Execution (Off Balance 2)

Pirouette Used in both gymnastics and dance to refer to a turn around the body's longitudinal axis. It is used to refer to a handstand turning moves on bars.

Rips In gymnastics, a rip occurs when a gymnast works so hard on the bars or rings they tear off a flap of skin from their hand. The injury is like a blister that breaks open.

Release Leaving the bar to perform a skill before re-grasping it.

Relevé This is a dance term that is often used in gymnastics. In a relevé, the gymnast is standing on toes and has straight legs.

Reverse Grip A swing around the bar back-first with arms rotated inwards and hands facing upwards.

Round-off A turning movement, with a push-off on one leg, while swinging the legs upward in a fast cartwheel motion into a ninety degree turn where legs come together before landing on both feet. The lead-off to a number of skills used to perform on vault, beam, and floor.

Salto Flip or somersault, with the feet coming up over the head and the body rotating around the axis of the waist.

Sequence Two or more skills performed together, creating a different skill or activity.

Shaposhnikva A clear hip circle on the low bar then flying backward to the high bar.

Stick To land, and remain standing, without requiring a step. A proper stick position is with legs bent, shoulders above hips, arms forward.

Straddle Back An uneven bar transition done from a swing backwards on the high bar over low bar, while catching the low bar in a handstand.

Switch Ring Performed on floor and the balance beam, the gymnast jumps with both feet, lifting their legs into a one-hundred-eighty degree split with the back leg coming up to touch their head.

Tap Swing Performed on bars, an aggressive tap toward the ceiling in a swinging motion. This gives the gymnast the necessary momentum to swing around the bar to perform a Giant or to go into a release move.

Toe On Swing around the bar with body piked so much the feet are on the bar.

Tour Jete A dance leap where the dancer leaps on one foot, makes a full turn in the air, and lands on the other foot.

Tsavdaridou Performed on beam, a round-off back handspring with full twist to swing down.

Tuck The knees and hips are bent and drawn into the chest, the body is folded at the waist.

Twist The gymnast rotates around the body's longitudinal axis, defined by the spine. Performed on all apparatuses.

Yurchenko Round-off entry onto the board, back handspring onto the vaulting table and Salto off the vault table. The gymnast may twist on the way off.

Chapter One

Kova was a heartless, cunning man. Hate swelled through me at an alarming rate. Rage unlike I’d ever felt before slithered through my veins, consuming me. I detested the ground he walked on, the air he breathed. I loathed every fiber of his being. After everything we shared, after all we knew about each other—our goals and desires in life, our dreams and aspirations—this was the dirtiest move of all, and I wasn't sure how we would come back from it.

There was no one else other than Kova who knew how important each gymnastics meet was on my journey to the Olympics, yet he had the audacity to rip it from me for his own selfish reasons.

His job was to catch me if I fell. Not sweep the rug out from under my feet and watch me hit the ground.

I had played him dirty too, though. I'd threatened rape. A low blow, and I felt terrible for playing that card, but he deserved it. I wanted to ruin him, but ruining him meant ruining myself, and that was something I couldn't chance.

Overcome with exhaustion, I stood at Hayden's car and released an anguish-filled breath. I'd run out to the parking lot to stop him after he caught Kova and me having sex.

The image of Hayden's expression when he barged into Kova's office played like a broken record in my head and slowly seared my brain. Stunned, mortified, shocked, and the absolute worst of all, disappointment had flitted across his face. He'd been rendered speechless and left Kova's office. I had to beg him not to open his mouth and report us to the authorities. And by doing so, I promised to come clean with him. Not something I wanted to do, but I would in return for his word.

I cried into his shoulder, not caring I got my tears and snot all over him. He only hugged me harder to him. My heart ached. My head hurt. I was drowning inside, sinking. The more I thought about the whole thing, the more my heart shattered into a million little pieces. Tears continued to trickle down my cheeks as I cried harder.

I let out a desperate sob, and he kissed the top of my head.

"I can't believe he did this." My voice was muffled in his shirt. "He's heartless, Hayden. He knew how much testing elite meant to me. He knew the Olympics was my endgame since I'd come to World Cup."

"Shhh..." He held me tighter. "Let me take you home."