A gymnastics balance beam (平衡木) is just 4 inches wide, but whether it sits an inch off the floor or the standard 4 feet, the challenge it causes for excellent gymnasts is the same.
That's how gymnast Morgan Hurd explains it. "Beam is one of those things that are more mental than anything," she said. "If you can do it on the floor, you can do it on the beam." That's the way she is taking as she trains for the delayed Tokyo Olympic Games in the living room of her Delaware home.
First State Gymnastics has been her training site since fifth grade but it is closed because of the coronavirus (新冠病毒) pandemic. Hurd has only one piece of gymnastics equipment: a balance beam that is quite close the ground and is roughly half the standard length of 16 feet, 5 inches. But she has no uneven bars (高低杠) in her house. "The hardest thing will be bars just because that feeling can not be replaced, no matter what you do or how strong you are," Hurd said.
These days, Hurd's self-directed training includes two workouts daily, three hours in the morning and another two hours in the afternoon, six days a week. She regularly talks to Slava Glazounov, who has been her coach since fifth grade. Hurd is in charge of her practising, such as the stretches and exercises that keep up her strength.
Equally important to Hurd is staying in touch with her teammates on the U.S. national team.
Sunisa Lee is a close friend, who, in April, shared a video of herself in her yard.
