Why am I doing this?  I am soliciting your support in this manner in an effort to keep within NCAA regulations.  I believe my children receive a lot of benefit by participating in the sport — lessons about working hard to accomplish goals, trying and learning new things, overcoming obstacles, performing under pressure, dealing with disappoinment, etc.  These are great lessons in life, and as a parent I am trying to do whatever I can to not disrupt their participation in gymnastics.  Unfortunately due to NCAA rules, I cannot accept donations nor can I find my children a sponsorship, if they would like to compete in an NCAA program in college (I had to turn down the opportunity for a sponsorship with a nutrition bar company).  Even if my children were to earn an academic scholarship to pay for college, they would still be ineligible to compete in the NCAA if they received sponsorships or donations of any kind to fund their training (because it would technically make them "professional" athletes).  All funding for their training are limited to only two sources: 1) parents or 2) grandparents — no one else!  Tough in this day and age, when children (in general, there is always the rare exception) cannot receive gymnastics training in our public schools like they can in the other sports (especially before the high school level — and certainly not 4+ hours per day)!

In a personal letter I received from Steve Penny (president of USA Gymnastics) regarding my concerns, Steve writes that while it is unfortunate that the NCAA has this ruling, there is not much he is able to do about it at this point.  He agreed that it is tragic that the NCAA is compelled to implement this amateurism rule "fairly and equally across all sports," when it is clear that all sports are NOT "equal."  It is quite apparent that millions can be made professionally in basketball, football, and baseball, while the same CANNOT be said for gymnastics.  Ironically, a college graduate will make more money pursuing a job in their degree or field of study than they will as a "professional gymnast" — unlike in basketball, football, or baseball (again, there may always be a rare exception, but I think my point is well-evidenced and not unfounded).  The greatest irony of all is that training in basketball, football, and baseball is very affordable in comparison to gymnastics training.

My children work very hard, both in school and at the gym, and I would like to continue to provide them with the opportunity to progress in the sport, for as long as they are receiving personal fulfillment from it.  Gymnastics is a character builder.  It doesn't matter how strong you are, how fast you are, how flexible you are, or what your talent potential is — if you don't work hard and put in the time and effort, you will NOT succeed in the sport.  Gymnastics is NOT a sport which you can casually drop for a time, then pick-up later (like the other sports) — the hours must be put in regularly at the gym.  In a nutshell, gymnastics requires commitment and dedication — virtues which are reinforced everyday through their participation in the sport.  I have provided descriptions below of my two children so you can get to know who you are supporting through your efforts.

---

Tony Petelo

Tony started gymnastics when he was spotted by a couple of gym parents at a McDonald's playland.  At two years of age Tony began doing the same "stunts" that their four-year-olds were doing, and these nice moms were kind enough to introduce us to the world of gymnastics by inviting us to give their gym a try.  We haven't looked back since; while simultaneously participating in AYSO, basketball, and Little League, Tony eventually chose to give up the other (cheaper) sports in favor of concentrating on gymnastics exclusively.  Go figure... =•)

Ten years later Tony is now a Level 7 gymnast, training 21½ hours a week.  At 12 years of age Tony is an avid "cuber," routinely solving the standard 3x3 Rubik's cube in under two minutes (with a personal best of 60.5 seconds).  He is also quite proficient at the 2x2, 4x4, and 5x5 cubes, and has the 7x7 cube almost figured out (he seems to regularly have the same 4 cubes out of place, which he hasn't figured out yet — but give him time!).  Tony is also a good scholar-athlete, having achieved a perfect 600 score in Math in statewide California standardized testing four years in a row.  Additionally, he has placed twice nationally in national math competitions (21st / 2600+ in 2008, and 52nd / 3000+ in 2009).  His compiled score in 2009, along with those of two of his classmates, gave his school the #1 ranking in the country.  A science lover, Tony would like to be a paleontologist when he grows up.

Tony deals with a condition known as palmoplantar hyperhidrosis, which he has inherited from his grandmother.  Palmoplantar hyperhidrosis is an abnormality characterized by constant and excessive perspiration of the hands and feet, and it affects his schoolwork in that his written work is constantly "smudged" (and the fact that he's left-handed certainly doesn't help!).  Because his hands are wet at all times, Tony also has trouble keeping the stickers on his Rubik's cubes adhered (and we have resorted to painting on the colors on some of his cubes).  This condition obviously affects him at the gym as well, and for his safety Tony requires the use lots (and LOTS) of chalk.  Palmoplantar hyperhidrosis can be treated through a surgical procedure known as thoracoscopic sympathectomy, but under the advice of his pediatrician we have chosen not to pursue that avenue at this point.

