By Katherine Camberg
School sports are very popular at Tempe Prep, but what about students who participate in sports outside of school? These students also put in a lot of work in their sports, but don’t get as much recognition for their efforts as students in school sports do. I would like to spotlight one of these hardworking student athletes: David Smith.
David practices gymnastics outside of school. He works very hard, training 12 or more hours a week. Practices are very structured and include stretching, strength training, and training for the different events. David is in Level 9 gymnastics (the second highest level). He competes for his gymnastics team, and has competed at the state meet too.
When I asked David what the hardest part of gymnastics was for him, his answer surprised me. I was expecting him to mention difficult training, or the challenge of balancing homework with sports. Instead he told me the hardest part of gymnastics was that it takes away from his time with his family, and that it makes him miss family dinners sometimes. David’s dedication to his family is very admirable.
David’s older brother TJ also attended Tempe Prep and is now doing very well in college at Princeton. TJ was also a very talented gymnast and he used to train at the same gym with David. TJ is now working on organizing a gymnastics club at Princeton. His older brother’s hard work and success is an inspiration to David.
Some of David’s favorite parts of gymnastics are his friendships that he has made with his teammates. He also enjoys doing lots of skills, including his favorites: back flips and fly aways (a move where you swing up on the high bar and, once you are parallel to the ground, release into a flip). He also says that gymnastics has helped him to stay disciplined and it has taught him time management. It is also a great way to stay fit.
David’s story is a great example of how Tempe Prep students who play sports outside of school deserve more recognition for their hard work. David is by far not the only student playing sports outside of school. Congratulations to our hard working TPA students!
