BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. — The best of the best.
The guest list for a world-class gymnastics event is often short, and the U.S. Gymnastics Championships are no exception.
The sky is the limit for competitors in this training lab. It was only a few days ago when Brenna Dowell reached for her own moment of immortality.
A medal in the vault is all locked up at last week’s event in Hartford, Connecticut. Brenna’s vault was so good, it propelled the powerful 17-year old to being an all-around bronze medalist at the biggest non-olympic event in the nation.
“My goal was to get in the top three, and that’s what I did,” Dowell said. “It was really exciting, to go out there and compete and do good.”
Rigorous training can go on for hours. The Odessa High School senior says she couldn’t excel without coaches who push her, and teammates who believe in supporting each another.
“Brenna is an absolutely beautiful gymnast who has everything from strength to presence to grace to artistry,” Al Fong, owner of Gage Gymnastics, said. “She has a great career ahead of her.”
“For her to get that third place spot was just golden for her,” fellow Gage Gymnast Sabrina Vega said. “She made that goal, and it’s just an achievement that you reach as a team.”
The U.S. Gymnastics Championship isn’t the first time Brenna has medaled on the world stage. In fact, she’s found herself in the top three on four other world-class occasions, including last year’s Mexico Open. It might also not be the last time she medals. Her coach points out — the Olympic Games in Rio are less than three years away.
“She’s going to be right on target in 2016,” Fong said.
“We have conditioning that we work on throughout the day, and if you work hard, and everything, it will pay off on all your events,” Dowell said.
Brenna has already accepted a gymnastics scholarship from the University of Oklahoma. She and her teammates have a date at the World Championships in Belgium, which begin on September 25th.
Follow this link to Gage Gymnastics for more info about Brenna’s career.
Follow this link to Sean McDowell’s FOX 4 Facebook page.
