Family Above All
4/14/2022 8:40:00 AM | Gymnastics
No matter what, I know my family has my back.
They've been the biggest supporters of my gymnastics career since day one, and they've helped me through my toughest moments. I've been to hundreds and hundreds of meets where I had one or two family members cheering me on, but nothing could have prepared me for the support I received in the biggest moment of my career.
As I readied for my final routine at the NCAA Championships last year, something caught my attention.
The 30-plus family members who had come to the Championships were chanting my name loudly — the whole arena could hear it.
I had to focus, but there was no stopping the big smile that spread across my face.
At that moment, I knew how far I'd come from the 12-hour days that made me want to quit, and from the uncertain girl who didn't know if she'd ever make it in gymnastics.
No one looks like me
When I first started gymnastics as a six-year-old, there was no way I ever thought I'd be competing for national titles.
Both my parents were soccer players, and when my mom signed me up for gymnastics, I practically begged her not to make me go; I wanted to play soccer just like my whole family did.
There are tons of Hispanic kids who play soccer, and it's such an important part of my Colombian heritage.
But, gymnastics? I mean, how many Hispanic kids do you see walking a balance beam or trying to perfect a floor routine?
That definitely bothered me as a young girl because it made me feel like others doubted me simply because of how I looked. It was in those tough moments that I'd go back to my mom for reassurance, and she'd always tell me to prove them all wrong.
Over the years, I learned to turn those feelings of not belonging into fuel for my competitive spirit. Gymnastics soon became my escape and a place where I felt emotions I couldn't experience anywhere else.
When my routines went right, I felt invincible.
When I flung myself around on the bars, I felt like I was defying gravity.
As my talent started to grow, so did my family's commitment. Gymnastics can be a very, very expensive sport to participate in, and I saw their sacrifices and hard work first-hand.
We made the decision that I should be homeschooled, so I could truly focus on gymnastics.
Those long, tough days shaped me into the woman I am today.
Because my parents came to the United States from Colombia, no one in my family had ever been to college before.
Earning a scholarship soon became my goal but rupturing a labrum in my shoulder in 2015 made me worry whether a school would take a chance on me.
Thankfully, Alabama was the first school to reach out after my surgery.
When I met with Dana (Duckworth) and walked around campus, it felt like home.
And just like my family, Alabama has never doubted me.
Becoming an inspiration
Becoming an SEC Champion in four events and winning a national championship on the balance beam last year was one of the best experiences of my life. It truly validated all the support, time, and sacrifices my parents made for me, but I also know my impact goes further than that.
I have a signature move on the balance beam called a “scale,” and it's not the easiest move to pull off.
When I received a message on social media showing a young girl watching me do my scale on TV and then trying to imitate it on her own, it brought me to tears.
It's one of the most heartfelt messages I've ever received.
After that, I realized how much my representation as a Hispanic gymnast truly means.
As a kid, I never had any gymnastics role models who looked like me. Instead, I had to take what I saw in others and put my own style to it.
It's thrilling to think I can be a role model to young girls who look like me and hopefully inspire a new generation of gymnasts to create their own path to success just like I did.
My best friend
Having this platform, I want to pass along some advice to younger gymnasts.
Take everything one day at a time, and don't try to recreate the past because you can only be as good as you were at the time.
The journey to becoming a successful gymnast takes years and years of hard work, but there's always light at the end of the tunnel.
In my own journey, there were many times when I wanted to quit, particularly when people doubted me because of my heritage or what I looked like. But I rose above it all to eventually become a national champion.
As I've already said, none of my success would have been possible without my family's support.
I've been able to make so many amazing friends during my time at Alabama, but even my closest friends won't be surprised to hear that my mom is still my best friend.
She goes to almost every single meet we have, so I have a habit of picking her up from the airport on Thursday before our Friday meet.
I wonder if my mom ever thought her little girl would be a collegiate gymnast when she signed me up for the sport and when she urged me to always keep going.
Sometimes when I see her in person, she tells me that it fills up her heart to see me truly enjoying what I do with my gymnastics career.
It fills up my heart, too.
