By Matt Wiley
For many, one of the most fascinating Olympic sports to watch is gymnastics. The amount of strength and agility needed to perform many of the routines is immense. However, one New Tampa 10-year-old has proven to be a natural in the sport, so much so that he already has qualified to train and compete at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO.
“I’m really looking forward to the trip to Colorado Springs,” says Arden Spiro, of Cory Lake Isles. “It’s going to be really cool. This will give me a good idea of what competition will be like moving forward.”
On November 13, Spiro will compete in the U.S.A. Gymnastics National Future Stars Championship. The Future Stars program is the pre-Olympic track for young gymnasts. Arden will represent the Southeast region, an honor earned with his fourth-place performance (out of eight competitors) at the Southeast Region 8 championship in Gainesville on October 4.
During the competition, Arden competed against the Southeast Region’s best gymnasts in his age division in floor exercise, pommel horse, still rings, vault, parallel bars, high bar and trampoline, as well as in strength and flexibility evaluations.
Arden will compete in all of the same events against the best 10-year-olds in the nation in Colorado Springs and, he says, the competition will be fierce.
“If your toe is curled while you’re flying through the air, you can lose points (from the judges),” he explains. “It’s pretty intense.”
Arden (photo) adds that he thinks that his high bar and strength routine will help him score highly. Only the top 16 gymnasts in his division will be named to the U.S. Gymnastics National Development Team and only the top eight finalists will be invited to participate in a special Development Team camp, during which they’ll get to train with several Olympic gymnasts, including 2012 Olympic Bronze Medalist Danell Leyva.
Arden says he hopes to wear an Olympic medal, as well, although his gymnastics journey actually began at age three.
“One day, we were at the beach and Arden was playing with a bucket in the sand,” his father Cyril explains. “He flipped it upside down, put his hands on top of it and pushed himself into a handstand, all on his own. We obviously could tell he had a natural knack for balance and muscle coordination.” They enrolled him in gymnastics to see if he took to it. And, he did.
“Yes, when I was younger, I used to jump around a lot,” Arden explains. “I was very active.”
These days, Arden spends 24 hours a week (four hours per day, six days a week) training at La Fleur’s Gymnastic Club in Tampa. Until last year, he attended Hunter’s Green Elementary, but late hours and a lack of free time prompted Arden and his parents to give home-schooling a try.
“By high school, I definitely want to be back in school,” he says.
Arden has hopes of attending and competing in college gymnastics at Stanford University in Stanford, CA, after which he hopes to make his dream of competing in the Olympics come true.
However, it all starts with the upcoming competition in Colorado Springs. To help cover Arden’s direct travel expenses (not including food or family travel), his parents set up a GoFundMe account.
And, thanks to the help of generous donations from the New Tampa community, Arden reached his goal of raising $1,535 in just 22 days!
From the New Tampa Neighborhood News, best of luck at the national competition, Arden!
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