Most college students strive to achieve three things. Ideally you want to have a great GPA, a fun social life, and still manage to get a good amount of sleep. However, at times it seems almost impossible to achieve all three. Usually, at least one must be sacrificed.
Brooke Hyman, a sophomore nutrition science major, is living proof that you can do it all. Starting gymnastics at only the age of two, Hyman has continued to stay involved in the sport even through college. Competing since the second grade, Hyman said that her mother was her major influence to make gymnastics a major part of her life.
When she came to Maryland she had a dream of continuing her competitive gymnastics career, but her plans were almost ruined. “I had originally tried out for varsity and they didn’t want me,” Hyman admitted.
However, that may have been the varsity team’s loss. They told her to join the club
gymnastics team to get into better shape, come back and try out again.
“I had this mentality that that was going to work out so I joined the club team and then I became president and I am still doing the club team,” Hyman said.
Not only is she involved on campus, but she is still able to maintain a 3.94 and have membership in the Primannum Honor Society. Hyman has managed to beat the odds, enjoy all aspects of college life and still finds time to sleep.
As president of the club gymnastics team, Hyman is responsible for getting the team ready for competitions. They are currently competing a couple times this semester and are trying to raise money to go nationals. The team is made up of about 30 girls but only 20 travels to compete.
In this past school year they have volunteered at Redskins games and helped around campus. This semester they are planning some proceeds nights, events at places on Route 1 like Ledo’s Pizza and Noodles and Company, and hoping to volunteer at the Verizon Center. The total cost of nationals is about 10,000 dollars. As of now they have raised about half of that.
Money isn’t their biggest problem at the moment. The gymnastics club team is in search for a coach. Coaches are hard to find because they are not paid and have to be safety certified.
“We can’t practice until we have a coach,” Hyman said.
With their season just beginning, this is the most important time to be practicing and preparing for upcoming competitions. After all of the hard work the team has put into getting ready for nationals, Hyman is not taking no for an answer.
She is consistently calling around to different gyms in the area and coaches that she has worked with previously in order to make this club’s dream a reality.
It is clear that Hyman is a woman who is determined to make things happen and this is just a bump in the road that the team will hopefully be able to overcome and make it to nationals.