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Emerson Adams performs a routine on the balance beam. “It's something I think is fun and I get to keep doing it and getting better at it," Adams said of gymnastics.

Keeping her balance
By Taylor Messick
Last Updated: June 22, 2017

There's more to Emerson Adams than ice cream and books.

The Valley Center Middle School student is a dedicated and decorated athlete. Emerson said she will spend an average of 29 hours per week in the gym this summer fine-tuning the gymnastics skills that recently won her third place at the Junior Olympics Western National Championships in Boise, Idaho.

Emerson started gymnastics when she was just 2 years old and her devotion to achieving success in the sport was apparent. Emerson's mom, Traci, said her daughter discovered the sport with a group of kids from her brother's soccer team and it was easy to see that she was serious about gymnastics.

"She just fell in love," Traci said. "She took a couple classes but she would always get upset because people weren't paying attention. So they ended up moving her (to a higher level) because she was a little intense."

Luckily for Emerson, intensity is the name of the game when it comes to gymnastics. She only takes two weeks out of the year off from training and attends only half days of school to spend more time at the gym. That means she still has to be responsible enough to complete her other classes at home — and she doesn't seem to mind.

"I'm always up and ready to go in the mornings," said Emerson. "I'm usually the one rushing my mom to get in the car. I've made some sacrifices; I don't get to go to all the parties or the football games on Friday nights. But I get to go to Florida and everywhere around the country so that makes it alright. It's something I think is fun and I get to keep doing it and getting better at it."

Traci said that she and her husband, Doug, play the role of proud and supportive — yet, actively concerned — parents.

"We're totally blown away," said Traci. "We just kind of go one year at a time and make sure her mind and body can handle it. Our one rule has always been if you start something you need to finish it. When she falls or has a rough meet, our hearts break for her because we watch her go to bed early and put in all this time and hard work to reach this goal. At the same time, you learn something and go on. Those can be important lessons."

Emerson failed to qualify for the Kansas state tournament three years in a row before winning four consecutive state titles. She credits a measure of her success to the help of her coaches at JAG Gymnasium in Andover.

"I don't like to tell a lot of people about myself," said Emerson. "I like to stay humble. I talk with my teammates but I don't really bring the topic up at school. If I've been gone and they ask where I've been I just say, ‘Oh, I was out of town.' Sometimes I hear them behind me wondering about the bruises on my legs the size of watermelons. I think I worry about it because I don't want people to think I'm bragging."

Traci said Emerson was even stressed about the potential recognition she would get from this article. Because of her success at the Junior Olympics Western National Championships, Emerson has been invited to an elite gymnastics camp in July. The camp takes place in Huntsville, Texas, where Emerson and the other athletes will get the chance to train with the staff that trains the USA Gymnastics National Team.





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