Haylee Holbrook: Alta’s Very Own Gymnastics Star

While Alta no longer has a gymnastics team, the sport still flourishes among the students.

For junior Haylee Holbrook, gymnastics is a huge part of her life. She practices at least 10 hours a week! Between her schoolwork and her gymnastics, Haylee’s life is busy, to say the least. She has found a good system for balancing her sports and school. Even though she prioritizes schoolwork and has a perfect 4.0 grade point average, she always finds time to go to the gym after school and practice.

“Gymnastics is a stress relief,” she said. “I try to get as much schoolwork done in the day so I can practice at night.”

Haylee has been doing gymnastics since first grade and has been competing for four years. She started out tumbling with her friends on the playground and realized how much she enjoyed it. Her mom signed her up for gymnastics at a local recreation center, so she could practice in a more professional setting.

At first, Haylee did gymnastics “just for fun,” but as time went on and she got really good, she decided to compete. She does not plan on competing in college, but she does “love teaching and coaching.” After high school, she will teach others to love gymnastics as much as she does.

Haylee loves gymnastics, but when she first started tumbling in the recreation center, she struggled with staying motivated. She wanted to leave when she couldn’t master many of the harder moves. Immediately, she wanted to stop and move on to something else.

“I almost quit, but I made myself stay and I’m glad I did,” she said, “I find it gratifying to see how my skills have developed.” If she had given up when things got harder, she would have never found out how passionate she would become.

Hailey gives advice for those who are just starting something, whether it’s a new sport or hobby. “If you want to try something new, stick with it for a while,” she said. “Give it time and give it effort to develop your skills.”