According to 12-year-old April Stirling, learning how to do a round-off back handspring on a trampoline took a long time.
It was one of the hardest moves she has learned so far in her gymnastics career.
But while it sounds like a great challenge, when asked how long it took to learn she reports it took about five days, 15 minutes a day.
She learned how to do it during a spring break camp at Flicka Gymnastics where she regularly attends classes throughout the year.
To a novice, five days certainly doesn’t sound like a long time to master such a skill, but April has been doing gymnastics since she was five. She took a couple of years off when she was seven to concentrate on soccer and some other sports then returned to gymnastics and has been hooked ever since.
She works on balance beam, floor, and vault but her favourite is vault.
“I really like being able to flip in the air and just being able to learn new skills,” says April about why she likes gymnastics.
And she notes that while learning new moves can be challenging, she trusts in herself and her coaches. She likes to work hard and she doesn’t like to give up.
“As a gymnast you learn if you fall you just get right back up and keep going,” she says.
When she first started training, April began with a simple roundoff off the vault, then a handstand, and progressed from there. She just started doing back tucks and names off some other impressive-sounding moves.
Anyone can try gymnastics because you can work to your own strengths and your own skill level, says April.
“We all have to learn this step by step, so just try your best and you’ll achieve,” she says.
Her motto: “Don’t be scared, and just give it your all.”
Although being a good gymnast does involve physical strength, it also takes commitment, explains April.
When asked what she would tell other teens about trying gymnastics, she answers quickly: “It’s amazing and if you start you won’t want to quit.”
April also attends summer camp at Flicka and says she plans on continuing with gymnastics for a long time.
“I just love it so much that I definitely see myself doing it for a while.”
For more information about summer camps at Flicka Gymnastics visit flickagymclub.com.
This story originally appeared in a special section of hte North Shore News focused on summer camps.
