Two Lakewood Ranch gymnasts persevere to earn scholarships

Through the highs and lows, two Lakewood Ranch Gymnastics teammates have persevered, and their hard work is paying dividends. 

In June, Omer Danenberg-Lerner had made up her mind to quit gymnastics. The stress of the sport, the pain stemming from rotator cuff and back injuries, the fear of falling while learning new skills, was all becoming too much, with not enough to show for it. 

"Sometimes you find yourself laying in bed and thinking, 'Oh my gosh, I do not want to go to practice tomorrow, I am so scared,'" said Danenberg-Lerner, whose best event is the balance beam.

Two days after Danenberg-Lerner decided to hang up her leotard, she received a call from Iowa State. The Cyclones offered her a gymnastics scholarship. Danenberg-Lerner said it changed her mind. Maybe the challenges were worth the reward after all. She decided to commit. 

Injuries kept gymnastics teammate Ashlynn Voorhees off the mat her entire junior season. First it was a broken wrist, then the other wrist, then a broken hip. Voorhees said there was no one incident that caused any of her injures. They happened because her body wore down over time thanks to the demands of the sport, which Voorhees said was a scary feeling. Missing an entire season put any athletic scholarships out her mind. Voorhees said she simply wanted to get back competing again. 

That's when Voorhees found acrobatics and tumbling, a sport that she describes as a cross between gymnastics and cheerleading. The sport was approved as an NCAA Division I sport in June after Division II and III approved it in January, though it is categorized as an "emerging women's sport," meaning it does not yet have championship status.

Colleges can compete in the sport and hand out scholarships. As Voorhees competed in "acro," as it is known for short, she realized how much less stress it put on her body, and she started to regain her skills. When she reached out to colleges about scholarships, she started getting receiving mutual interest, including from Converse College (Spartanburg, S.C.). Voorhees decided to commit to the school. 

Both athletes signed with their respective schools Nov. 12. For them, signing would not be possible without past sacrifices. Getting good takes time, like any sport, but it was more than that. In addition to the time commitment and the physical challenges, there were mental challenges too. The fear that kept Danenberg-Lerner awake at night? That never goes away, and it extends past attempting new skills. 

"I'll be sitting in my car outside of practice pumping myself up," Voorhees said. "Like, 'OK, just get through conditioning and you will be fine.' It is so hard, so much work." 

If the demands of the sport are so high, why does anyone do it? That's a tricky question, both gymnasts said. There are rewarding moments, like successful competitions and the occasional silly practice, but to be in it for the long haul, you have to love the grind. Danenberg-Lerner could have said no to Iowa State and ended her career, but she didn't. Getting her offer was the validation she needed. Iowa State believes she can make an immediate impact on the balance beam.

Likewise, Voorhees will be trying to help her new college, a reason to keep fighting.

Danenberg-Lerner and Voorhees get annoyed when they hear people say gymnastics is not a real sport. Compare it to running, they said. Not everyone can run fast, but almost everyone can run. On the other hand, most people can't even complete a back flip, let alone a technically sound one. It takes athletic ability and mental fortitude. 

The pair has both in spades, and their drive to keep working is paying off.