Standing in her gymnastics gym on Wednesday Oct. 19th, junior Haley Minor shares her experiences. “Some of the hardest things about gymnastics are keeping your skills consistent and building up strength during competition season.” Minor said.
Dedication to gymnastics creates opportunities for junior Haley Minor
Minor benefits from her involvement in the sport, despite the large time commitment
Every day, junior Haley Minor spends her evenings at Pinnacle Gymnastics perfecting her balance beam, vault, floor and bar skills. Currently in her ninth year of competitive gymnastics, Haley’s passion takes up nearly all her free time. Balancing school, family and friends with the sport proves a challenge that Haley has learned to overcome because of her constant dedication.
Though her parents made the decision to start her in gymnastics when she was little, Haley decided to continue with it.
“I decided to stick with it because I liked all the events. It’s just always been my thing,” Haley said.
Haley’s mother, Kathy Minor, invests herself in gymnastics for Haley because she understands how much it means to her.
“Gymnastics is important to Haley because she truly loves the sport. She loves to practice and try new things,” Kathy said. “It’s important to me because she loves it so much.”
According to Haley, there is not just one reason as to why she enjoys gymnastics.
“I like pretty much everything about gymnastics. I like to travel, because we travel all over for our competitions. It’s a lot of fun,” Haley said. “My favorite event is vault. I like the feeling of flying that you get. I also really like learning and accomplishing new skills.”
Balancing gymnastics with school and other activities can be difficult, but Kathy believes that it has helped Haley learn important life lessons and prepare for her future.
“Haley has grown as a gymnast because of her talent, improving in her levels and earning new awards,” Kathy said. “She’s learned how to manage her time with school, family, friends and work. It can be a tough balance, but she works hard at it.”
Experiences from gymnastics are helpful for everyday life, according to Haley.
“It shows me a lot of discipline. Having gymnastics all the time keeps me fit and it’s just something I really love to do,” Haley said. “It’s helped me learn how to always have a positive attitude, even when times are tough or aren’t going well.”
Though competitive gymnastics is expensive, Kathy believes that the benefits and experiences outweigh the cost.
“Being so involved in gymnastics has affected our family financially because it does cost a lot of money, but I’ve gotten to travel with her and have a lot of great memories which is really important to me,” Kathy said.
Haley appreciates the support from her teammates and family even though gymnastics takes up her free time.
“I’m with my team almost every day. They encourage me to do my best all the time and they’re always there for me,” Haley said. “Gymnastics definitely takes time away from hanging out with my friends and family or doing things after school, but it’s worth it.”
According to Kathy, she will always support Haley and believes that no matter what happens, gymnastics has played an important role in her daughter’s life.
“She is the most dedicated, hard working person I know. I admire all of her accomplishments and am 100 percent behind whatever she chooses,” Kathy said. “Her dream is college gymnastics and I support that completely. But even if she chose to quit tomorrow, the wonderful person that she’s become is well worth every penny, tear and pile of sweat.”