Olympic Games renew spark for local gymnasts ‘dreaming’ of the big stage
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - As the Olympic Games continue, local gymnasts in Hawaii are watching closely with hopes it could one day be them competing on the big stage.
“I tell myself, ‘It’s okay you’re gonna do better like Suni Lee and Simone Biles’,” said 11-year-old gymnast Kate Lai.
Lee and Biles are easily two of the most recognizable names in the world. Their talent has shattered records on the biggest stage, but it’s their character off the mat, that’s inspiring athletes across the globe — even here in Hawaii.
“Simone Biles’ story about her mental blocks and how she pulled out from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics because of that is something that I really resonate deeply with, and so I recently watched that documentary and it made me emotional because that’s the exact way that I felt,” said Sydney Senter.
Senter was once an Olympic hopeful in trampoline gymnastics.
The Hawaii Baptist Academy graduate was on the U.S. National Team for seven years, but the trials of competition started to wear on her mental health.
“I would have a physical injury and then because I take time off, the mental block comes back and it was just a cycle, I was just showing up just to show up, going through the motions, I didn’t have that passion and that love for it and then one day I just decided, I think I just want to try life without it,” said Senter.
Once Senter stopped competing, she stayed close to the sport just from a different capacity, through coaching.
Now with the Olympics captivating the planet, it’s brought a new light to the gym floor.
“It’s definitely got me fired up again, I’ve been jumping around on the trampoline with my kids again just because they’re talking about the Olympics. They’re like ‘I’m going to sleep right now but I’m going to set my alarm for 12 a.m. because that’s when trampoline is on so I’m going to watch it’ and ‘I’m going to do that one day’ and it just makes me so happy to see them dreaming,” said Senter.
Meanwhile for those still competing, the Games serve as a motivation and a reminder that it’s never too early or too late to achieve your dreams.
“One of the male champions who won the Olympics this year he’s like 24 and he won the gold, so just seeing that it inspires me like it’s still possible ... so I feel like in retrospect, I still have time to reach that level,” said gymnast Aidan Altfeld.
Lai added, “I’ve had a couple of injuries, so they’ve really helped me cope with it because sometimes I get frustrated when I can’t do stuff.”
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