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HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
FUTURE
From page iB
“I’m safety certified, and I
like working here.
“I’ve been doing gymnas
tics myself since I was 3. I’m
also a former competitive
cheerleader and had numer
ous amounts of knee surger
ies.”
Williamson herself reached
Level 6 as a gymnast. Those
who train in gymnastics
achieve levels as they move
along, and the coach said
Optionals is where most
gymnasts strive to reach.
“It’s where you have cer
tain requirements that
are given to you that you
make routines off of,” said
Williamson. “That’s the
peak here in this area. After
Optionals is what you would
call Elite, which would be
Olympic level gymnast.
Optionals is Level 7 through
10, and after that you have
Elite.”
Williamson has all the
necessary gymnastics tools
available to her young stu
dents at the Y facility. Those
include balance beams, par
allel bars and a mat to prac
tice floor exercises. Practices
normally run more than
four hours a day. three days
a week.
“Coaching to me seems
... of course it’s way easier,
but you get just as nervous
as the gymnasts do when
you are on the floor,” said
Williamson. “I prefer coach
ing over competing because I
can experience with each kid
what they are going through.
I went through it, too.
“Most gymnasts do also
compete and coach at the
same time. When they get
to a certain age they can
do both, but they will coach
younger kids. There’s not
much difference, but you
pick how things go. As a
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Williamson
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a hand
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Williamson and Jordan Glosser help Isabella Nunez with a floor exercise move.
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Glosser and
Williamson
help Hailey
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a dismount
from the
uneven bars.
ENI/Gary Harmon
gymnast, you have to do it
the coach’s way.”
As stated above, this will
be a competitive program
where Williamson - along
with her assistant Jordan
Glosser will, once the sea
son begins, take her charges
and put them up against
other clubs in a series of
meets. At the present time,
the Houston County Y has
girls at levels 3 and 4.
“We go through an- AAU
format, which is Georgia’s
Amateur Athletic Union,”
said Williamson. “We prefer
to go through there because
it’s cheaper for the kids and
most gyms in Georgia do
the AAU first before they
go through USA. So what
we are going to do is com
pete everywhere in Georgia.
Each level will compete in
10 meets this season, which
starts in October and goes
through April.
“The AAU season doesn’t
technically start until
January, but we have two or
three meets before then just
to get a jump start.”
The coach added she
doesn’t want to send a girl to
a USA level event until she
reaches Level 5. She said it’s
certainly more costly to com
pete in USA, but there are
rewards such as a chance at
college scholarships. NCAA
programs, she said, are rated
on a letter system depending
on the levels of the gym
nasts.
“Most gymnasts in this
area would probably go to
a ‘B’ or ‘C’ 'school,” said
Williamson, examples being
Florida and .Alabama. “An
‘A’ school is 1 like Georgia,
where everybody is Elite.
“Most gymnasts go to
Level 10 and stop because
they can’t take it anymore,
whether it’s injuries or get
ting too old. You get too old
for gymnastics when you’re
16 or 17. Your body can’t
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ENI/Gary Harmon
YMCA gymnastics students warm up by practicing the bridge move during a class Tuesday.
take it anymore. Most at that
level have competed since
they were 5, and the strain
on the body, the impact, they
can’t do it anymore.”
Once the competitive sea
son begins for the Houston
County Y, Williamson wants
the atmosphere for her girls
to resemble that of a col
lege program in terms of
team spirit. She said indi
vidual honors will be great,
but she’s looking for those
team awards.
“It’s something to do, fun,”
said Williamson about other
benefits in gymnastics. “It
keeps you in shape. It’s just
a great experience.”
SPORTS
Marissa Crum practices a move on the uneven bars.
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3B
ENI/Gary Harmon