Gymnastics is the hardest sport in the world. Yes, you heard me right. Those girls you see magically flying across the bars are nothing short of superhuman. They have dedicated their whole lives to training extremely hard so that they can master their craft and wow audiences across the world.
I fell head over heels in love with gymnastics when the 1996 Women’s Olympic gymnastics team won the gold medal. It inspired me because they worked hard and struggled to make it to the top of that mountain, but they did it! After watching that win, I was hooked. I wanted to discover more about this amazing sport than you could ever imagine. I bought all of the books I could find about the Magnificent Seven, but I was most intrigued by Dominique Moceanu’s autobiography, particularly because it had a skills glossary in the back that I could learn from.
It wasn’t long after I became enthralled with gymnastics that I discovered that the local college, Louisiana State University, had a talented gymnastics team of their own. Going to LSU meets and seeing the gymnasts live not only reinforced my understanding of the skills, but it helped me fall even more deeply in love with the sport.
Having a physical disability that leaves me confined to a wheelchair, I am amazed by these girls and their flexibility, especially because I have a physical disability that leaves me confined to a wheelchair. Watching gymnastics helps me forget about my spasms and pain, and it fills my heart with abundant joy, too.
Having followed LSU gymnastics for most of my life, I have seen some amazing gymnasts with incredible skill and have met some wonderful friends who understand my undying love for gymnastics. I have had the incredible opportunity to see many of LSU’s gymnasts go on to do incredible things with their lives, and my heart overflows with happiness for them!
2019 has been an incredible year for LSU’s gymnastics team. It has been an absolute joy to see the ladies kill it in the SEC Championships and become the runner -p at the national championship. Like all teams, they had their struggles, too, but I never lost faith in the team’s strength and togetherness. I’m thankful from the bottom of my heart that the LSU ladies have dedicated their lives to such a beautiful sport and made me smile along the way. I know they are destined for amazing things, and I can’t wait to see them shine even more.
