Sports
Local Gymnast Goes for Gold
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When most high school juniors are getting home and getting on Facebook, Carol Crochet is hopping in the car for an hour and a half long drive to New Orleans. The Central High School student makes this trip 6 days a week to get to practice at Crescent City Gymnastics. Carol is an Acrobatic Gymnast, and practices til 9:30 at night, doing her homework on the long road home. This dedication has brought her and her teammates to world class level. Last Spring, Carol and her teammates Nya and Allison stood on the podium to receive gold medals in the WORLD Cup Competition in Switzerland. You read that right – the WORLD. 46 countries, hundreds of gymnasts, and the petite girl from Central and her teammates were the very best.
Acrobatic Gymnastics, or "Acro", is a form of gymnastics that is performed by teams of 2 or 3. It has 3 components: Balance, which demonstrates the team's strength, stamina, and flexibility through building and holding skills; Dynamic, which demonstrates their power, strength and grace through spring, flight and landing; and Combined, which is a blend of both. Most people are familiar with Artistic Gymnastics, which is what is performed in the Olympics, but Acro is not yet a familiar term. That will hopefully change soon as the Olympic Committee considers making it an event in the 2016 Olympics. If this does occur, would Carol's team be competing? "Oh yes," she says with a sparkle in her eye.
Carol started tumbling at the age of 5, and her flexibility, strength, and dance ability caught the eye of the coach. She was encouraged to pursue Acro, and has been enthusiastically doing so ever since. The last 3 years, she has been training in New Orleans with her coaches Gawain and Julie Dupree. It is not an easy road. "I basically have no social life," Carol confesses goodnaturedly. Plus, injuries can be an issue. Carol recently dislocated her big toe during practice. 7 days later, she was competing. She is still receiving physical therapy. In addition, Carol has to deal with sore muscles all the time. "I have the joints of a 60 year old," she laughs. What keeps her goiing? She confesses, "The feeling of winning drives you. I'm a perfectionist. It is hard, but it's fun. I've met friends internationally that I still keep up with."
With her teammates Mia Rose King and Allison MacPhaille (Nya grew and had to give up being the "top" in the trio. Carol is the "middle" and Allison the "base"), Carol practices routiines over and over til they're second nature. As she stands by the mat waiting for her music cue, she runs over her routine in her head. Nerves are apparently not an issue for this seasoned competitor. "The goal is to connect with your audience as well as perform the routine perfectly," Carol shares. Do they know when they've "nailed it"? "Oh yes," Carol smiles, "We high five each other!" They just got back from Nationals and snagged a highly coveted spot to try out for the World Championship in February. From there, they are hopefully going to the Worlds, which will be held in Paris in May.
So what was it like to win the gold? "I shed a few tears," Carol admits, "All those years of hard work had paid off." She is eagerly anticipating competing in the Worlds again, but Carol does not just excel in Acro. She has a 4.57 GPA with honors classes, and runs her own website on Instagram with stretching tips (ST_XX on Instagram is the address). She has almost 4000 followers. She also participates in Bela Karolyi's Camp twice a year.
What advice would this remarkable young woman give others? "Give it a try and see how you like it. A good work attitude is important." Her future plans include becoming a physical therapist. She quickly credits her coaches and most of all, her mom, chauffeur, first coach and greatest supporter, Jeannie, for getting her to where she is today.
Check out Carol's team performing last year here: http://www.wwltv.com/eyewitness-morning-news/Young-gymnasts-perform-before-going-to-national-competition-162724316.html
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