NewsFlipping out on Denrock Avenue
The Airbound Gymnastics team pause for a photo taken at the Stars and Stripes National Championships in Fort Worth last month. Pictured are (left to right) Coach Aaron Smith, Lilly Hughes, Haylee Arrington, Mia Burns, Maiden Whittington, Lauren Gard, Isabell Fitzsimmons and Coach Autumn Smith. Courtesy Photo Right – Haylee Arrington comes in for a landing at the Stars and Stripes National Championships last month in Fort Worth. She won third place overall. Courtesy Photo Flipping out on Denrock Avenue“Next year I’m going to get National Champion!” That’s the goal of local gymnast Haylee Arrington. The determined 14-year-old is a student of Autumn Smith at Airbound Gymnastics, located at 101 Denrock. Smith opened the gym in 2021, and Arrington has been training with her since the beginning. Aaron Smith and Calie Womble, Autumn’s husband and sister, coach alongside her at Airbound. Haylee began gymnastics to strengthen her cheerleading skills, but she quickly fell in love with the sport. She now attends class for two hours twice a week, in addition to training at home. This summer, Haylee and teammates travelled to two National Championship competitions to vie for medals. Isabell Fitzsimmons, from Clayton, NM, and Haylee qualified in trampoline events for the U.S.A. National Championships in Minneapolis, MN in June. “This was Airbound Gymnastics’ first time attending U.S. Gym Champs, which is for Level 8–Elite Athletes, and we were so excited,” Smith said. “These girls worked so hard for this!” Although neither girl received a medal at this competition, Smith said she couldn’t be prouder of how they performed their first time there. “You have to take the highs with the lows,” she said. “Sometimes, 100% isn’t enough. Overall, it’s most important that the athletes learn to perform when the spotlight is on them, and that no matter what happens, they hold their heads up high and keep going.” Six Airbound gymnasts competed at the Stars and Stripes National Championships, for Levels 5-7, in Fort Worth in July. The team included Haylee Arrington, Mia Burns, Isabell Fitzsimmons, Lauren Gard, Lilly Hughes and Maiden Whittington. Mia is from Hartley, Lauren from Texline and Maiden from Stratford. This was the first national experience for any of the three. Stars and Stripes featured more than 1,100 athletes from California to New Jersey, and the competition was fierce, Smith said. Qualification is based on scores from state and regional meets, and Airbound Gymnastics has had athletes qualify every year Haylee won third overall in double mini-trampoline Level 6, bringing home the bronze medal. Isabell placed 12th overall in the same event. Lilly placed 17th overall, second in her flight, in double mini-trampoline, Level 5. “I was really happy with the results,” Smith said. “Haylee couldn’t keep a smile off her face., and I was proud of her.” Although she may have been pleased at the time, Haylee continues to driver herself to do better. “I’m working on new routines, new skills with greater difficulties,” she said. “I need to focus on what I want, and that’s a National title. I’m really hopeful for next year.” The high school freshman also competes in other sports, including volleyball, basketball and track. “Competing is tough, and it’s about having the right mindset,” Haylee said. “It’s so tough and so worth it – it’s an amazing feeling when you win!”
For the full story SUBSCRIBE to the online edition of The Dalhart Texan, call (806) 244-4511 to setup a subscription to our physical paper or pick a copy up at one of our many convenient news rack locations. You can also stop by and purchase a paper or subscription in person at our news office located at 410 Denrock Ave. |
