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Young gymnast hits her marks, wins competition
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Neighbors | Shaiyla Hakeem .Sydney Heingaugh, 10, stedies herself on the balance beam during one of her gymnastic routines. Balance beam is her favorite event.
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Neighbors | Shaiyla Hakeem .Ten-year-old Sydney Heinbaugh performs a back walkover as a part of her floor routine. She has been practicing gymnastics for more than five years.
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Neighbors | Shaiyla Hakeem.Sydney Heinbaugh, of Austintown, holds a hand stand as part of her balance beam routine. She placed first in a gymnastics competition held at the Ohio Gymnastics Institute March 28.
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Neighbors | Shaiyla Hakeem .Austintown's Sydney Heinbaugh stretches before an afternoon of exercising at the Ohio Gymnastics Institute on West Webb Road. She has been involved with gymnastics since she was 4-years-old.
By SHAIYLA HAKEEM
Years of hard work resulted in a championship for a young Austintown gymnast.
Ten-year-old Sydney Heinbaugh placed first at a gymnastic competition held at the Ohio Gymnastics Institute located on West Webb Road March 28. The competition consisted of being rated on the uneven bars, balance beam, vault and a floor routine.
This was Heinbaugh’s first time competing as a Level 5 contender, but she has competed at Level 4 for the past two years. There are 10 levels in gymnastics, including an elite level, and Heinbaugh plans to surpass them all.
“I want to go to level 10,” she said.
Heinbaugh is a student at St. Joseph And Immaculate Heart of Mary catholic school in Austintown. She has been involved in gymnastics since she was 4 years old and is always looking for a new challenge.
“I like learning new skills,” Heinbaugh said.
Her mother, Candace Heinbaugh, also participated in gymnastics as a kid. She says the sport came naturally to her daughter.
“She has always had a lot of energy and she has always been a perfectionist and a hard worker,” she said. “I thought that gymnastics would be a good way to spend her energy. She is a natural at it.”
Heinbaugh practices at the Ohio Gymnastics Institute weekly to stay in shape and improve her skills. She enjoys competing, with the balance beam being her favorite, and will continue to participate in as many competitions as she can.
Heinbaugh has recently upgraded her skills to Level 5, but she has a much larger long-term goal set for herself.
“I want to go to the Olympics!” she said.