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2007 Maryland Outstanding Gymnasts Level 10 Kelsey McDermid,
Hill’s BACKGROUND: Kelsey is currently a senior at Coaches Comments: Kelsey is a member of Hill’s big
sister program, helping our young gymnasts. She was voted Team Captain in
2006 & 2007 by her coaches. She was voted Angel of the Year by her
teammates in 2006. Kelsey is always willing to help her teammates and shows
great sportsmanship. She is a great team mate and friend and most of all a
good person. What does your involvement in My involvement in Level 9 Jamie DePaola,
Carroll BACKGROUND: Jamie is a senior with a 3.8 GPA.
She tutors for children at school who have learning disabilities, volunteers
with Special Olympics, and a member of the Coaches Comments: Jamie has always been supportive of
her teammates. She is the one you can hear cheering them on across the gym
during practice. When a teammate has a bad night, she is always there to
comfort her and help her through it.
She is an excellent role model for the younger children at the gym.
They all look up to her for strength and guidance and are amazed at her
abilities. I feel Jamie’s hard work and dedication to gymnastics,
combined with her sportsmanship and selflessness make her
an excellent candidate for this award. What does your involvement in When I first began gymnastics it
was love at first cartwheel. It’s that passion when nothing else can
stand in your way. Gymnastics has taught me that no amount of pain or fear
can stand in the way of something if you want it bad enough. I have also
learned that heart cannot be taught. You have to want to be there, you have
to go in with the positive mind set that you know you’ve got it and if
something doesn’t go as planned, you know you gave it your best shot.
Gymnastics has taught me that the true athlete accepts second best,
congratulating the girl in first. In gymnastics you can just let go, and you
know you are flying without wings. You know that no matter what, you gave it
your best and that’s when you walk away with a smile. Level 8 Sara Miller, Harford BACKGROUND: Sara is a senior with a 4.0 GPA.
She is a member of the National Honor Society, French Honor Society, Tri-M
Music Honor Society, class of 2007 Senate, Symphonic Orchestra, Pit
Orchestra, Model UN, Environment Club, Delta Epsilon Chi Association, and
Future Business Leaders of America Club. She is also active in violin
tutoring, community service, and teaches gymnastics. Coaches Comments: Sara has been such a valuable gymnast
at Harford. She is a great leader by example, taking 3 times as many turns as
the rest of her team. She is so considerate of her teammates and coaches
– always willing to lend an ear, offer advice and suggestions, and is
always eager to get feedback from her coaches. She never complains, always
does what is asked from her – if not more, which is why she has been
able to overcome some fear obstacles. She often helps others going through
similar difficulties. She is a wonderful teacher to our class kids and just
gives our gym so much of her time. She has been so valuable to all aspects of
our program, and will be greatly missed as she moves on with the rest of her
life after graduation. What does your involvement in It’s hard to even begin to
explain what my involvement in Level 7 Leah Dunn, 1st Class BACKGROUND: Leah attends fourth grade at
Belvedere Elementary School in Arnold, MD. She is on the Principal’s
Honor Roll with Straight As and participates in the Coaches Comments: Leah is a delightful young athlete
with a great personality. Any gymnastics coach would enjoy having the
opportunity to train Leah. She is
energetic, hard working, determined, intelligent, and talented. She approaches
gymnastics with excellent habits. She is usually the first one done with her
assignments, does extra work without hesitation, and encourages others to do
the same. Leah is a role model for our team and recreational programs. She
has inspired a number of students and families. Leah exhibits great
sportsmanship and has a solid understanding of friendly competition. She has
numerous friends from her team and various other gyms. She has built comrades
and skills that will last beyond gymnastics. She clearly enjoys performances
and has a solid foundation for her future. What does your involvement in Gymnastics means a lot to me!
Gymnastics is like having a lot of sisters. It is fun traveling to different
places and I see my friends from other gyms. I like to shake people’s
hands and say good job at the awards. Skills are hard but rewarding after you
have learned them. They help me in other sports I
like to do like heeling on my new shoes that have wheels in the bottom. I
always like to do my best and have fun. Gymnastics is fun performing in front
of an audience. Level 6 Clare Singer, Hill’s BACKGROUND: Clare is in 5th grade
at Green Acres School in Rockville, where she plays for the school soccer, basketball,
and softball teams. She also plays the flute and flies model airplanes. Coaches Comments: Clare is very supportive to me and her
teammates. She helps whenever needed, works hard and tries her best every
time. School head’s Comments: I write in support of Clare
Singer’s nomination for the Maryland Outstanding Gymnast Level 6 Award
this year. Our school does not provide letter grades until grade 7, so I hope
this note might serve as a substitute for the requested GPA. Clare is universally regarded as a
sterling person and a prodigiously talented student. If we computed academic
averages, Clare would earn a four-point-oh-my-goodness. She is utterly
engrossed in her work, among the top students in every academic pursuit, and
a true phenom in math, described by our fifth grade
teacher of 18 years as one of the strongest students he has ever encountered.
