Kiara Jordan knew all her work, practice and time built up to this one, colossal moment. Nervous energy filled her body as she waited for the announcement that determined if her performance was good enough to push her to the next level.
She had some doubts and couldn’t shake the nagging voice in her head that told her “not good enough”. She had, after all, moved gyms at the end of the summer schedule, which very well could have thrown off her skillset.
Finally, the time for awards arrived and to her surprise, she tied for first place.
Jordan would be going to gymnastics nationals.
Last year, sophomore Jordan made it to nationals, which were in Daytona Beach, Florida, for her level for the second year in a row. This was the culmination of years and years of practice and dedication.
Jordan started gymnastics at age 3, when her grandma received a Groupon for Solid Rock Gymnastics. She believes that without this opportunity, she would’ve never become a gymnast.
That would’ve been unfortunate for her, considering it is the “main thing” in her life. For her, gymnastics is her “number one priority”.
“It’s like the only thing I think about. I’ve been doing it for 12 years now, so I’ve been in it longer than I have school.”
She practices Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at Omaha Gymnastics Academy and her competitions begin in January, occurring about every other week. Though it may seem like a lot of practicing, she has adapted to the many hours.
Doing it for all my life, it just became like my second home,” Jordan said.
On top of the long hours, Jordan had to move around a lot. She moved from Nebraska to Oklahoma for two years and then back to Nebraska. This caused a lot of difficulty in having a consistent team and coaches to practice with.
Even with the struggles along the way, through all her commitment, two years ago, Jordan made it to nationals for the first time and for her it was a big, but much appreciated, surprise.
“It was very exciting because the year before I got hurt. I was excited to compete again, so making it was a big achievement.”
This past year at nationals, she was much more comfortable compared to the year before.
“I was a little more talkative to my teammates because the first year I didn’t know them that well but this year I had some people that I knew.”
Her teammates are a big part of why she enjoys gymnastics so much.
“[My] favorite thing is the teammates. They’re very supportive and fun to talk to. They make it very worthwhile.”
For the years to come, she hopes to become a college gymnast and then become professional. Her wildest gymnastic dream is to go to Florida University because they are one of the top three colleges in the gymnastic world. To achieve this, she plans to keep practicing and stay healthy.
If she keeps to that and puts in even more hours, she thinks that maybe she could make it to the Olympics for some events though, it’s not her current aspiration. Those events would be beam and floor.
Though she sees great things in her future, looking back, she would give her younger self some advice.
“Stick it out and believe in yourself more and don’t give up as easily.”
Through all of the years, gymnastics has become her biggest motivator and influence in her life.
“It is more than a hobby. It is a lifestyle, that’s what I base my life around.”
