Fifth grader Aubrey Bowen brings home the gold in gymnastics
DUNMORE — There’s a hustle and bustle around the United Sports Academy on any given evening.
Youngsters in a myriad of colored leotards take to the mats and various other equipment. The younger gymnasts go through warm-ups with their coaches while older athletes seem to work more on their own.
In another of the part of the gym other kids are taking part in the Ninja Warrior program.
Amidst the organized chaos is North Pocono Intermediate student Aubrey Bowen.
A fifth grader in Mrs. Brandy Rava’s class. Aubrey brought home several top finishes from the state level competition held in Erie last year.
Dedicated Athlete
Like many gymnasts, Aubrey started out at a young age. Her mom enrolled her into United Sports Academy’s preschool program when she was three years old.
“I liked to be upside down.” Aubrey said. “At first we did a lot of climbing on the monkey bars and the moved on to the mats.”
Once Aubrey turned five, she started doing more recreational gymnastics and rather rapidly migrated to the competitive side of the sport.
“Aubrey is exceptionally gifted,” said Coach Mia DeAntonio. “She’s very coachable and super dedicated. She works through challenges and has a lot of the attributes that make for a great gymnast.”
Tops in the State
Gymnasts begin competing at Level 3 and it’s the hope of the staff at United Sports Academy to get their athletes to Level 10, which is where they need to be to move on to perform at college.
At Level 4, Aubrey still has a long way to go but she’s well on her way.
Upwards of 500 athletes in the Keystone State competed at her level last year.
According to Coach DeAntonio, Aubrey regularly surpasses the requirements to qualify in the four compulsory events of Vaulting, Balance Bean, Uneven Bars, and the Floor Exercise.
Only 21 other girls aged 10-11 made the marks necessary to go to the state finals.
To say Aubrey did well would be an understatement. Out of a possible 40 points, 10 for each event, she walked away with a 38.550 overall score.
She landed a 9.8 on the vault, her specialty for first place; a 9.4 on the bars for another top finish, a 9.6 on the beam good for silver, and a 9.7 on the floor for another win.
“It was a lot of fun, but it was a lot of work too,” Aubrey stated, “I spend about 16 hours a week at the gym.”
Chasing Excellence
A “Perfect Ten” in any of the events means that the athlete hit all of the required marks.
A miss means a point deduction. Yes, they are in a competition with other gymnasts, but essentially, they are battling themselves. Runners will echo something similar, often stating that the time they are always trying to beat is their own previous personal best.
“Perfection isn’t a reality,” Coach DeAntonio said. “We say here that we’re ‘Chasing Excellence.’ They are still competing to see where they stand but not focused on what the other competitors are doing.”
While she used to play basketball in second and third grade, gymnastics take up much of Aubrey’s time now. A good student, she reported she likes math. She was named a Student of the Month at North Pocono Intermediate last October.
“I like to make painted rocks and bake too,” Aubrey said. “The last thing I baked was an M&M, pretzel, cookie cake.
“We also just got a dog, a Cavapoo (that’s a designer cross between a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and a Poodle.) He’s very little.”
College may be years down the road, but she has intentions to go to a university, but Aubrey is unsure if she wants to be a collegiate level gymnast.
Time will tell, but for now she’s happy to keep trying new routines and learning new skills while trying to perfect the ones she’ll need for this year’s round of competitions.
This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: North Pocono Intermediate School gymnastics Aubrey Bowen Trojans
