How Am I Limitless? A Talk with Destira Star, Avie Frankl
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Written by Madison Melancon
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Written by Madison Melancon
Competing in a gymnastics meet is thrilling. You feel the adrenaline when you start warmups on your first event. You have worked hard for months on perfecting skills and routines. You are as prepared as possible to compete to the best of your ability. What happens when a scary fall potentially shakes it up? How do you continue to go forward?
Destira Star, Avie, is a 10-year-old, level 7 gymnast from New York who had quite a fright in January during one of her meets - in fact, it was her very first travel meet as a competitive gymnast. While in warm-ups for bars, Avie was on the high bar when she hit her feet transitioning from her giants to her flyaway. The force caused her to let go of the high bar while the momentum shot her forward to crumble down on the ground.
“Why now? Why here in Arizona?” were Avie’s thoughts once she was able to catch her breath as she experienced the feeling of the wind being knocked out of her for the first time. As a strong athlete who loves her team, Avie never complained about the pain in her back. Her main concern was that she would have to scratch for the rest of the meet and be unable to contribute to her team’s all-around score.
Avie’s mom, Nikki, has a different perspective. It was an emotional and scary time as a mom being a spectator. She was unable to go to her injured daughter and had to trust in Avie’s coaches to ensure Avie was safe and unharmed. “[Her] Coach was pretty great throughout the whole thing. She made Avie lie on the ground as she assessed Avie. She checked for a concussion and gradually let her move her body,” said Nikki.
Avie stood back up and she and her coach determined that as long as she was feeling alright - she could continue to compete. Avie finished out her meet strong while being careful of her back to prevent it from becoming a major injury.
After a fun day off post-meet in Arizona, Avie was already back in the gym in New York the following week. While this experience did not end in a serious injury, it did shake Avie’s confidence in her bar routine. She keeps pushing forward to regain her confidence in her skills. Her coach stands by her during her flyaways to help reestablish her confidence in herself as a level 7 gymnast.
“I don’t know how these girls do it,” says Nikki, “It’s a normal thing for these girls to fall and get back up to do it again. I could not do that.”
After this experience in Arizona, the word limitless has a new meaning to Avie. “It means that you can push past what you think your own limits are. I felt limitless in this experience!” says Avie.
Avie - thank you for sharing your story with us! We are inspired by your courage and passion throughout your experience in Arizona. You are truly Limitless.
