Aiming for the Olympics

12-year-old gymnast working to qualify for world competition

WINDOW ROCK

At only 12 years old, Navajo gymnast Angellisa Daw has her mind set on one day competing in the Olympics.

And with the amount of dedication and success she has already found in the past five years since she first started gymnastics, she is well on her way.

“I want to be the first Olympic gymnast to be Navajo,” said Daw.

But her love and talent for gymnastics probably wouldn’t have been realized had it not been for her cousin. Angellisa’s mother, Maria Daw, said that her niece initially was the one taking gymnastics, but decided it wasn’t for her.

“My sister paid the whole year for gymnastics for her daughter … it was nonrefundable,” said Maria. “Her daughter went to one class and said, ‘Eh, I don’t like it.’ So we said, ‘Why not put Angel in it?’ We put her in there and she took off.”

Still very much a novice, Angellisa worked extra hard on the various moves she was being introduced to. Maria said when her daughter was taught a new move she would practice alone at home until she got it down. She even learned to do the back handspring by herself.

“It started out with her not knowing anything in class,” said Maria. “Every single class, whatever it was, she would go home and pretty much did it until she got it right.”

At first Angellisa started at the Little Gym of Albuquerque then moved to Gold Cup Gymnastics. After which she moved to G-Force Gymnastics Academy in the summer of 2015. She has been at G-Force ever since.

From not knowing how to do a cartwheel to dominating her competition, Angellisa was catching on quick. In March of 2015, she received first place at the New Mexico State Competition in the bars, beam, floor, vault, and all-around competition.

A year later, she became state champion again on beam, bars and all around at the New Mexico State Competition.

“I didn’t know you could win state champions, I just thought you could get first place,” said Angellisa. “But when I got to Level 3 I was the state champion. I loved it and I wanted to keep on continuing.”

---