Five years ago, after suffering a sports-related injury, junior Jordan Gifford’s doctors told her that she had to quit gymnastics, the sport to which she had dedicated countless years of training and competition. Hearing this demand for an end to her gymnastics career, Gifford realized her overwhelming adoration for the sport. She refused to abandon her goals as a gymnast and continued to pursue the sport, conditioning for eight weeks to heal her injury. During this period, Gifford yearned to practice normally on the vault, bars, beam and floor with her friends, but had to resist if she wanted to compete again. After she returned to the sport, despite possessing physical limitations, Gifford vowed to work harder at the gym.

At the age of eighteen months old, Gifford’s mother introduced her to gymnastics in “Mommy and Me” classes in an attempt to stop Gifford from climbing up furniture in her house. Gifford quickly took to the sport, and she now practices twenty hours per week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays to improve her skills.

When she began her training, Gifford longed to compete in the Olympics. She explained her transitions between various gyms in past years before choosing her current gym, Gymnastics World in Brecksville.

“[I started at] West Side Gymnastics. Then I moved to Michigan [and] went to a different gym. Then, I came back to Ohio and moved to different gym. Now I’m a Level 9 [gymnast] at Gymnastics World,” Gifford said.

Ron Ganim, the Chief Financial Officer of Gymnastics World and a gymnastics coach for 49 years outlined Gifford’s rigorous practice schedule. He has coached Gifford for about five years.

“[A] typical day includes a vigorous warm up, followed by 40 minute rotations to vault, bars, beam and floor with a conditioning rotation, along with a dance rotation on some of the days,” Ganim said.

Ganim also teaches the sport psychology class referred to as “Psychobabble” class.

Gifford elaborated on Psychobabble class, which she has on Wednesdays. In the class, she and her peers, who she considers her sisters, discuss their fears, food that they should be considering or not considering and mental aspects of the sport.

In the past season, which began in December and will end in April or May, Gifford competed in about ten competitions, which typically occur on weekends. The sport’s demanding nature prevents a gymnast from competing in many more competitions. Gifford detailed a typical competition.

“[I] check in, and then [I] go warm up with [my] team. There [are] different rotations and different flights, Flight A and Flight B to get through everybody faster. We rotate on different events in Olympic order, typically, which is vault, bars, beam [and then] floor. [Competitions last] typically one day. Bigger meets, like nationals, [last] a couple days because they do different age groups on different days. Our [meets] take only three hours. If they [are] really fast [they] can take only two hours, which is really nice because [I] just get everything done,” Gifford said.

Gifford’s father, Dave Gifford, explained how he feels when watching his daughter compete.

“It is great to watch her, but [I am] always nervous… She has one shot so [I] hope the best for her. If she falls, [I] want her to get up and keep going. There is no do-over,” he said.

Mr. Gifford also expressed his observances of Gifford’s athletic and personal development throughout her involvement with gymnastics.

“She has developed a ton of confidence in herself and her abilities. She [has] also developed a work ethic that is rarely seen in a teenager, spending 20 hours a week in the gym and [spending] a good portion of her free time studying. [Gifford] is a very hard worker, and [she is] very disciplined.  This has helped her do very well at Revere and still compete,” he said.

Gifford has grown accustomed to balancing schoolwork and gymnastics.

“I [do not] find it hard anymore [to balance the two] because [I have] been doing it for so long… I [have not] done school and not done gym. [I have] been doing gym longer than [I have] been in school. [School] comes first, so sometimes I miss [gym] because I just have a [homework] overload, but I [do not] go to bed that late. I know time management now,” Gifford said.

During the summer, Gifford continues to practice gymnastics at her gym and at a camp called International Gymnastics Camp (IGC) in the Pennsylvania Pocono Mountains. She explained her daily camp schedule.

“[I] wake up, go to breakfast, [and] go to the gym. [I] go back to [my] cabin for lunch, then [I] go to lunch, and then [I] go back to practice. [After that I] have open rec and then dinner. Then there’s open gym, which I typically go to because it’s more fun. [I] can play around and try new skills. Then [I] go to like a nighttime activity, and then [I] go to bed,” Gifford said.

Gifford hopes to continue gymnastics in college on a club team, enabling her to focus on her education. Mr. Gifford elaborated on how his daughter can stay in the sport without formally competing.

“[Gifford’s] focus in college will be academics, and she feels that being part of a sport at the college level will impact her academics.  She hopes that the school she attends will have a club gymnastics team where she can continue her training.  If not,
she plans to switch to diving or another sport since she is very competitive,” her father said.

Ganim applauds Gifford’s diligence and dedication to the sport that she loves. He explained how she stands out from other gymnasts at Gymnastics World.

“[Gifford] is self-motivated while others need prodding; she sees high standards of achievement and expects to reach them,” Ganim said.

Nearing the end of her season, Gifford no longer grows nervous before competitions as she has practiced these routines for hours each week. Despite her injuries, she will continue to pursue gymnastics because of her love of the sport. She will compete later this year in the Bahamas and continue her gymnastics career in college after she graduates in 2017.