For young Moorestown resident William “Will” LaVan, gymnastics is something he really loves. He’s done it for almost half of his life, but up until he was 6, he had never entered a state competition. At the age of 7, Will took the opportunity to enter and rose above and beyond for his first state competition.
Will was the first-place winner at the 2016 New Jersey Men’s State Championship in the Level 5 category for his age group. He got there through hard work, dedication and focus, as well as all of the support he had from his family, friends, coach and team.
“My coach helped me along the way to get there,” Will said.
“Will owes his thanks and appreciation to his coach Vassili Iakimenko, his teammates, his sister Anabelle and Champions United Gymnastics Academy,” his mother Julie said.
Will started gymnastics by chance. His sister Anabelle liked gymnastics, so his parents had him take a class at the same time. He has liked it ever since and continued to do gymnastics for the past three years.
The things Will really likes about the sport are working with his teammates and becoming strong and focused from his time in gymnastics. His favorite thing to do is the pommel horse.
Will trains on the rings, mushroom, pommel horse/vault, floor and parallel bars. According to LaVan, Will is naturally athletic, but he still needed to work hard to improve. Trying to get better, he practices 12 to 15 hours per week.
The 2016 New Jersey Men’s State Championship was Will’s first time going to states. He entered the Level 5 age 7 group, which is the youngest group you can enter at Level 5 with the oldest being 11 and older.
Will said he was happy and excited to enter his first competition, but also a little scared. However, he was able to push through his fear.
As this was the first time, his parents just hoped he tried his best and benefited from his experience to he could be more prepared for his next experience at the state championships.
“Our hope for Will at states was that he would learn and gain more knowledge for the next time,” LaVan said.
In a happy and successful turn of events, Will placed first overall in his group. In the Level 5 age 7 group, there were approximately 40 kids, according to LaVan, and Will came out on top. Will received an overall score of 62.2; the runner-up received a 61.8.
“I was very excited and proud of myself,” Will said.
“We were shocked and thrilled and he was on cloud nine,” LaVan said.
For his great performance at states, Will was able to attend regionals. The regionals were held recently and Will placed 10th overall, again competing against about 40 others. He received a 59.9 at regionals.
“I was kind of happy (to receive 10th place) because the judges were harder on us,” Will said.
Will plans to continue with the sport. His parents hope he continues to enjoy it and work hard to achieve his goals.
