braelyn lulu gansneder competitive gymnast daughter of kate and josh gansneder of gsquared weddings photography

Gymnastics Journey

Gymnastics is our life.

In 2018, when our foster boys went back to live with their dad, we realized that with more time now in our schedule and more flexibility (goodbye CPS craziness – that’s a post for another time!!!) we could finally allow the girls to get involved in activities.

Wynter didn’t really know what she wanted to do, so while she mulled it out, we enrolled Lulu (this is her nickname) into gymnastics. We intended for her to just do rec gymnastics classes and have fun with it. She was 11, so we knew she was a late starter.

Well… much to our surprise, there was a different journey in store. She was almost immediately invited up to competition team at the gym we started her at. She did well – placing on podium each meet. She was at the gym 5-6 days a week, practicing a lot, and placed 3rd in Sectionals for her level.

Things happen, as they do, and in summer of 2019 we found ourselves seeking out another gym. We found the incredible gym she is at now, and have been so impressed with the coaching and the owners – and even moreso the “whole person” mindset with growth, goals, and hard work as their “curriculum.” The gym is about an hour away from our house, and she’s there 4 days a week. It’s absolutely worth it.

She has flourished, and placed 1st most of last season. COVID struck, and their state meet was cancelled. A highlight of last season was being #88 in the US on Bars for her level, she even won a Top 100 badge on her USAG Meet Scores profile and a pin for her gym comp bag.

Her team kept up the hard conditioning work during COVID lockdown, and they’ve been back in the gym since June. It’s been incredible to watch the kids keep up their skills and strength – a true testament to their resilience.

A lot of our life throughout the year is scheduled around her practices, and then the comp season normally starts in mid-December with a mock home gym meet and runs through March, with State in April. Several weekends are spent travelling to meets and watching her compete. I am absolutely one of “those moms” who freaks out more than the gymnast does… I can’t even take photos at meets because I am shaking so much (so Josh does instead).

If you want to watch more of her videos, she shares them on her Gymnastics Instagram, which you can find here. She also has her own Facebook page.

As we approach competition season and there are hints of impending additional lockdowns, we aren’t sure what the comp season will look like this year.