Our 2019 seniors signed their National Letter of Intents (NLI) this week. We have compiled all the ones we have found on social media and put them into a gallery. Congrats to all our seniors who officially accepted their college scholarships this week.
[wonderplugin_carousel id=”94″]
Our next 20 Questions Athlete is Gabby Van Frayen from Gym X-Treme in Lewis Center, Ohio. Gabby, who excels all over the gym, is a gem to watch on the floor exercise. She may be small, but she 
certainly is mighty. Gabby is a mixture of high flying tumbling, grace and extreme expression. When Gabby hits the competition floor you can see pure joy in her gymnastics. I had the opportunity to spend a day with Gabby while at Gym X-Treme filming her Eye on 5, she was so wonderful, very personable and polite. Her gymnastics also spoke volumes. This young athlete who travels once a month to Team USA Developmental Camps, will be competing Level 10 for the first time this year, while working on her Elite Skills on her journey towards the Elite Level. Let’s get to know Gabby a little bit better as she begins her first Level 10 JO Season and aims to qualify to her first JO National Championships.
How did you get into gymnastics? How old were you? I got into gymnastics as I wanted to learn how to do a cartwheel. I was 5 years old.
What is your favorite event? My Favorite Event is Floor
Favorite Skill to train/compete? My favorite skill to train/compete is my Front layout front full
Dream Skill? My Dream Skill is The Biles
What is your favorite part of gymnastics? My favorite part of gymnastics is hanging with my friends and meeting new people. Learning the next new skill is also my passion.
What is your favorite meet to compete at? Why? My favorite meet to compete at is Elevate the Stage. I like the elevated stage and got my first 9.825 on vault
Biggest accomplishment in gymnastics so far? My biggest accomplishment in gymnastics so far is being part of the US Developmental Team.
Who do you most admire in the sport of gymnastics? I admire Simone Biles the most in the sport of gymnastics.
What is your favorite Region 5 Insider Feature or Series? My favorite Region 5 Series or Feature is the 20 questions because I get to learn about other girls from region 5
What is your go to playlist or song before meets? My go to playlist before meets is My pump-up playlist
3 Things you could not live without? 3 Things I could not live without would be my friends, family and gymnastics
If you could be any animal, what animal would you be and why? If I could be any 
animal I would be a unicorn because they are unique and powerful.
5 Most Important or Must have Items in your gym bag? The 5 Most Important Must Haves in my gym bag are hair ties, grips, pre-wrap, tape and phone.
Do you have any pre-meet rituals or superstitions? I always eat a piece of fruit on the way to the meet.
What do you like to do outside of Gymnastics? Outside of Gymnastics I like to hang out with friends and family.
Most embarrassing meet moment or gymnastics moment? My most embarrassing meet moment was level 7 and out of my vault I did cartwheel out of my first vault and a forward roll out of the second one.
If you weren’t a gymnast, what sport would you do or try? If I was not a gymnast I would try Volleyball
Which athletes (any sport) do you respect the most and why? An athlete I admire most is Michael Phelps because he is a hard worker.
Most Memorable Gymnastics or JO Nationals Moment? My most memorable Gymnastics or Nationals moment was when I got invited to developmental camp.
What is the most valuable piece of advice or wisdom your coach has given you? The most valuable piece of advice my coach has given me is to believe in my head and heart that I can do it so my body will follow.
Bonus Question: Tell me something interesting about yourself…. I have an athletic twin brother. He is 1 minute older than me and he does swimming.
Check Out Gabby’s Photo Gallery from the 2018 Level 9 Eastern National Championships & Team USA Developmental Camp Training Below
[wonderplugin_carousel id=”93″]
2018 was a breakout year for Elaina McGovern as she qualified to her first JO Nationals. She talks about her regionals experience and the moment she realized she qualified. Elaina was a member of the JR D squad that won the JO National Team title at nationals. She talks about how much fun the competition was and the bonds she made with her teammates during the weekend. Elaina has upgraded for 2019 and is looking forward to another great season. #R5Spotlight #ElainaMcGovern #gymnasticsprofile
Tom Strange from DeVeaus takes the High Performance camp athletes through a bars complex that works the handstand lines and pirouette shapes. He mixes in some great side station drills with the kip casting and giant blinds/pirouette bars stations. #gymnasticstraining #barscomplex #gymnasticstrainingtuesday
2018 JO National Beam Champion Erika Penamante from Legacy Elite breaks down her beam routine that won her the title back in May. She walks us through what she is thinking about during each of her skills. We get to watch from Erika’s point of view during her skills to see what it’s like for the gymnast doing their skills up on the balance beam. #BreakingItDown #ErikaPenamante #GoProGymnastics
