This was too long to fit in a caption so swipe for the rest! My experience with retirement ❤️ - My good friend recently wrote a column articulating her experiences with retirement. I was hit with a wave of emotions when I read her article to the point where I was holding back tears, because it all resonated. Being the best in the country at something never really hit me until I left my sport, until I no longer held the title that I took for granted because as an athlete I always held the belief that I could’ve been better than I was. So, I never took the time to appreciate what I’d accomplished. Everything at face value has been the “normal” that I’ve always been so curious about. I launched myself into catching up on university and figuring out my career path. There’s also another layer of having the freedom of a “normal” life where I’m not committed to being in a gym 24/7. This new freedom was both liberating and exhausting as I was enjoying the freedom to socialize, try new hobbies, go out, etc. but I was also constantly craving progress. As a person that was raised to orient themself around goals - both short and long term- I found that I was missing the security of having a goal and knowing EXACTLY what I needed to do to achieve it. I’ve found myself chasing that high that I would feel competing at a World Championships or Multi-Sport Games. So, I naively underestimated the extent to which this would all affect me and I overloaded myself, without leaving time to breathe. I thought that the more I did, the better I would become at being “normal.” Don’t do what I did. I forgot (or didn’t know how) to be kind to myself, I forgot to take the time to digest the decision I’d made, and I continuously forgot to put myself first. I’ve had to learn (or I’m trying) to keep my mind open and be okay with not immediately being good at something or just doing something “for the fun of it.”

DARA STOYANOVA: I DREAM OF AN OLYMPIC MEDAL! FOR GOLD!
(author: Loreta Yaniova; photos: Anna Nedkova and personal archive)

In 2023, the World Championship for girls is coming, which will be held in the period July 7-9 in Cluj-Napoca. In the coming weeks, we will present to you the national girls' teams - individual and ensemble, which will fight for the prize honors of the championship in Romania. The series continues with Dara Stoyanova - member of NO girls (individual).

Who is Dara Stoyanova? Tell us a little more about yourself. For family and unconditional support. What advice from your parents will you never forget?
I was born in Pazardzhik, I have an older brother - Denis. Since I was little, I wanted to beat him in everything, I always wanted to be the best, even though I was smaller. Mom and Dad have always supported me and believed in me. They are not ambitious and they have never forced me to do anything that depends on me.

How did your story with rhythmic gymnastics begin? Who 'turned you on', so to speak? Are there any athletes in your family?
I started practicing gymnastics as a joke at the age of 4 in kindergarten. A friend had signed up and I became interested, and I signed up for the group of gymnasts. A little later I had my father take me to the club, to the great hall. There I saw how hard the khakis were doing exercises and I wanted to become like them and even surpass them. No one in my family is professionally involved in sports. My father plays sports for health in the park, and my brother trains for fun - combat sports.

What was the first thing you learned? To my coaches with love - what kind of start did they give you? What is your first conscious memory of the gym? First big race? First honor?
My first coach is Mrs. Velichka Petkova, I started with her since kindergarten and then I went to the "Dilyana Prima" club, where she is the head coach. She taught me so many things that led me to the national team. She taught me not to give up and to grit my teeth until the end and she always knew how to lift me up and how to motivate me in spirit. When there was a problem she was looking for how to solve it and she was with me. At my first competition as an individual gymnast, I won a silver medal and I wasn't very happy, but I didn't show it to anyone.
My first big competition, as a member of the girls' national team, was in Greece. I was very brave there and came third in the hoop. I was satisfied because my coaches were also satisfied, and if they are, then we have done a good job.

What has been the best race of your career so far? Why? And the most difficult and heavy?
The best competition for me in my life was the European Championship in Tel Aviv. The feeling was great, indescribable. It was like I was flying, I knew I could do anything and I felt safe and brave. It was also my first competition of this scale. It was hard to abstract myself from the emotions inside me.

Which successes on the carpet so far will you highlight?
My biggest success is that I went to the European Championships and came third in the team. I was fourth in clubs.

Getting to the national team - how long and difficult was that road?
I trained a lot to get into the national team. I always told myself that what I had trained for the day was not enough and I wanted more and more.

First meetings with the team's senior coach - Raina Tosheva. What is the one lesson you will never forget from working with her?
First dates with the other girls. Was it hard for you to adapt? What are these girls to you?
When I started training with Mrs. Rennie, I got the impression that she is a very good person and a huge perfectionist. She worked with me a lot and in one year I made huge progress. I learned from her that if you work hard, then at the races you will be confident and brave. It was very difficult for me to separate from my family and start with new people. The other girls and I share a lot of things and are friends.

Do you have a talisman or a ritual that you perform before you hit the carpet?
I have an awful lot of talismans. I take them with me to the races. I have no rituals, I'm ready for any competition situation.

Curious about the hall. What do you get reprimanded for most often and are there any penalties?
Most of all, Mrs. Rennie wants me to play clean and do my pirouettes as much as I can. There is no specific remark, but very often he tells me not to rush to show myself everything at once, because there is no way. I have to think element by element.

Outside of gymnastics, do you have any other favorite sports, hobbies? What do you do when you're not working out?
In my free time, I like to go outside and go to the mountains with my family. I really like to walk in the fresh air. I play federball and love to have fun with the new member of our family - Missy the kitten.

Do you have an idol? Do you say to yourself I want to be like her, do you try to follow in her footsteps?
Stiliyana Nikolova is my idol. She is a great competitor and person. It does great pirouettes and is very brave, when I look at her I don't feel worried that she will make a mistake.

If it was a combination, yours, you'd be...
My new hoop. It is on Bulgarian music and is very emotional.

What did you learn from Iliana Raeva? Do you remember your first date?
My first meeting with Iliana Raeva was at a State Championship, I was not yet in the national team. Then he congratulated me and Mrs. Petkova. For me, Mrs. Raeva is unique! Definitely, when she is in the gym, she manages to infect me with her winning spirit. She is an example of a successful and fulfilled person, from whom there is always something to learn.

What do people not know about you?
I'm very emotional. I take everything seriously, even the smallest thing or some kind of joke. This is what distinguishes me in competitions, the emotion I convey to people, but it hinders me in training. I'm working on it.

What's next for you from here? Are you ready to craft the new combinations? What do you dream about and what do you wish for in the new year 2023?
I have control competitions coming up, participation in the International Tournament in Tartu.
We are working very hard - a lot of training and repetitions to further develop my routines.
I dream of an Olympic medal! For gold! For this year, I wish you good health, luck and a medal from the World Championships.