Gymnastics is a sport that most schools in Beaver County don’t offer. Although Freedom doesn’t offer an opportunity for gymnasts, the participants can still receive a letter.
This is similar to the boys that play hockey for Blackhawk. They letter through both Freedom and Blackhawk, but do not have a team of their own. The students who wish to compete in gymnastics do so individually.
Sophomores Megan Scott and Rachel Mazzetti are the two gymnasts that represent FHS. These girls train at Monaca Turners together. Scott and Mazzetti are the only competitors from the high school, and according to Scott, the rest of Freedom’s gymnasts are from the middle school.
The meets consist of vault, bar, beam and floor. According to Scott, her best event is vault, where she performs a “simple handspring and a full twist off.” Her worst event is beam because she lacks balance. She has been a gymnast since sixth grade and plans to continue competing all through high school.
Occasionally, Mazzetti doesn’t have enough time to practice because of other commitments. Because of this, she can’t attend every single meet.
“I try to go to every [meet] I can get to, but if I’m not prepared to compete then I have the option not to,” Mazzetti said. She is also a basketball cheerleader, which is one activity that takes up a lot of her time.
“I’m not sure why [I love gymnastics]. Everybody just loves something, and gymnastics is my thing,” Scott said. Her favorite part about being a part of competitive gymnastics is “just competing and being with a bunch of teammates.”
Mazzetti enjoys participating in gymnastics. “It keeps me in shape and it’s a different sport; not a lot of people are cut out for it. I love doing it because it’s really a lot of fun, but you have to put your all into it like everything else,” Mazzetti said.
To her, the best thing about gymnastics is accomplishing a new skill or trick, which is something that motivates her. She also feels that “confidence is the key in gymnastics.”
These two girls branch out and have put their dedication into a sport that few people from Freedom try. Mazzetti feels that if people tried gymnastics, “they would fall in love with it.”
“It doesn’t matter where you start, you can always get somewhere, but you have to be dedicated and have confidence in yourself,” Mazzetti said.