After a difficult knee injury in seventh grade, Addison Holmes was sidelined for three years until she returned to the sport her freshman year of high school.
“I started gymnastics at 4 years old, and I got hurt participating in one of my favorite events, which is vault, when I was around 12 years old,” Holmes said.
Holmes had torn her patellar tendon. She said it was difficult to get back into the sport, but physical therapy helped her get back into shape and feel more comfortable in the sport after the injury.
“I was in physical therapy for about two to three months,” Holmes said. “The extensive conditioning and stretching significantly helped me get back into my old shape and flexibility.”
Even after physical therapy, she still had some challenges getting back into her old routines because her knee still got weak during some events. She also had the challenge of coming back mentally to compete.
“The moments when my knee got weak hurt my confidence because I had to learn to just keep pushing or I would not accomplish anything,” Holmes said.
Eventually she was able to come back and compete in her normal events. Holmes competes in bars, beam, and vault for the gymnastics team.
“My favorite event is vault because it is one of the less nerve-racking events, and I feel more comfortable doing the vault than I do beam or bars,” Holmes said.
She loves the sport because of the fun environment and the people she competes with. Her teammates appreciate how she helps the team.
“Addie brings energy and confidence to our team, which makes her really good under pressure in different events,” junior Ella Scurry said. “She also inspires me as an underclassmen to work hard and build up my confidence so that I can perform all of my events with little to no flaws.”
Throughout her high school career, away meets have always been her favorite, Holmes said.
“I really like away meets because the bus rides give us a chance to relax and have fun before the pressure is put on us,” Holmes said. “Being able to sit and talk with my teammates has really made us closer as a team because everyone is so supportive.”
Others on the team also appreciate the team bonding that happens during the bus rides.
“Being on the bus with Addie is so fun because she can always lift up your attitude if you are down,” senior Sophia Rossa said. “I am going to miss them next year after we graduate.”
The gymnastics team will compete in states in two weeks. After high school, Holmes is going to Ohio State University to be a business major. She said she is going to miss competing in gymnastics but is excited for her future.
