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...
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...
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...
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.
“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...
![“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](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/DSC0001-900x600.jpg)
![“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](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/DSC_0005-copy-900x680.jpg)
