Lilly Larson driving 6 hours a week to train for gymnastics
· Yahoo Sports
Feb. 21—GRACE CITY, N.D. — Lilly Larson could have quit gymnastics a long time ago.
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It would be understandable — she lives an hour away from the nearest gym.
"Jamestown is an hour from where I live, but it was the only option for a place to do gymnastics," said Larson, a senior gymnast from Grace City, North Dakota.
Larson started gymnastics in 2017 at the age of 9.
"I really liked flipping around on the trampoline and doing handstands in the grass," Larson said. "I signed up for an open gym (in Jamestown) to see if I liked it. My first memory of gymnastics was when I was in recreational (gymnastics). I was very nervous to go to my first practice because I didn't know anyone or go to school with anyone."
She must have liked the environment at the Jamestown Gymnastics Club, because she has been there for the last nine years.
"(Lilly) is easily one of the most dedicated athletes and hardest workers in our gym," Jamestown Gymnastics Club Director and head coach Bre Carlson said. "She drives an hour into practice every day and typically stays to coach the younger athletes and then drives an hour home. That's pretty big commitment for a high schooler, and I know she ends up missing out on some of the typical high school social activities because of it."
Larson competes for Jamestown's Xcel program — the final level of competitive gymnastics in Jamestown. Xcel is a USA Gymnastics-sanctioned program designed to offer an affordable competitive alternative to the traditional USAG competitive program. The Xcel program allows flexibility to gymnasts with varying abilities and commitment levels. The Xcel program comprises five levels — bronze, silver, gold, platinum and diamond.
Larson started competing in 2018 at the Xcel Silver level. The now-senior is competing at the diamond level. She is coached by Carlson and Rachel Woodley.
"I have chosen to commit my time and energy into this sport because I knew it was something that I had always wanted to do," Larson said. "My coaches motivate me in the gym ... because they have always been realistic with me and have given me options that other gyms probably wouldn't. Even though it has taken up a lot of my time and is exhausting, there was never a time where I truly wanted to quit."
Larson's competitive season is five months long, starting in December and concluding in late March.
"I don't really remember my first competition, but I am sure that I was probably very nervous and didn't really know what to expect," Larson said. "My feelings prior to the first practice this year were nervousness and excitement because I made it to senior year, but sadness because it is my last year. My biggest goals for this season were to go to State in Xcel Diamond and to try and enjoy competing as much as possible."
Larson qualified for the 2026 North Dakota USA Gymnastics Championships at the third meet she competed at this year.
"Diamond was a level that I thought I would never compete at just because I never saw myself getting that far," Larson said. "This season has made me a better athlete and person by showing me that I can do things even when it gets hard, and I can do what I never thought could be done."
Now that she's accomplished goal No. 1, it's time for the senior to tackle her second goal.
"Trying to enjoy competing is definitely a reoccurring goal every year, " Larson said. "I actually don't like competing at all. There are a lot of different things that you can get deducted on, and the judges can be harsh sometimes, (but) I love trying new skills and just throwing new things into my routines. One of the most challenging things that I have had to overcome is trying not to get frustrated when I can't do something."
At her level, there isn't much Larson can't do.
One of the hardest skills that Larson has had to learn this year is a Yurchenko full on vault. A Yurchenko is a common, high-level gymnastics skill that involves a round-off onto the springboard, followed by a back handspring onto the table, and a layout backward somersault with a 360-degree twist.
"What makes it hard is definitely the full twist at the end because you kind of lose track of where you are and you have to block really hard off the vault," Larson said. "(It is) the most dangerous skill that I have had to learn ... because there's times where you will get scared before the round-off and run straight into the vault or get scared mid round-off and fly over the vault backwards or go sideways and one of your hands misses the vault."
Larson has about six weeks left to compete in her Yurchenko and other skills before her final season with USA Gymnastics concludes. The senior said she has no plans to pursue gymnastics after she graduates high school.
"We are so proud of what she has accomplished in her time with us," Carlson said. "Selfishly we always say, 'You don't have to have a degree to work here,' in hopes that she will stay and work at (the gymnastics club) — but we really do wish her the best with college and beyond and know that she is going to succeed at whatever she chooses to do because we know she isn't afraid to put in the work for what she wants."