Flip Side

Despite her Russian heritage, seventeen-year-old Nina Solomon is exactly like any other American teenager, except for one major difference. Unlike her friends, she spends hours in the gym working toward her dream of becoming an Olympian. After holding a place on the US National Team for a year, her chances of achieving what she’s worked her entire life for are within reach, that is, until she fails a mandatory doping test. Forced into suspension until the investigation can be completed, Nina accepts an offer to train with the Russian gymnastics team. Unexpected friendships arise, trips to Moscow create much needed distractions, and a love she never knew existed await all while Nina works to prove her innocence. The European Championships in Paris are the last competition and will determine if she makes it to the Olymipics as part of the Russian team. And once again, things don’t go according to plan.

Despite her Russian heritage, seventeen-year-old Nina Solomon is exactly like any other American teenager, except for one major difference. Unlike her friends, she spends hours in the gym working toward her dream of becoming an Olympian. After holding a place on the US National Team for a year, her chances of achieving what she’s worked her entire life for are within reach, that is, until she fails a mandatory doping test. Forced into suspension until the investigation can be completed, Nina accepts an offer to train with the Russian gymnastics team. Unexpected friendships arise, trips to Moscow create much needed distractions, and a love she never knew existed await all while Nina works to prove her innocence. The European Championships in Paris are the last competition and will determine if she makes it to the Olymipics as part of the Russian team. And once again, things don’t go according to plan.

Lena Lario once woke up on a balance beam without remembering how she got there. She was a gymnast in Russia and the United States, scoring 9.95 during the last year of her gymnastics career. She later learned that the judges hesitated to give her a perfect 10.0, so she decided to become a judge who is not afraid to recognize perfection. She lives in Minnesota with her husband and two children.