Balancing actions Young gymnasts benefi ting from national testing program
BY TYLER V. HOEPPNER thoeppner@therepublic.com
Katrina May Who: 10-year-old who will compete in the TOPs National testing program. Parents: Angie and David May. Sibling: Cassidy, 6. School: Fifth grader at the Fuller Academy. TOPs What: Talent Opportunity Program is a talent search and educational program for female gymnasts ages 7-11. Purpose: TOPs was set up to identify and track young gymnasts. If they qualify, they will attend camps with the best coaches in the country. Individual’s coaches also attend the camp to learn. Regional testing: Tests involve strength and • exibility. About 10 percent of all kids qualify for nationals. National testing: Tests involve 80 percent skills and 20 percent conditioning. About 20 percent join TOPs. When Katrina May was younger, she was always bouncing around the house and jumping off of things. She wanted mats and balance beams in the house so she could practice her gymnastics. Sometimes she found creative ways to practice like using a little chair as a vault. May’s mother, Angie, wasn’t o happy with that move. For as long as she can reember, 10-year-old Katrina has anted to fl ip around and be pside-down. “It’s just a fun, fast feeling,” ay said. Now May, who’s been in gymastics for fi ve and a half years, one of the best in the country. n Oct. 2-3, May will try out for e Talent Opportunity Program TOPs) at the National Gymnascs Center near Houston. After a regional test, May was just one of three girls ages 7-11 in Indiana to make it to the national testing. If she makes the team, May and her coach will have an opportunity to attend TOPs camps to learn from the best coaches in the country. TOPs was created as a way for USA Gymnastics to identify and track upand-coming talented gymnasts. This will be May’s third and last attempt to make the TOPS team. The program is only for 7-11 year olds, and she will move to another program next year. “TOPs is a good way of getting some notoriety. It’s a good way of getting into the national circle of the best gymnasts,” said Jeremy DeBertrand, May’s coach at Jody’s Gymnastics Zone.
“It will expose her to some of the big gyms. Even at a young age, it’s not a pressure packed situation, but it does give her some experience in some bigger venues.” Little ball of energy DeBertrand has been her coach for only six months, but right away, he saw that she was a hard worker. Physically, May has all of the attributes needed to be a successful gymnast — small frame, quick-twitch muscle fi bers and a good balance. Even after six months, and DeBertrand are learning about one another as he fi gures out the best way to push her and make her better. “She likes challenges. We put a lot of contests within her practices to kind of motivate her,” he said. “She’s good under pressure, and that’s what I’ve found to be one of the best ways to get her to do her best each day.” May took to the sport immediately and always wanted to be at the gym. Now she spends about 20 hours a week practicing. She is home schooled at the Fuller Academy so she gets out at 1 p.m. and immediately does her homework. She has gymnastics practice in the afternoon and will get home around 8:30 p.m. She does the rest of her studying and goes to bed. “I feel like I fall asleep right when I walk out of the gym,” she said. In the past year, some added growth has helped May out. Her bar routine has gotten easier because her hands are bigger and don’t slip as easy. She is a little bigger and can get over the vault table better and generate more power. Solid support staff This past summer, May recorded the Olympic gymnastics programs each night and would watch them immediately upon waking the next morning. She’s watched the routines several times and took away an important lesson. “I learned that gymnastics isn’t all about work. It’s fun too,” May said. “If you just work, you won’t succeed as much.” May has the support of her family, coaches and gym to help her achieve whatever her dreams are. And DeBertrand sees potential in May. “As a coach, we worry injury, burnout and any unforeseen incidents that may knock her off track. But she is only 10. She is working on some skills that you would see during the Olympic trials and stuff,” he said. “So we have a lot of time if we keep her inspired and motivated and healthy, she should go pretty far if she wants to.”
MIKE DICKBERND| THE REPUBLIC Katrina May practices on the beam at Jody’s Gymnastics Zone, Monday. May, 10, quali • ed for national testing for the Olympic training camp.
MIKE DICKBERND| THE REPUBLIC Katrina May practices at Jody’s Gymnastics Zone, Monday. May, 10, quali • ed for the national testing for the Olympic training camp.
