Women Tell me about the underdogs

[Carorainydays]

Tell me about the girls who started late but made it
Tell me about the girls everyone thought was crazy
Tell me about the girls who made it to collegiate even though they were so far away
Tell me about the underdogs everyone shouldve rooted for or they did root for

 

[TumbleTimes4]

My daughter was diagnosed with a mild form of femoral anteversion, which is an inward twisting of her femur bones. While her daily life is not impacted, it means that her legs are incapable of completely straightening and forming those beautiful lines that everyone loves to see from gymnasts. She will always be deducted for her lines and when she first started at level 3, was told she would probably max out at level 5, never being able to do Optionals. She has had to fight for every tenth and every skill, because she isn’t naturally talented.

This year she competed in her first level 6 meet and even managed to score in the top 3 on bars in the entire session, beating out some past state champions. She will compete level 7 next season, and she is training a few level 8 skills.

It’s not an Olympic Cinderella underdog story, but I’m proud of my little underdog and her drive to surpass the expectations placed on her. Her story won’t end with an Olympic medal or a college scholarship, but it will end with her knowing and testing when she has met her full potential and not because of someone’s estimate of when that potential would be met without providing the chance to exceed that.

I think you can realistic in expectations, but still work hard to see if you can surpass them. No one can fully predict the future. That’s why underdog stories exist.

 

[ProudGymnast]

A young lady from my old gym went from the little gym, to bronze xcel, to scoring out of level 4 and 5, to level 7 first all around every meet. It was quite interesting watching her move up. Her USAG records must be all over the place.

 

[John]

I'll play. My daughter started gymnastics at 5 in usaigc. Showed promise. At 10 I thought a move was called for and I found the chalk bucket, so much good advice. It was said usag would be tough and it is. She broke her elbow during covid-19 shutdown which forced a repeat of level 9 this year. She is back to herself, it took a while. She is training hard and pushing for new skills. This sport is very demanding sometimes I wonder if it's not what she wants for the next 8 years, she is in 8th grade, she should move on. She is mature enough now to think about her future. She asked if she could take ownership of my instagram, that was used to share gymnastics with her grandparents. It's now a college showcase. Only time will tell.

 

[Eleven sol]

This is not an Olympic bound story either, by any means. My kid was always one of this kids who could do 3 events; she had leg strength, overall flexibility and dance as strengths but upper body strength/bars were not good. For years she couldn’t even do a proper pull-up and was stuck at xcel silver and then gold. Then something happened after puberty, she got immensely stronger. She got many bars skills within a couple years; it was exciting. She competed her first platinum meet this last weekend and qualified for state and was 2nd on beam and tied for highest score on floor. Bars still is her weak event after all those years of not being strong enough, but she’s enjoying it now and gaining steadily.

 

[GYM0M]

How about a little 5 year old girl who started in her small town no-name gym with no elites and very few high level gymnasts who signed her National Team Handbook with these same coaches at this same gym 10 years later (yesterday, lol)!!

 

[Lucia]

How about a little 5 year old girl who started in her small town no-name gym with no elites and very few high level gymnasts who signed her National Team Handbook with these same coaches at this same gym 10 years later (yesterday, lol)!!

Yay! Congrats to her!!

 

[gymmom10]

Ok, here’s ours- my daughter wanted so badly to be a college gymnast but started too late and at a not very serious gym. Started team at 9 years old. Switched to a better gym along the line. Reached L10 as a Junior in HS with the hope that she would make it even as a walk on to one of the lower ranked teams. Had an incredible first L10 season and got a scholarship to a top school. The end! (Well not quite! Still in progress!). Never give up hope!

 

[PeanutsMom]

My daughter did all the compulsory levels..3,4,5 for entire seasons. She was lucky to get one 34.00 AA score each season. She came home with 1 medal per season for levels 3 and 4. Level 5 she almost always medaled on floor and consistently earned 9.2 or above on floor (these were her first 9s in 3 seasons of competing). She competed level 6 last year pre-Covid and was finally scoring 9s on bars and beam and qualified for state before everything shut down. She had very few level 7 meets this year, but managed personal bests on 3 of 4 events at state (including 9s on floor and beam and high 8s on bars and vault). She may never be an AA champion, but her skills are improving every year, her confidence (which has lacked forever) is improving, and her leaps make me breathless. They are honestly my very favorite skill she ever does. She is growing into a beautiful gymnast even if it doesn't mean the top of the podium and I am proud of her every single day. She is trying for level 8, she has a ways to go, but next season is way off.

 

[Deleted member 26368]

My daughter did all the compulsory levels..3,4,5 for entire seasons. She was lucky to get one 34.00 AA score each season. She came home with 1 medal per season for levels 3 and 4. Level 5 she almost always medaled on floor and consistently earned 9.2 or above on floor (these were her first 9s in 3 seasons of competing). She competed level 6 last year pre-Covid and was finally scoring 9s on bars and beam and qualified for state before everything shut down. She had very few level 7 meets this year, but managed personal bests on 3 of 4 events at state (including 9s on floor and beam and high 8s on bars and vault). She may never be an AA champion, but her skills are improving every year, her confidence (which has lacked forever) is improving, and her leaps make me breathless. They are honestly my very favorite skill she ever does. She is growing into a beautiful gymnast even if it doesn't mean the top of the podium and I am proud of her every single day. She is trying for level 8, she has a ways to go, but next season is way off.

