By Katie von Behren
Staff Writer
Competing in the Olympics is one of the greatest honors for athletes in the sports community. Sophomore Claire Hadley hopes to reach her goal of competing on the Olympic gymnastics team.
Hadley was first introduced to gymnastics in preschool by a program called Gymstars where she attended recreational classes. After getting involved with gymnastics, Hadley worked her way up through the competitive levels.
“I love being part of a sport that is unique,” Hadley said. “It is not something that everyone is able to do.”
Hadley is currently on the level 10 team at Broadway Gymnastic School in Marina Del Rey. Level 10 is the highest team that a gymnast can compete on before reaching the elite level, which is a springboard to an opportunity to compete at the Olympic level. Hadley competes in competitions throughout California and out-of-state.
“Gymnastics is a very rigorous workout where you are constantly pushing yourself to do one more routine or throw one more tumbling pass,” Hadley said. “My gym is truly my second home, and I am closer to my teammates than anyone else, which makes the work a little more fun.”
Since beginning competitive gymnastics nine years ago, Hadley has won many awards and titles, including California State Champion in 2011, which qualified her for the Western Nationals Competition. Hadley has even been forced to compete against some of her own teammates.
“Even though it’s hard sometimes to be competing against your friends, we still always cheer each other on,” Hadley’s teammate, Casandra Diaz, said. “We understand how hard each skill is and know what it takes to have gotten this far, so we only want the best for one another.”
Hadley currently competes in all four events, but her favorite event is the vault. At each competition, Hadley performs a floor routine, which is a combination of tumbling skills choreographed with dance. She also competes on the bars and performs two vaults in one competition. Lastly, Hadley performs a beam routine in which she does a back handspring layout.
“Claire is one of those special gymnasts that can pick up on new skills quickly and has the determination to work on her routines consistently,” Hadley’s coach, Kort Borg, said. “It’s great that she still has passion and dedication for gymnastics.”
Although gymnastics is a huge time commitment, Hadley dreams of pursuing the sport in the future and receiving a gymnastics scholarship to a four-year university.
“I rarely get the chance to hang out with friends, and I have to manage my time in order to get everything done,” Hadley said. “It may seem crazy but that’s my life, and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”
Leave a Reply