The Official Student News Site of Parkway West High

Pathfinder
The Official Student News Site of Parkway West High

Pathfinder
The Official Student News Site of Parkway West High

Pathfinder
“I joined the Poms team because I like performing. I [have done] gymnastics since I was a little kid but I really wanted to do dance because I wanted to try performing in front of the school and my friends. Gymnastics is also really hard on your body, it takes up a lot of your time. I had practice every day for five hours and that was very exhausting. I wanted to try something new. Dance and gymnastics are similar, you're still performing but dance is more performing to a lot of people and interacting with the crowd, whereas gymnastics is you're doing it by yourself. A lot of my friends were dancing and I had watched them for so many years. I wanted to do that and then when I made the team, I was so happy to get the opportunity. We really bring each other up on the team. The difference between gymnastics and dance is with gymnastics you have to do it for yourself, but in dance you're doing it for other people. I think that really motivates everyone to do their best. I was definitely very nervous when I first started to be seen by everyone and show everyone what I could do. I realized though we practice so much and we know what we're doing, so to just have fun.” -Abby Cauley, 11

Abby Cauley

Amelia Bothmann, CJ1 Writer • May 17, 2023

“Something I am hoping to do in the future is college gymnastics. I have currently been doing gymnastics for 13 years, and my parents first put me in because they needed to find a way to get me out of the house. I have practice five days a week, and I compete from December through May. I have met some of my best friends through gymnastics, and my teammates and coaches motivate me to improve because just seeing my teammates work hard and progress makes me want to improve too. I’ve faced a few injuries throughout the years, and it can be really hard to recover from them. Because my practices are so often, if I’m injured I have to miss a lot of the time which can be really damaging to my improvement because gymnastics is all about repetition and it’s hard to get back into it after you take time off. I definitely want to do gymnastics in college, and I’m currently trying to get recruited by emailing coaches and sending videos of my gymnastics skills.” - Ava Bauman, 11

Ava Bauman

Angie Ren, Staff Writer • May 15, 2023

“My parents were really involved with school for me, they would always ask about my grades and stress the importance of school. I think that contributed to my desire to do well in school and take hard classes and I think it’s going to be very helpful for me in the future. I was really looking for a city vibe in college, and I recently just committed to Loyola so it’s gonna be really nice to have Chicago so close to me. The campus is beautiful and really close to the lake. I didn’t want a huge school in a college so Loyola is perfect. I regret not sticking with some of the sports [I played growing up]. I did gymnastics until junior year and I feel like I could have done a lot more. I feel like there's unfinished business there. Someone that impacted me growing up was my older sister Abby, she was always there for me when I needed her and always encouraged me to aim high and pursue my passions. I’m looking forward to college because I’m gonna be in a new city and I’ll get to make new friends. I’m super excited to be on my own and start my future,” - Tristan Caudill, 12

Tristan Caudill

Lia Emry, Staff Writer • February 22, 2023

Freshman Tristan Caudill practices a handstand in a field. Caudill pushed to try new things even when they seemed intimidating. “My coaches always tell me ‘get comfortable with being uncomfortable,’” Caudill said. “A lot of what you're going to do is stuff that you will not be comfortable with, but if you don't get comfortable with that, you're not going to progress at all."

Aiming for nationals: freshman Tristan Caudill competes in the VIP Classic gymnastics tournament

Sophia Frobish, Staff Writer • March 31, 2020

Working on moves like double flips and twists, freshman Tristan Caudill attended the VIP Classic Trampoline and Tumbling (T&T) competition Feb. 27 to March 1 in hopes of qualifying for nationals.    Caudill...

Matthys-Pearce shows off a skill she’s been working on to take to the regional competition April 13. Visualization and repetition are tools Matthys-Pearce uses to help her pin down her skills during practice, along with keeping a positive attitude. “I have a script written out that I say of all my mental cues, so I don’t get in my head and worry. I do this in practice too, so it’s the same. I really work to keep it more consistent. I started it this year and have already seen a huge improvement in my consistency,” Matthys-Pearce said. “During the routine I tell myself to just breathe and enjoy it because you don’t get to do gymnastics all your life. It’s a very limited time, so you’ve just got to enjoy it.”

Freshman Paige Matthys-Pearce brings dedication and perseverance to Regionals

Brinda Ambal, Conceptual Editor-in-Chief • April 12, 2019

The gym is a blur of activity, a whirlwind of nerves, excitement and raw competition. In the midst of it all, standing proud in a pink and black sparkly leotard, is freshman Paige Matthys-Pearce: winner...

Sophomore Abby Socha does a cast handstand on bars at the World Class meet.

Sophomore Abby Socha prepares for regionals

Gabby Leon, STAFF WRITER • April 5, 2017

After competing at over 50 gymnastics meets, spending countless hours at practice and learning different skills for over 13 years, sophomore Abby Socha has risen to level nine out of 10. “Level nine...

Sophomore Austin Valenti practices his parkour stunts outside.

Parkour kids climb to new heights

Nico Stranquist, Staff Writer • May 4, 2015
Batman can scale walls, jump across buildings and quickly hurdle over obstacles. In parkour, people practice stunts and maneuvers similar to those in the movies.
Working on a research project, freshman Joe Roseman uses a Chromebook in the library.

POW: Joe Roseman, 9

Jacob Cupps, Editor-in-Chief • November 24, 2014

“What are you thankful for this year?” “My new job.” “What do you do at your new job?” “I teach gymnastics at Olympiad West.” “Why did you apply for a job teaching gymnastics?” “I...