 years later***********************
After all four years of my hard work, I finally did it. All of the lies and pain has finally paid off. I look up into the stands ready to compete, ready to compete my first event in the Olympics. Looking into the stands I know I won’t see my parents, but I decide to look anyway just in case there was the slightest bit of hope that they would show up. I mean, I know I lied to them for four years, but they are still family and I thought they might come to see what I can do, and maybe do a little bit of cheering. Anyways, I really need to focus, because the only way I have a chance of getting their attention is winning the gold medal in the all around, so that I can truly prove that I am the best gymnast in the world. An Olympic gold medal isn’t like becoming a doctor, but it still is a big accomplishment for someone. I try to put it out of my mind and get ready to compete.
After warming up and competing all four events, I am waiting to find out who placed and who didn’t. I kind of felt off today, but I guess I was just distracted that all of the other girls could look into the stands and see their parents and I couldn’t. I guess I did okay, and I did land everything, so I think I have a good shot at placing.
Finally, the person on the speaker announces one name. Only that one name won the gold medal, and it took me a moment to realize that that one name, was mine. I go up to claim my award, get all of my pictures taken, and sign a few autographs, then wait for everyone to leave the arena. After everyone is gone, I just stand on the floor and I, just for a moment, could swear that I see my parents.