Page 22 - San Diego Woman Magazine POWER WOMEN ISSUE

INCREDIBLE KIDS OF SAN DIEGO

HAILEY TOLLIVER

A Trampoline/Gymnast Superstar

By Nini Hodge
Photos courtesy of Nini Hodge
HIS PROFILE IS PARTIC- of gymnastics. It’s also one
Tularly close to me of the first tickets to sell
because I know this girl per- out at the Olympic Games.
sonally and we go to school With Artistic there are four
together, this story is about events, vault, uneven bars,
Hailey Tolliver, a trampoline/ balance beam, and floor
gymnast superstar. Hailey exercise
is 12 and lives in Poway she So Cal TTC has sent one
goes to school at Twin Peaks gymnast to the Olympics al-
Middle School and is the ready, Hailey has her sights
oldest of three kids in her set on being the next one
household. Hailey is quite to go. Hailey was diagnosed
different than most 12-year- with dyslexia in 2nd grade,
olds, she has been a com- (Dyslexia is a learning disor-
petitive gymnast for 5 years der that involves difficulty
now, and in April she placed reading due to problems
3rd in the state finals, she identifying speech sounds
had high enough scores and learning how they
that she was able to travel relate to letters and words).
to Las Vegas to compete in School has always been a
the USA Gymnastic regional difficult area for her, and she
has never felt like it would
be the area she shines, gym-
nastics, however, has helped
her to gain confidence and
security within herself as
well as her abilities. One
thing Hailey likes to say to
herself is, “you don’t have
enough time to doubt your-
self when you are flipping in
midair.”
Hailey like other kids her
age like socializing, hang-
Photos Courtesy of Becky Hsu

championships. Hailee went Did you know there es on each other, while
with the sole purpose of are 5 types of gymnastics, members of the team throw
getting experience, and she Artistic, Rhythmic, trampo- and catch their teammates.
wound up winning the com- line, tumbling and acrobatic Rhythmic gymnasts perform
petition. Hailey tumbles and and in 2017 trampoline and jumps, tosses, leaps and
does gymnastics at her local tumbling were introduced other moves with different
gym So Cal TTC (trampoline in the Olympics. Acrobatic types of equipment. This
tumbling and cheer). Hailey is where the athletes are is currently a female-on-
loves to travel while com- the equipment. A two- to ly sport in the Olympics.
peting “it’s one of the perks four-gymnast team per- Artistic attracts the most
of being in a competitive forms all types of hand- participants and is generally
sport” she says. stands, holds and balanc- the most well-known type

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