NOTE: Each issue of The Buzz will have a Student Spotlight where we feature an outstanding student in academics, sports, extracurriculars, and more.
Sidney Washington is a Level 10 gymnast at Gym America. A sophomore, Sydney balances both a rigorous course load at school and atop a balance beam at the state level. After high school, Sidney aims to compete at the collegiate level and is considering the field of dermatology.
When did you start doing gymnastics?
I would say around two or three. I started getting more serious in kindergarten because when I was in kindergarten I started taking more classes and stuff.
What made you interested in the sport?
I just always liked flipping and I always wanted to be active. Actually, my mom took me out of gymnastics for a while and she made me do soccer, and I would always just do cartwheels at practice. I don’t know why. I’ve just always loved the sport so much.
How many hours would you say you practice a week? And is every single day, or…?
Around twenty-five. Our gym is special because our head coach understands that we kind of want to have a life outside of gymnastics, so we do Sunday through Thursday and we have Friday and Saturday off so we can hang out with friends and stuff. Practices are about four and a half hours.
Kind of on the same topic, how do you balance gymnastics with school, family, friends, etcetera?
Of course, I’ve been doing this for a long time, so the school part you just kind of get used to. In high school it’s been a challenge because you’re given more work and it’s all about time management and stuff. You’ve just gotta do what you gotta do to get your work done so you can have good grades for college. Our coach gives us Fridays and Saturdays off, so usually on Fridays I like to go to the football games here. And Saturdays are usually when I like to relax, but if I wanna hang out with my friends I can hang out with my friends.
We all sometimes experience roadblocks in life, even with hobbies and sports that we love. Do you ever feel like wanting to take a break with gymnastics, and if so how do you find the motivation to keep going?
That actually happens a lot, at least probably a few times a month… because with gymnasts it’s such a mental sport, but you just keep reminding yourself that you’ve come so far and there’s really no going back. And of course your coaches are there to help you and to motivate you when you’re having a tough time and your teammates are there too. Yeah, there’s a lot of mental blocks in the sport so sometimes you just have to step back and take a breath before you go back in.
What are some short term and long term goals you have for yourself in gymnastics?
My short term goals for this year is to make it to nationals because it’s a pretty big deal. There are a lot of college coaches there and they’re looking for people in my class. And then for some long term goals, I want to make it to D1 college and go to a good school for gymnastics. Like UCLA, or a college that’s ranked pretty well.
What’s your favorite part of gymnastics?
My favorite part would probably be my teammates and just those relationships that you build with them. You’re with them so much that they’re basically your second family and they are always there for you when you’re having a tough time or a coach is being rough. They’ll always be there to pick you up. It’s kind of like, you know, a family.