Eighth Grader Brooklyn Waldie Shines as Blue Jays’ Top Scorer in Gymnastics

The passion for gymnastics for Brooklyn Waldie was born at a very young age. It all started with the television shows that played on screen in shows and movies. Watching them pull off all the acrobatic moves inspired her to attempt cartwheels and splits. Now an eighth grader, Brooklyn enrolled in gymnastics training and started competing at the age of 9. The Jamestown Middle School student is now a first-year competitor for her high school and competes weekly.

Eighth-grader achieves her gymnastics dream

Her first competition was a nervous and joyous occasion since it was her first time performing in front of a massive crowd. Part of the JHS Varsity team, she has competed eight times, with the team finishing first and runners-up four times. The team now sits at the second spot in the statewide rankings and has a total score of 141.194.

From a 6-year-old staring at people on the screens performing gymnastics routines to enrolling at the age of 9, Brooklyn has come a long way. She is now the Blue Jays’ Rookie of the Week, an award her coach Bre Carlson is delighted to give her.

“Joining the high school team as an eighth grader can be really intimidating,” Carlson said. “Typically we see middle schoolers spend their first year on the team testing the waters just trying to figure out how it works. Not Brooklyn, she has taken the last 12 weeks to really flourish as a gymnast.”

Her passion powered her through to achieve what, a few years ago, only seemed like a fantasy on the television screens. It was a challenging journey to hone her skills overtime but one she enjoyed grinding through.

An unstoppable force, only threatening to improve

Blue Jays, the high school team, have seen a massive change in their performance and fortunes. Many thought the team would perform in the manner they have since the start of the season in November. The team now boasts of gymnasts who have impressive control and have trained hard and long to perfect their skills.

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14 out of the 15 gymnasts from the Blue Jays have qualified for one event statewide. The star performers of their season are Julia Skari and Brooklyn Waldie. The eighth grader, who averages 9.017 points per competition, is ranked 15th in the state as of February 1. Brooklyn is placed 40th in bars and 36th in floors.

Brooklyn now hopes to hone her skills even further and end on a high, with a podium finish in the state competitions.

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