Untold Athletes: Cameryn Nichols - Gymnastics

Cameryn Nichols is a sophomore gymnast from Hudson, N.H. Nichols is majoring in speech-language pathology, and during her first season on South Hill, she was the NCGA East Region Rookie of the Year, a NCGA All-American in the vault, floor and all-around, as well as a WCGA All-American in the all-around.

I started gymnastics when I was two years old, before I can even remember. I can’t tell you when exactly the sport became my passion. Maybe it was when I moved from classes to the competitive team. Maybe it was when I competed for the first time with my sister Katelyn by my side. Perhaps I fell in love with the sport when I stood on the podium for the first time.  Honestly, those memories are very vague in my mind at this point in my career. I can’t tell you when my passion began but looking back on my life in gymnastics, I can find moments that prove that it was there throughout my childhood and is still here today. 

My passion is apparent in the adrenaline of doing a new skill by myself for the first time, the pride and confidence I gain after overcoming the many obstacles presented in the sport, the thrill of flying through the air with control and precision, the excitement of saluting the judge starting a routine, and the satisfaction of saluting the judge at the end of one. All of it has always been so internally rewarding for me, and collegiate gymnastics is no different. Perhaps gymnastics became my passion over time or maybe it was an incident that is only a distant memory, but I know for a fact that this sport will always mean so much to me.

My older sisters make my story unique. It is not every day, that you see three sisters who have spent their entire lives in the gymnastics world together. They are the reason I started gymnastics in the first place. As we all grew up in the gym, I was constantly looking up to them. Both Carolyn and Katelyn were incredible gymnasts and incredible students. They set the bar high for me as I followed in their footsteps. I would not have acquired my work ethic and my determination if they were not leading the way and pushing me to achieve my full potential. My goals might not have been as ambitious if my sisters did not pave the way in gymnastics and school, showing me what I was and am capable of. 

Although we are all in different stages in our schooling and careers, we all still have connections to the sport we love. Once she went to college, Katelyn got a job coaching at a club gym near her university, sharing the sport with a younger generation of incoming gymnasts. Carolyn became a two-time All-American in her years competing for Ithaca’s gymnastics team and now choreographs floor routines for club and collegiate gymnasts. I joined the team the year after she graduated. I’m still working to achieve my academic and athletic goals that both of them unknowingly helped me set for myself.   

Gymnastics is filled with numerous obstacles, injuries and fear being the top two in my case.  Overuse injuries have always caused me setbacks. Back, shin, ankle, and wrist problems have each challenged me several times throughout my athletic career, although I was lucky enough to not experience any of it until around middle school. Fear, however, has always been a constant in the sport. The skills gymnasts learn are scary, but that is one of the cool parts about gymnastics. We do all of these things despite the fear. We all overcome our fears in different ways, and part of the journey in gymnastics is finding what works for you. Through dealing with injury and fear, I’ve learned that I am tougher and far more capable than I think I am. 

These obstacles have shaped me into a determined, mentally tough, and confident person. Just like gymnastics, life can be difficult and scary. Yes, there are always moments that leave me doubting myself, but looking back and seeing how far I’ve come and what I’ve already successfully overcome is enough to drive me to keep going. Believing I am capable of the challenges that come my way in life is half the battle of overcoming them. I would be a very different person today if I had not grown up in gymnastics.

I can think of several defining moments I’ve experienced in this sport, but the one that stands out the most is my regional competition my sophomore year of high school. Throughout my entire season as a level nine gymnast that year, my goal was to qualify for Eastern Nationals. I, as well as my coaches, teammates, and family knew I was more than capable of qualifying, and yet, I missed it by one place on the podium. I was beyond upset for the rest of the weekend. Walking into practice that following Monday, my focus shifted. The whole weekend I was sulking about that one competition, but I realized that I wanted to do everything in my power to not let that happen again. 

Level 10 Nationals was my new goal, and the work started that very practice. Before this incident, I had always been slow to cope with falling short of my goals.  This was one of the first times that I realized relatively quickly that failure is a teaching moment.  This marked a sort of turning point in my gymnastics career, as I was able to use failure to my benefit from then on. That low point was the moment that propelled my career forward. My junior and senior year of high school, I competed at Level 10 Nationals. And now I get to continue to learn and grow beside the most incredible teammates as a part of IC’s gymnastics team. I am grateful for the sport which has immensely influenced my personal development. I am even more grateful for ICG giving me the opportunity to continue that growth while making what I know will be some of the best memories and friendships of my life.