The vault, beam, floor, and bars are four disciplines that provide individual challenges to each gymnast. Gymnastics is so quick and 12-year-old Caroline Sullivan is conquering each discipline quickly while inspiring her teammates and coaches along the way.
“You just kind of feel like you’re flying,” Sullivan said.
Gymnastics is technical, powerful, and yet graceful.
“Everyone at school tells me oh my gosh, how do you do that, it looks so easy…” but she assures them…”Ya, it’s not easy.”
The young athlete is excelling despite missing something that most would believe is vital to the sport.
“At the beginning, everyone was like, it’s not going to work," Sullivan said. "And then I was like I need to prove them wrong. I need to do it." Her focus is all about what she can do.
A congenital birth defect left Sullivan with only one hand, and a right foot that is smaller than her left. It's never held her back, and certainly hasn't the last four years at Premier Gymnastics of the Rockies in Loveland.
Julie Sullivan, Caroline's mom, said, “They kept calling me saying we’re going to move her to advanced intermediate, ok we’re going to move her to pre-team, ok she’s going to be a level three gymnast. I’m a soccer player, I didn’t know what that meant.”
It meant no matter what obstacle was put in front of Caroline, she climbed it all the way to a level seven gymnast. Her goal is to reach the highest level of 10.
Allie McNeil, Caroline’s coach, said “She’s never been the type to back down and say oh I can’t do this. She’s like, no just give me some time to figure it out. She’ll figure it out, and she always has.”
That included a bar routine, which a few years ago Caroline had to do to qualify for state. McNeil spotted her through the entire routine.
“We did it once and she loved it and everyone else loved it,” McNeil said.
Now Sullivan no longer has to do bars. She's focused on the other three disciplines and even winning competitions.
“We almost don’t have words," McNeil said. "She’s just so cool, she’s such a cool kid and she never stops surprising us.”
There are days or moments when she has her doubts.
“Sometimes when I’m doing a new skill or something I’m like I can’t do it, or I won’t be able to," Sullivan said. "But then I do it. Then I’m like, OK, well, I can do anything.”
It helps that her family and team constantly tell her 'you can do it', but that's easy to say when Sullivan keeps proving she will do it.
