Summer Games a unique opportunity for local gymnasts

The season doesn’t start for another four months or so, but there’s definitely an excitement about the L.D. Bell gymnastics team. Well, and many others who participate in or follow the sport. It’s one of those rare Olympic summers when gymnastics finds its way into millions of American households.

“I think the entire gymnastics community gets excited,” Raiders coach Debbie Williams said. “Without a doubt, it’s very inspiring to everyone in our sport, including my high school girls.”

Bell is coming off its 20th overall state championship after winning the Texas High School Gymnastics Coaches Association State Meet in late April. Senior-to-be Alexis Martin won the floor competition at the meet and finished second overall in the all-around. She’s stoked about getting to watch the best in the world compete in Rio next month.

“It’s pretty exciting for us,” she said. “We use it for inspiration even though it’s a lot of higher skills, but it definitely makes us work harder. I think it makes us more aware of how they point their toes and straighten their legs and things like that. The gymnastics is just really clean, so it makes us more aware of how clean our gymnastics needs to be.”

The Bell team, which lost two seniors to graduation and will next year again feature just a pair of seniors, plans to watch Team USA together.

“We usually take time as a team to go to someone’s house and make food and watch it together,” Martin said.

Since gymnastics isn’t a UIL sport, the team can still work out together over the summer. In fact, the team works out just about year-round.

“I think for gymnastics it’s really hard to take off a summer and come back at the level that you were,” Williams said. “It just doesn’t work that way. If you don’t work out in the summer, by the time fall comes around you’re starting over.”

Martin said the summer is a perfect time to work on new skills, perfect old skills, and to experiment with optional routines that don’t typically come into play until later in the gymnastics season.

And while gymnasts all across the state will find inspiration in watching the Olympics, Bell already has all the inspiration it needs – a tradition to uphold.

“They know that there’s a tremendous tradition,” said Williams, who has coached at Bell for 40 years. “They want to win regardless of that, but without a doubt the tradition plays a huge part in what they do.”

Martin maintains that upholding the tradition is a good thing — though it does add a bit of pressure.

“I think it definitely makes us work harder,” she said. “I think it makes us more confident in some ways, but it also makes us more nervous because we have a job to do when we go into every meet.”

This story was originally published July 18, 2016 at 12:40 PM with the headline "Summer Games a unique opportunity for local gymnasts."