Tony has had the privilege of being profiled in USA Gymnastics magazine (July 2008) and International Gymnast magazine (March 2009).  Below are some of Tony's other noteworthy experiences, both in the sport as well as outside of gymnastics.

*     *     *     *     *

8/13/2011 - Tony takes the individual for the Mile Run in the Ultimate Strength Contest at his gym.  Tony added points to his team by performing 10 consecutive stalder press handstands at the end of the competition (see below), with his team finishing in 3rd place.

Tony performing stalder press handstands, Ultimate Strength Contest

8/11/2011 - Tony achieves a perfect 600 in the CA standardized test (STAR) for 7th grade Math.  Tony has attained a perfect 600 in Math 5 times in the last 6 years (2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 7th grades).

6/10/2011 - Tony's latest grades one week before the end of school (release of final grades do not include percentages):

97.7%  A+  Social Sci. 7
99.7%  A+  Phys Ed 7/8
102.7%  A+  Alg Prep Adv
100.3%  A+  Hnrs. Lang Arts 7
96.7%  A  Video Production 7/8
99.2%  A  Science 7
100.0%  O  Advisement 7

Nice work Tony!  Mom and Dad are very proud of your hard work!

4/26/2011 - Tony broke his school's Jump Rope record at school today.  He beat the old record of 163 skips by a margin of 12, getting in 175 skips on the rope in 60 seconds.  Tony was aiming for 180 skips (an average of 3 per second), but he had one "mess-up" where he had to stop momentarily during the 60-second time period.  But he did set a new school record, nevertheless!

UPDATE: May 2, 2011 - Tony broke the school's old Jump Rope record again, six days later, this time by a margin of 17.  He reached his goal of averaging 3 skips per second, achieving a total of 180 skips in 60 seconds.

4/8/2011 - Tony finished the season as the Region 1 Champion on Parallel Bars, placing 4th in the All-Around and medaling in 4 of the 6 events.  Tony's All-Star Team also finished in 1st place out of five states!.

Tony with his coaches, Shen Jian (1996 Olympic Silver medalist)
and Li Xiaoping (1984 Olympic Silver medalist)

Nice finish to the season — USAG Region 1 Gold medalist
on Parallel Bars, and 1st place All-Star team!

3/20/2011 - Tony is State Champion on Parallel Bars and finishes 3rd in the All-Around, medaling in 5 of 6 events.  Tony was also named to the All-Star Team, where they will compete against All-Star teams from 4 other states at the USAG Region 1 Championship in April.

   

3/4/2011 - Tony ran the mile in 5:47 at school today!  His weekly progress report also shows current grades of two As and four A+s in his six classes!

2/27/2011 - Tony qualifies for State and is named All-Around Conference Champion for the second year in a row.  Tony was champion on four events (Floor, Pommel Horse, Rings, and High Bar), and received a Silver in Parallel Bars along with his Gold in the All-Around.

Tony on High Bar, Conference Championship

2/20/2011 - Tony wins the Gold medal on Floor and the Silver medal on Parallel Bars, finishing 3rd in the All-Around at the Palm Tree Classic.

Tony on Parallel Bars, Palm Tree Classic

2/11/2011 - Tony's progress report mailed from school: Four As and two A+s (including a 100.9% in Science!)

2/4/2011 - Tony finishes 3rd in the All-Around at the Blackjack National Championship in Las Vegas, NV (missing 2nd place by just a tenth of a point), winning the Gold medal on Floor, and 2nd place in both Pommel Horse and Parallel Bars.

Getting ready for the competition at 7:20am

Tony on Pommel Horse, Blackjack National Championship

2/1/2011 - Tony receives the principal's "A" For the Day award at school!  He was nominated for the award by his PE teacher for doing 20 pull-ups and running the mile in 6:05 last week.

Tony with his middle school principal

1/25/2011 - After making the final cut in last week's Rubik's cube prelim, there was a run-off of the top 3 at an assembly in front the entire school.  Final Result: Tony Petelo - Rubik's Cube Champ! (1:12)

1/23/2011 - Tony is champion on Vault, Pommel Horse, and Parallel Bars at the State 2nd Prelim.

