Small gym, big success
But perhaps that’s a good thing, as the 1,900-square-foot home of Heidi’s Gymnastics Philippians 4:13 has produced some awfully big results since its opening in 1999.
Those results are reflected in the title banners along the walls, which also feature motivational quotes and Bible verses reflecting her faith-driven philosophy.
Recently, the approach has shown in a name change, as the verse Philippians 4:13 is written on the windows outside.
But it has been reflected in scores, too. At the AAU Southern Gymnastics Regionals in Greenville, South Carolina, in May, five of the gym’s 12 regional competitors —
Saniya Gaikwad, Ayslyn McCreight, Abbi Jackson, Lexi Adoue
and Aspen Nelson — captured all-around first-place finishes in their respective divisions.
“Some people are like, ‘This place is really small,’” said De La Rocha, who competed for the Brigham Young University gymnastics squad in college. “But we’ve had tremendous success because it’s not how big the place is — it’s what’s inside it. To have five regional all-around champions is incredible.”
Notably, she said it is the most regional champions in a single competition that her gym has ever seen.
Her team has competed in the USA Gymnastics’ Xcel AAU league this year, finding first-place results across the bronze, silver and gold divisions.
Those results have followed the girls’ custom-made routines, as De La Rocha and her daughter, assistant coach Savannah, coach every minute detail from head to toe.
“She’s amazing,” De La Rocha said of her daughter. “She’s been coaching going on 16 years, I think, and she’s my right-hand person.”
“They work incredibly hard, and they’re very coachable,” she added of the gymnasts. “That shows when they compete. All 12 of them did amazing, and we’re really proud of everyone.”
Going forward, the team will compete at the national competition Friday through Sunday, June 19-21.
De La Rocha was hopeful they could find the same result as last year, as one of her gymnasts one a national title.
But no matter how the results shake out, she has been excited to see this team progress on and off the floor.
“All are welcome,” she said. “We have wonderful families, and the girls on our team are very respectful, accepting, understanding, and their hearts are very open to our philosophy. They work together in unison, and my job is to mentor them and help them to be the best they can be inside and out.
“I’ve only got them for a little bit of time, so I hope that in the time they’re here, they come out stronger in their character, confidence and who they are.”
