I tried many sports when I was younger. Basketball, ice skating, baseball, dance. But I could never find the sport for me. I started gymnastics when I was five, and I instantly fell in love. The gym was a place where I could go to bounce around and have fun. Like most children, I was a ball of energy.

After participating in basic gymnastics classes for a few years, I was placed on a competitive team at nine years old. I still thought of gymnastics as a place to fool around. I never imagined myself actually getting to a high level.

As I grew older, I improved rapidly. I still enjoyed gymnastics but started to take it more seriously. At the age of twelve I realized that the gym I was practicing in no longer fit my goals. I knew I had to leave my gym in order to improve, but this was the gym I had grown up in. The gym was like my second home, the coaches like my parents, and my teammates like my sisters. Moving away from this gym felt like abandoning my family.

At my new gym, I switched to an intense program, involving twenty hours a week of training during the school year. I was hesitant to join because of this strict regime, as my old gym only practiced around ten hours per week, but I gained new skills quickly. The coaches were much stricter and the training was harsher, but nevertheless, I loved it. As I started to improve, my hip began to bother me. Everyday I would cry in the car after practice from the piercing pain. I began to dread going to practice because I was in agony. My love for gymnastics faded.

I flew to California last year and got surgery on my torn hip muscle. I made a great comeback at the gym and quickly got all my skills back, but then I sprained my foot in July and broke my finger in September.

Despite the injuries, I would not trade gymnastics for anything in the world. The strenuous conditioning, early mornings, late nights, and four hours a day after school in the gym seem crazy to some people. My hands are constantly bloody and ripped and my body aches like a ninety year old’s, but the feeling of adrenaline after nailing a new skill and the happiness I get from overcoming fears makes up for all of the hardships. Gymnastics is such a breathtaking sport, combining both grace and power. The sport is literally judged on perfection.

If you ask most gymnasts, including me, they will say that gymnastics is not fun. People tend to see petite gymnasts in sparkling leotards without realizing all the work and dedication that goes on behind the scenes. People wonder why I still do this sport that is tearing apart my body, but to me, gymnastics is more than a sport, its my life. All the sprains, bruises, sweat, breaks, and tears has shaped me into the person I am today. The stress and pressure that weighs down on me like a rock has taught me discipline and perseverance. Gymnastics has taught me how to work hard and accept my failures. Crashing and falling has taught me about second chances and how to handle my emotions. If there’s one thing I have learned from this sport it's that you don't chose gymnastics, gymnastics chooses you. And if gymnastics chooses you then consider yourself lucky because you won't find anything else quite like it.