“Never give up and always keep fighting, because though times may be tough, the sacrifices do pay off, so just keep pushing towards your dream and just love it at the same time and enjoy it.” This quote by Gabrielle Douglas proves that she never gave up. Her whole childhood revolved around gymnastics. She started her career off at a young age and continued to excel each and every day. She ran into many obstacles along the way, but that did not stop her from becoming the best gymnast that she could possibly be. Although she faced frustrating moments in her life, she had always come to believe in herself no matter what.
Gabrielle Christina Victoria Douglas was born on December 31, 1995, to Natalie Hawkins and Timothy Douglas. She grew up in …show more content…
Arielle was the first Douglas to start gymnastics. She taught Gabby some of the skills she had learned from her experiences. Gabby picked up these skills instantly. By the time she was three years old, she perfected a one-handed cartwheel. Then when she was six years old, Arielle convinced her mother to allow Gabby to start gymnastics classes. Finally, with enough convincing Douglas started going to gymnastics! She went to the Excalibur gym. She met new friends at this gym, one of her best friends she met there was Chase Walker. Chase and Douglas were real good friends. Chase and her family acted as if they were Douglas’s “substitute” family. Sometimes they would even take Douglas to the gym, and she would also go to their house in the summer time to play around with their …show more content…
At the age of fourteen, she was offered to get to train with Liang Chow. This then meant that she would have to move from Virginia all the way to Des Moines, Iowa. Unfortunately for her, her family did not have the money to go all the way to Des Moines and start a new life. But Chow had found a hostess family that has daughters who go to his gym and was willing to have Douglas stay with them for as long as needed. She started packing her bags, said her goodbyes, and was off. Her host parents were Missy and Travis Parton. Her four host siblings were Hailey, Leah, Lexi, and Elissa.
Douglas’s training with Chow was paying off. She was honored with many awards with his training. She started off with regular competitions to the National Championships to Olympic Trials to ending up making the Olympic team. Her first Olympic team was along with Jordyn Wieber, Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney, and Kyla Ross. A while after the Olympics had been over and having done great, Douglas decided to search for a new coach, leaving Chow
Gabrielle Christina Victoria Douglas was born on December 31, 1995, to Natalie Hawkins and Timothy Douglas. She grew up in …show more content…
Arielle was the first Douglas to start gymnastics. She taught Gabby some of the skills she had learned from her experiences. Gabby picked up these skills instantly. By the time she was three years old, she perfected a one-handed cartwheel. Then when she was six years old, Arielle convinced her mother to allow Gabby to start gymnastics classes. Finally, with enough convincing Douglas started going to gymnastics! She went to the Excalibur gym. She met new friends at this gym, one of her best friends she met there was Chase Walker. Chase and Douglas were real good friends. Chase and her family acted as if they were Douglas’s “substitute” family. Sometimes they would even take Douglas to the gym, and she would also go to their house in the summer time to play around with their …show more content…
At the age of fourteen, she was offered to get to train with Liang Chow. This then meant that she would have to move from Virginia all the way to Des Moines, Iowa. Unfortunately for her, her family did not have the money to go all the way to Des Moines and start a new life. But Chow had found a hostess family that has daughters who go to his gym and was willing to have Douglas stay with them for as long as needed. She started packing her bags, said her goodbyes, and was off. Her host parents were Missy and Travis Parton. Her four host siblings were Hailey, Leah, Lexi, and Elissa.
Douglas’s training with Chow was paying off. She was honored with many awards with his training. She started off with regular competitions to the National Championships to Olympic Trials to ending up making the Olympic team. Her first Olympic team was along with Jordyn Wieber, Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney, and Kyla Ross. A while after the Olympics had been over and having done great, Douglas decided to search for a new coach, leaving Chow