On Friday, May 12, senior and Level 10 gymnast Lauren Wright won the Eastern US All-Around Championship title in Oklahoma—her final achievement as a high school club gymnast. 

This championship, previously called the Junior Olympic Nationals, is referred to as the culmination of the competitive gymnastics season, and hosts “the best up-and-coming gymnasts in the country.” 

This fall, Wright will compete at the collegiate level at North Carolina State University, a Division I school. 

Wright started competing at age six, but gymnastics was not love at first sight.

“I started in a summer camp, the day after I turned five. My parents just dropped me off on their way to work, and I hated it at first,” she said. “But then I was put back into summer camp the next year and loved it.”

A coach at Wright’s summer camp saw her talent, and recommended that she be put into gymnastics classes, so she began at AJS gym in West Chester. She competed here for six years. Now, she competes for Stallone Gymnastics and identifies the most challenging parts of gymnastics. 

“The most challenging part [is] getting over injuries, and knowing everything always happens for a reason…Another challenging thing is I don’t get to hang out with my school friends, because I am always at practice…getting over not having the high school experience [is challenging],” Wright said. 

However, Wright’s career has provided opportunities for extremely rewarding experiences, as well. 

“Getting to travel to different places with my best friends. I am with them every day in the gym for four hours,” Wright said. 

As she goes on to compete in college, Wright considers what she thinks is going to be the highlight of collegiate competition. 

“Probably the team aspect. Club gymnastics is kind of an individual sport, and the team kind of comes second,” she said. “But college gymnastics is for the team, and it is more team-oriented.”