I love this. Personal bests and improvements are what it's all about! On a similar note, my DD's favorite routine of the season was when she almost face-planted on her beam mount during her first meet. Freak accident, her hand slipped. She pulled it together and had a gorgeous routine otherwise. She was mad at the end, but I was proud that she finished strong (even scored a 9.05 after the "fall").

 

[Gigsmajigs]

My gymnast started rec classes 2.5 years ago at age 9. Within 6 months she moved to XCEL Bronze which she competed last year, this year she’s an XCEL Gold, and it appears that she may be being prepped by the gym owner to switch to JO Level 6 or 7 next year after scoring out of 4 and 5. I have no clue where she gets her athleticism because it’s certainly not from me.

 

[PeanutsMom]

I love this. Personal bests and improvements are what it's all about! On a similar note, my DD's favorite routine of the season was when she almost face-planted on her beam mount during her first meet. Freak accident, her hand slipped. She pulled it together and had a gorgeous routine otherwise. She was mad at the end, but I was proud that she finished strong (even scored a 9.05 after the "fall").

Last year as a Level 6 she scored an actual 0.00 on vault. She landed with her butt on the table on her first vault. Ran hard for the second one and landed with her feet on the table rather than the mat. Usually a botched event meant the meet was over for her, but she went to bars and scored her first 9 ever on bars. It was a big day for her. That was the first time she was able to move on after a bad event and it showed grace and maturity. I was super proud of that moment. That 0.00 was a huge blessing in hindsight.

 

[ProudGymnast]

Last year as a Level 6 she scored an actual 0.00 on vault. She landed with her butt on the table on her first vault. Ran hard for the second one and landed with her feet on the table rather than the mat. Usually a botched event meant the meet was over for her, but she went to bars and scored her first 9 ever on bars. It was a big day for her. That was the first time she was able to move on after a bad event and it showed grace and maturity. I was super proud of that moment. That 0.00 was a huge blessing in hindsight.

Aww this makes me happy The hardest thing is to keep going when you fall/fail, kudos to her for shaking it right off!

 

[bagira]

Ok, here’s ours- my daughter wanted so badly to be a college gymnast but started too late and at a not very serious gym. Started team at 9 years old. Switched to a better gym along the line. Reached L10 as a Junior in HS with the hope that she would make it even as a walk on to one of the lower ranked teams. Had an incredible first L10 season and got a scholarship to a top school. The end! (Well not quite! Still in progress!). Never give up hope!

Thanks for sharing! My daughter is sophomore level 9, and starting talking about college recently. We both understand that it's a high goal (long shot), but you just never know!

 

[bagira]

No college, or elite here, but here is a story of my younger daughter. She struggled with bars for many years, took 2-3 years for a consistent straight arm kip, repeated level 4, only handful of times scoring above 8.0 in compulsories on bars. Was level 6 and progressing when Covid hit... After Covid break she came back to the gym, and her coach was worried, she couldn't do a kip or much of anything on bars... Repeated level 6 this year, and somewhere along the road bars began to click, and she started consistently making CHS. At state bar warm ups she fell over on CHS, and I thought, well, now she would play it safe in the routine. Well, she did a beautiful routine and stuck her fly away. When the score came up, we were floored, it was 9.75! She never scored remotely this high on anything ever! Ended up 2nd on bars and very happy. Trying to get her giants now!

 

[duyetanh]

No college as of yet. Don't know if it will ever happen. But as a level 2 she was told she could watch the team compete and be given the leo and warmups, because she just "wasn't there yet." Yeah, that was a fun ride home that night. She actually proved the coach wrong and did compete every meet as a level two....and totally s*cked. She also seriously s*cked as a level 4, was marginal as a level six (but mainly s*cked), was actually decent as a level 7, semi decent at level 8, semi decent at level 9, and now is a level 10 who is....surprise...semi decent. She will never make nationals or any of those special teams because she has a hard time going 4 for 4.....she is a solid 3 for 4 girl, which a lot of girls are. And she never seems to have the same issue on the same event, so we never know which event will be the issue, which is always fun (not). Facts are facts, you really have to hit your stuff to make it. But this said, she HAS made it in my opinion, and doesn't need any going to nationals to prove it. Getting all the way to level 10 is something a very low percentage of girls do, and it's a huge accomplishment. And when I think back to the coach who told her she wasn't good enough to compete with the team (after practicing with them for six months), well.....she can stick it.
Hah.

 

[DonPerl]

My DD started team at 7.5 years old. The coach barely accepted her on the team and even told me that she is accepting her only because her younger sister made team and she felt obligated to accept her as well. They told her she wasn't very talented. Boy did she prove them wrong. She is now 11 years old and training for level 9. She worked so hard to succeed. During the first 2 years as a level 3 and 4, she was below average and never medaled, but she didn't give up and then at level 5 and 7 suddenly she started medaling, skipped 6 and did a half a year as an 8 and here she is training for level 9, to compete as a level 9 this year.

 

[trampolinemom]

The Dutch WAGC gymnast Else Geurts has a great and impressive story. When in youth elite she was once send away by one of the top gyms for being not talented enough. She did continued to do elite in different clubs however, closing the ranks in junior elite most of the time, but now peaking as a senior. She recently got added to the senior National Team recently. This after being the only one that was not allowed to train in lockdown because she was not on the National Team. Olympic qualifiers followed and she impressed everyone by winning the first one. In the end now the decision was made to take her to the Olympics as an alternate. I think she should have gotten a place on the team. She is currently trained by Aimee Boorman.