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If you’ve never heard of Kayla Williams, you will!  She is a fantastic world-class athlete and gymnast that I’ve had the pleasure of watching on more than one occasion.  She trains at the Gym Nest in Huntington, WV.  My daughter used to take classes there and Kayla is ALWAYS there working… training… perfecting her gift.

She’s only 16, but has the work ethic of someone far beyond her years.  She spends 30 hours in the gym while maintaining a GPA of 3.7 to 4.0.  She’s about to start her junior year of high school and still maintains some normalcy as a teenager.  She takes Sundays off and tries to hang out with friends.

Last week (August 12-16, 2009), she traveled to Dallas to compete in the Visa National Competition, her biggest competition yet!  She placed 7^th overall, 4^th in Floor and 1^st in Vault!  We can now say Kayla is the 7^th best gymnast in the country!  She competed against an Olympic gold medalist (Nastia Luikin) and other Olympic contenders and did very well.  Next, she’s headed to the selection camp where she’s hoping for an invitation to the World competition.  From there, the Olympics is well within her reach.  I dare say Kayla Williams will dominate the international stage very soon!

Upon her return from Dallas, I got to interview her.  While on the floor, she’s very focused and very mature.  When she’s not competing or practicing, she’s very much a teenager.  She talked about her pre-competition rituals of going to see a movie, wearing Japanese Cherry Blossom lotion from Bath and Body Works and eating Chinese food (chicken fried rice is her favorite). 

But, regardless of your age, what happened AFTER the interview was a true display of a humble heart.  Just after she said, “I want to thank everyone for helping to get me here,” her eyes welled up with tears.  It took about ten minutes before we could get another word out of her.  When she could finally speak, we learned the source of the tears.  More than 24 hours after the competition had ended, it finally set in.  Everything she’s worked for, dreamed of, hoped for since she was 6 is finally coming true.  She’s finally coming into her own and she’s very proud of her accomplishments.  It was special to witness such a precious moment.  Athletes like Kayla work many hours, days, weeks, months and years with no guarantees.  But, when the fruits of their labors start to pay off, oh, what a joyous day!

Her parents are special people too.  We have the privilege of having the family as neighbors and knowing a little about them.  These are parents dedicated to their children in every way.  While much time is spent with Kayla’s training and travels, the other children are all talented as well.  Kayla’s older brother is headed to college to play baseball and study engineering.  Her two younger sisters are very bright and talented athletes in their own right.  They’re also pretty funny!

Best wishes to Kayla as she takes another giant leap forward!  I’m sure I’ll be blogging about her again one day soon!  Her coaches, trainers and the Booster Club at the Gym Nest are working diligently to support Kayla’s efforts and travels.  For more information on how you can be a part of that dream, I’m sure they would welcome your calls at 304-697-1789.