Junior Charity Chen to Compete in Gymnastics Nationals
Source/Author: Raffi Darrow, Ebytes Editor
May 05, 2017
It’s rare to hear that a Shorecrest student who has just been named the Junior Class Top Scholar, for the highest grades in the first 3 quarters of this year from the Class of 2018, will be missing an AP Exam. But junior Charity Chen will unfortunately be out of town on the day of the exam -- competing in gymnastics Nationals.
Charity started Shorecrest in ninth grade after being homeschooled for her early education. Her time away from her studies was once divided between swimming, ballet and gymnastics, but eventually her passion for gymnastics and the time commitment necessary to compete at a high level won out. Swimming and dance were gradually dropped from her daily schedule. Now Charity attends Shorecrest every day, and immediately heads to the gym for 3-4 hours of training each evening.
“I think I’m more productive when I have gymnastics right after school. If I go home right after school I’ll procrastinate a little bit; but after going to the gym and clearing my brain, when I get home I’m a lot more productive.”
Charity credits her older sister as being her first gymnastics coach. “My sister used to do gymnastics and would teach me handstands and stretch me, and I would hang off the edge of my brother’s bunk bed, so my parents started me in gymnastics. I started when I was 3 years old, so it’s been 14 years.”
Charity’s gymnastics goal this year was to compete at Nationals. To make it to Nationals, gymnasts first qualify at the State and Regional level. “You have to make the top 7 in your age group to qualify as a team to go to Nationals. You qualify individually, but the top 7 become a team.” Now combined with six girls from other gyms, only one of whom she’s competed with before, Charity finds herself on a new Nationals team. “I have one friend from my gym going to Nationals, but she’s in a different age group so we won’t be competing together.” Charity will be competing as an all-around gymnast, meaning she’ll take on all four women’s events: balance beam, floor, vault and uneven bars.
Her future goal for gymnastics is to be on a college team at a challenging university. Being named Top Scholar last week is a feather in her cap that could help with that. “I love gymnastics, but school is very important for my future.”
Her advice to little ones hoping to grow as gymnasts? “Don’t give up!”
Charity competes at Nationals on May 6-7 in Indianapolis. You can follow online: http://www.jonationals.com/live/
Or watch Charity in action here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaHzpqcT8mk
