High Flying Phenom
Tiny McCayden Karlin is soft spoken, freckle faced and just getting her big teeth in. But put her in a gymnastics leotard and all you’ll see is a rising powerhouse.
Tiny McCayden Karlin is soft spoken, freckle faced and just getting her big teeth in. But put her in a gymnastics leotard and all you’ll see is a rising powerhouse.
At 7 years old, she’s already been working at her sport for almost five years. She practices at the gym 25 hours each week and competes on weekends. Of the four gymnastic events (uneven bars, floor, balance beam and vault), McCayden’s specialty is the floor exercise.
“I like tumbling and flipping in the air,” she says quietly and carefully. “I’m working on twisting, where I go into a flip but in the middle I put my arms to the side and I start twisting.”
Tumbling, actually, is where her passion all began. At the tender age of 2, she and her mother Bethany took a “mommy and me” tumbling class. The coaches spotted her potential early on.
“Not only that,” Bethany says, “but she absolutely loved it. I played every sport except gymnastics, so this is definitely her own thing.”
That passion and her hard work are paying off already. Two years ago, McCayden won the state competition in her division and took home a gold medal. Last fall, she was one of only five gymnasts at Colorado Gymnastics Institute to be selected for TOPs – short for Talent Opportunity Program. In addition to her regular training, for the past year she’s spent mornings perfecting her routines and advanced skills to prepare for two tests that could send her to a national competition. The national prize is the opportunity to train at the renowned Karolyi Ranch in Texas, known as the Olympic training center for the country’s top gymnasts.
“More than the awards or recognition, I’m most proud of how much progress she’s made in the last year,” says Bethany. “She’s stronger and more confident. The rate at which she’s mastering new skills is amazing. McCayden is fearless but she also knows when to hold back.”
All that training and learning new skills means sometimes McCayden takes a fall, and she’s discovering a great life lesson that she will carry with her into other challenges.
“When you mess up, it’s not the end,” she explains. “You can get back up and do it again.”
Fortunately, McCayden is not in it alone. She has two important role models at the gym, older and more experienced girls who provide inspiration “to work hard and do bigger skills.” Let’s not overlook the solid gold 2012 Olympic women’s gymnastics team, another source of inspiration. McKayla Maroney and Jordyn Wieber are McCayden’s favorites because of their confidence.
It’s only natural that McCayden has her own Olympic dreams and hopes to make the U.S. team when she’s 16. In the meantime, she trains, competes throughout Colorado and finds time to draw. One of her favorite drawings is the ice skating lamb she created in Ms. Naughton’s art class last year as a second grader.
“This school has been so wonderful in supporting McCayden,” Bethany says. “She loves Graland, and she loves gymnastics so we have the best of both worlds. Many gymnasts are homeschooled because of the time commitment but we’ve been able to work it out so that McCayden can stay in school.”
McCayden also bakes and makes sushi. But her first love is gymnastics, a sport she’s eager to promote.
“It’s really fun and you shouldn’t be scared,” she says. “It’s a lot of hard work. Believe in yourself and remember it’s OK to fall.”
Graland Country Day School
Graland Country Day School is a private school in Denver, Colorado, serving students in preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school. Founded in Denver in 1927, Graland incorporates a rich, experiential learning approach in a traditional classroom setting, emphasizing the development of globally and socially conscious leaders who excel academically.
