By Minh Ngoc Le
Spinning. Twirling. Diane. Vuong. Following her impeccable routine, the shining gymnast locks her eyes upon the judges, reaches her hands towards the sky and proudly shoots a smile. To some, this action may merely seem like a pose. But to freshman Diane Vuong, it is a moment of relief, a moment where all of her hard work and dedication pay off.
Vuong has loved gymnastics for as long as she can remember and has been doing the sport competitively ever since. Currently, at level 9, the talented gymnast began her practice with simple beginnings, starting with recreational classes at the early age of 4. It is through her own little self and the possibility of doing the sport that has kept her going for the past 10 years.
“I think of my little self being in awe of how far I’ve come, and I just want to make her proud,” Vuong said.
Gymnastics is not only a sport. It is a performing art, requiring balance, immense strength and above all, extreme determination. The sport encapsulates four main competitive events: beam, vault, floors and bars — each challenging different skills and testing the limits of the gymnast.
“I love them and hate them all equally at times, but I’ve been enjoying bars the most,” Vuong said. “That feeling of swinging and working with the bar is a feeling I can’t describe.”
Within the past few years, the gymnast has had a record streak of placing overall at her meets, excelling in not just one, but all categories competed. Just so it seems — until disaster struck.
“I’ve recently been suffering a prolonged knee injury due to overuse, and I have been unable to do vault and floor for a little while,” Vuong said. “This was definitely one of the hardest obstacles I’ve faced, and these past few months have definitely been the hardest in my gymnastics career. Knowing that I still have to come in and give it my all for the events I’m still competing in, but seeing my teammates work on vault and floor knowing that I’m unable to do them without pain was very crushing.”
Yet through all the difficulties, Vuong stays resilient and never fails to put in her best efforts. She always pushes back, working on both her mental toughness and knee rehab–all while continuing to kill every meet that she’s competing in.
“I started to realize that everyone’s journey is different, and I focused on what I could do instead of what I couldn’t,” Vuong said.
From her very first meets to her most recent ones, it is clear that the days she spent practicing in the gym did not go to waste. Vuong continues to push herself day by day and has no doubt proven herself a force to be reckoned with.
Through the numerous injuries, gruesome hours of practice and countless tears, her coaches and teammates have always been there, showering her with cheers, hugs and high fives from the sidelines; and to Vuong, the joy in doing gymnastics is just that. The lessons learned and relationships built are something dear to her heart and have helped her become who she is today.
“This sport has reached me past just gymnastics,” Vuong said. “The gym really is my second home and I love the community that this sport builds.”
Her best memories of gymnastics were the moments spent with her teammates. Whether it’s eating at First Class Pizza for celebrations, walking to 7-Eleven in leotards for free slushies or calling themselves the Fab Five, it is these small moments with the people she loves that really make the sport special.
Vuong sees herself in her favorite college gymnasts: Trinity Thomas, Jordan Bowers and Haleigh Bryant. To her, they’re not only inspirations but also a representation of the college dream — having the best time of her life doing the sport she loves.
“Also, the little prodigy gymnasts on Instagram. Have you seen them? They’ll make you rethink your happy childhood,” Vuong said.
Not surprisingly, Vuong’s goal is to get a full-ride scholarship for college-level gymnastics. She hopes to experience the environment and team atmosphere that college gymnastics offers, and would love to pursue her major along with her sport.
Looking back at her journey, there is no doubt that the bright, little girl has found her true passion. As the music fades and the crowd cheers, Vuong takes her bow and is more motivated than ever to continue pushing herself to new heights. And with her unwavering passion, resilience and dedication, there’s no doubt that she will continue to shine both on and off the mat.
This article was originally published in the 2023 RED Magazine. Stop by room 306 to pick up a copy.
