Rylie Hudson, Gymnast

As I was getting ready to write this post, all sorts of really lame, cheesy titles came to mind - "Unparalleled Excellence", something about "vaulting into success", you get the picture...I dismissed them all (I still don't have a title yet!) because I didn't want anything lame or cheesy detracting from this feature on homeschooled, competitive gymnast Rylie Hudson.  Rylie works hard, in and out of the gym.  Like other homeschooled kids I am planning to or hoping to profile, I want to celebrate her achievements.  So, with no lame or cheesy title, meet Rylie, who would love to follow in the footsteps of her favorite gymnast, Shawn Johnson...

"She saw some girls doing flips when she was four years old and said, 'Mommy I want to do that' and has been hooked ever since," mom Robyn says of her now 9-year-old daughter.

Rylie is currently a Level 5, competitive gymnast for the girls' team at Phoenix Gymnastics Academy.  She spends 10 hours each week in the gym, conditioning and training.  She competes in the fall, participating in some seven meets over the course of three months.  "Bars is my favorite event.  I least like beam...it's just scary," Rylie admits.

  
"I find it is much easier to homeschool a gymnast then send her to regular school. We have done both, and she does much better with homeschooling because it allows more time for her," Robyn states.  Homeschooling allows a flexibility with the schedule than traditional schooling simply doesn't afford. The Hudsons don't have to worry about balancing the hour or more of homework that must be done each night with her training regiment at the gym.  Robyn says that "Homeschooling her has worked out well for us and she loves it."

When asked, Rylie concurs.  "Most of the girls on my team are jealous that I am homeschooled," she reveals.  "They want to be homeschooled, too."

With a family who places a high value on education, and all of the life lessons Rylie is learning in the gym, there's no doubt that she will finish strong. 

 

This post was untitled until I finished writing.  Something about the simple beauty of this last photo in particular made me decide to go with a simple title, and not try to make the title into anything cute or clever.  I hope you liked "Rylie Hudson, Gymnast".