Handstand on Rings, 2nd Prelim

12/15/2010 - Final grades for 1st Trimester, 7th grade Honors program:  Four As and two A+s in his six classes (including a 99.5% in Science and a 98.0% in Social Sci).

6/14/2010 - Tony was one of two 6th Grade boys who received his middle school's PE Achievement Award at the awards assembly this evening.

Tony receives the PE Achievement Award at his middle school

5/15/2010 - Tony represented his school at a county-wide math competition.  He completed five Rubik's cubes in 10 minutes, and was about 10 seconds away from completing a sixth when time expired!  While he came nowhere close to winning the Rubik's cube portion of the competition, we are nonetheless very proud of him.  Tony did manage to come home from the competition with two medals, with a sixth-place in Data Analysis, as well as a sixth-place in Geometry.

4/18/2010 - Tony was the USAG Region 1 (Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada, Northern California, Southern California) Silver Medalist on Vault. Unfortunately, no photos were taken on Vault.

 

3/21/2010:  Tony qualified as the All-Star Team alternate at the State Championship.

2/27/2010:  Tony qualified for State and was the All-Around Champion at the State Central Conference Championship.

2/6/2010:  Blackjack National Championship, Las Vegas, NV.  Videos below (Rings & Parallel Bars).

Tony on Rings, Blackjack National Championship

Tony on Parallel Bars, Blackjack National Championship

---

Alyssa Petelo

Alyssa "fell" into the sport from being a "gym rat."  Three-and-a-half years younger than her brother, she grew up in the gym as Tony began training before Alyssa was even born.  Tony began multiple-day workouts since he was four years old, so from being in that environment she eventually went down the same road.  Alyssa started the sport a bit later than her brother, however, taking gymnastics on-and-off between the ages of 4 and 6, because gymnastics was (and still is) something we never want to force on our kids.  Alyssa also participated in AYSO for a few seasons.  It was not until she was almost 7 when she decided she wanted to take gymnastics more seriously, and it was at that point when Alyssa began training multiple days a week.

Alyssa just finished her Level 5 competitive season; unfortunately she was not able to compete at her State Championship because she was a participant in her uncle's wedding on the same day — her uncle and his fiancée wouldn't change their wedding date — go figure =•).  However, Alyssa is looking forward to learning new skills for her upcoming Level 6 season and is really enjoying working on giants on Bars, which she says is her new favorite skill, along with her roundoff back-handspring back-tuck on Floor.  Aside from gymnastics, Alyssa has been participating in Girl Scouts for the past four years.

Like her brother, Alyssa is a good scholar-athlete.  Having just turned 9, she is the youngest student in a Grade 4/5 GATE class at school.  Alyssa achieved a perfect score in Math in her latest CA State standardized test, while obtaining a perfect score in 9 of the 10 total subtests (Math and Language combined).  Alyssa is a "girly-girl" and like many, she would like to be a fashion designer when she grows up.

Below are some highlights of Alyssa's achievements.  I will keep this list updated periodically throughout the year.

*     *     *     *     *

8/13/2011 - Alyssa competes in the Ultimate Strength Contest at her gym, and wins the individual for Leg Lifts in 30-seconds with 20 (edging out her brother Tony, who performed 19).  Her team finishes in 2nd place!

Alyssa performing timed leg lifts, Ultimate Strength Contest

6/16/2011 - Alyssa received all As, Os, and 3s (mastery in all subject areas) on her 4th grade final report card.

5/20/2011 - Alyssa received a Writing Award at the school assembly today!

3/16/2011 - We attended Alyssa's parent conference -- a good review from her teacher, getting all As and Os on her 2nd trimester report card, and an even better review on her citizenship and work habits!

1/17/2011 - Alyssa did 18 unassisted strap-bar giants in a row at practice!

12/15/2010 - Alyssa earned all As and Os on her first trimester report card for 4th grade.

Nov. 2010 - Alyssa celebrates her birthday making rootbeer and pretzels.

9/25/2010 - Alyssa took 1st place on Vault, Beam, and Floor, winning the Silver medal in the All-Around at the State 2nd Prelim.

8/6/2010 - Alyssa earned a perfect 600 in the CA standardized test (STAR) for 3rd grade Math, and scored 100% in 9 of the 10 STAR subtests (the only subtest in which she didn't obtain a perfect score was Writing Strategies).