It is not an exaggeration to say that Clare could easily excel in
eighth-grade material, but we applaud her parents for choosing to nurture
Clare’s social and emotional health as well as her intellectual
development. I am certain that her luminous intellect will be not only
undimmed, but affirmed and anchored by this expression of her family’s
values. It is hard to imagine a fifth-grader with more marks in the assets
column, and fewer liabilities, than Clare Singer. She is an intellectual
marvel, and I’ll wager that against a hard number anytime. She deserves
the most careful consideration and the most enthusiastic possible recommendation. What does your involvement in I lie
gymnastics because it is challenging and really fun. I think the hard parts
about gymnastics are learning new skills, overcoming fears, and keeping
skills you just got. Learning new skills is so much fun. It’s fun to do
something you’ve never done before, but it’s sometimes a little
scary. When you get a new skill you feel really good about yourself, because
you know all your hard work paid off. Being on a team is really fun. I like
it because you know someone will always be there for me to cheer me on. It is
fun to be working on a skill really hard in practice, and then go to a meet
and do it really well. It gives me a sense of achievement. Level 5 Mallory Rolleston, Twisters BACKGROUND: Mallory is in 4th
grade with a straight A average. She spends free time with family
friends, going to her brother’s and sister’s high school sporting
events, attends church and religious education classes, and enjoys going to
the beach, and fishing or crabbing with her dad. Coaches Comments: Mallory is a determined, confident,
young gymnast. Mallory has a presence about her; she is a wonder to coach as
she is always working hard in the gym. Mallory has seen much success this
year as a Level 5 gymnast. Yet, no matter how well she does at competitions
or how many medals she receives she will return to the gym and give 110%
efforts. Even when Mallory does not perform to the best of her ability, she
uses it as a learning experience and as motivation to improve her gymnastics.
Mallory is confident that her hard work and determination is the key to
success and achieving her goals. Mallory is driven and determined! We call
her our little robot, no matter what the task Mallory is up for it without
hesitation or question. She is wonderful to coach and with all of her hard
work she is sure to be a gymnast that will make it far and become a star! What does your involvement in I love gymnastics because it is a
hardworking sport and you can show all of your hard work off. When I compete
I feel so good. I feel like I’m the one everyone should be looking at.
What I love about USA Gymnastics mostly is competing and having fun with my
teammates. Another thing about gymnastics is when I reach my goals I feel
proud of myself. I have learned to concentrate and focus and have gotten far
in Level 5. I love being a member of the gymnastics world. I have great
teammates, coaches, and a gym to practice. Level 4 Mackenzie Hodgson, Twisters BACKGROUND: Mackenzie is a 3rd
Grader with a 4.0 Straight A average. She is also a
member of the Children’s Church Choir. Coaches Comments: Mackenzie Hodgson is a gymnast much
like a flower waiting to blossom. Mackenzie is in her second year of
competition. She has worked extremely hard to achieve the success she has in
this competitive season. Not only
is Mackenzie a hard worker she is also a positive team player. Mackenzie did
not make it to states in her first year of competition yet she attended each
session of the state meet in order to support each and every one of her
teammates. Mackenzie has always been a true team player both at practice and
at competition. She is always excited when her teammates do well, even when
they receive medals and she goes home empty handed. Mackenzie didn’t
receive any awards her first year of gymnastics but still had the perseverance
to continue on this year. She has been very patient in making corrections and
polishing her form as this hard work as lead to her success as a Maryland
Level 4 Gymnast. Mackenzie’s hard work and perserverance
during last summer and this year has allowed her to understand the technique
and form necessary to allow her into a successful competitive gymnast.
Mackenzie has grown as a gymnast into the beautiful flower that we had always
hoped and knew that she could become! This year is just the beginning for
Mackenzie. The struggles that she has overcome have made her a strong and
positive influence for her teammates, a true example to follow. What does your involvement in Being involved in gymnastics
means that I am an important part of a team. I believe that being a good
gymnast doesn’t always mean getting good scores. It means being a good
team member and supporting my teammates. I learned that a team depends on
each person and through that team I have made a lot of lasting friendships.
When I first started competing I didn’t get good scores but I never
became discouraged I just worked harder. This year all my hard work paid
off. My coaches always had faith
in me and never gave up on me. I love being a gymnast! |
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