July Athlete of the Month: Ava Freesmeyer
Hi everyone, Coach Katie here with our latest Athlete of the Month spotlight. It’s hard to believe we’re already celebrating our 11th Athlete of the Month! Time has flown by, and we’re getting closer and closer to Gem City’s 20th anniversary. This month, we’re excited to recognize someone who has grown into one of the most familiar faces in our gym. Congratulations to our July Athlete of the Month is Ava Freesmeyer.
Meet Ava
One thing I learned during our interview is that Ava’s middle name is Marciel, a beautiful name with Hawaiian roots from her mom’s side of the family. After knowing Ava for years, I was surprised to learn something new right away!
Over the past six years, we’ve watched Ava grow from a 10-year-old in recreational classes into a competitive gymnast, an all-star cheerleader, a tumbler, and now one of our recreational coaches. She competed in gymnastics for three seasons, is currently in her fourth season on the senior all-star cheer squad, and will begin her third season on the tumbling team. Somewhere along the way, she also joined our coaching staff and has become an important part of the Gem City family.
Always at the Gym
If Ava isn’t at practice, there’s a good chance she’s coaching, helping clean up around the gym, or spending time with teammates and fellow coaches. She recently celebrated her 16th birthday on June 21 and was beyond excited to finally get her driver’s license. If you happen to see a silver 2006 Ford Mustang parked outside the gym, there’s a good chance it’s hers.
Coach Penny shared one of her favorite Ava stories from years ago when Ava was on gymnastics pre-team. While most athletes were asking for free time at the end of practice, Ava asked for extra conditioning instead. Everyone in the room laughed when Penny told the story, but it perfectly captures Ava’s work ethic.
Life Outside the Gym
When she’s not at Gem City, Ava is usually working out. She makes healthy food choices, exercises every day, and enjoys challenging herself even on days she already knows she’ll have practice later. She has been homeschooled since fifth grade and enjoys the flexibility that comes with creating her own schedule.
At home in Pittsfield, Ava lives with her parents and two dogs, Thor and Remi. Her older brother recently moved to Florida, making the house a little quieter than it used to be.
More Than Just an Athlete
Ava also has a creative side. She loves baking and is always bringing homemade desserts for friends and coworkers to sample. Ironically, she doesn’t eat much of what she bakes herself. She told me she originally started baking because Sam’s Club stopped selling the churros she loved, so she decided to figure out how to make them herself.
When it comes to food, Ava’s favorite meal is a medium steak, which fits perfectly with how often she talks about getting enough protein. Her favorite treat is Nerds Gummy Clusters, one of the few junk foods she’ll happily admit to enjoying.
Ava is also an avid reader. She always seems to have a new book or series she’s working through and never hesitates to tell friends about whatever chapter she just finished.
A Memorable Moment
When I asked Ava about a funny memory from gymnastics, she immediately thought back to a Level 4 meet. She was sprinting down the vault runway, hit the table, and somehow managed to land flat on her face. Thankfully she was completely fine, and she and Coach Jake ended up laughing about it afterward. Sometimes even our most talented athletes have moments they’ll never forget.
Coach’s Take
Coach Hope nominated Ava for this month’s honor, saying, “In the past few months, we’ve watched Ava step up and take on a leadership role to help with the new members of the squad. This wasn’t asked of her, but she puts the time in both inside and outside the gym. We love having Ava on our squad.”
That leadership has become one of Ava’s defining qualities. Whether she’s coaching younger athletes, supporting teammates, or simply bringing positive energy into the gym, she consistently makes Gem City a better place.
We’re incredibly proud of everything Ava has accomplished over the years, and even more excited to see what’s ahead. Congratulations to our July Athlete of the Month, Ava Freesmeyer!
Click to read an extended version
How is it time for our 11th Athlete of the Month?! Time is flying by and we’re so close to our 20th anniversary month here at GCGT! This month we’d like to introduce everyone to Ava Marciel Freesmeyer! We had to share her middle name because in all the time we’ve known her we never knew her middle name, and it is gorgeous! She told us that her middle name has Hawaiian roots from her mother.
Over the past six years that we have known Ava, she has grown from a 10-year-old recreational class athlete to a gymnastics team member, an all-star cheerleader, a tumbling team member, and now one of our recreational coaches! Ava was a competitive gymnast for three years, she’s in her fourth season on the all-star cheer squad, and this will be her third year on the tumbling team. During that time, she also became trained and started working at the gym as a coach!
Ava has become a staple here at the gym. If she’s not attending a practice, you can find her either coaching, cleaning, or hanging out with her athlete/coach friends in the back or on the floor. Ava just turned 16 on June 21. Having had her car ready for a while, and she was so pumped to get her driver’s license! If you see the silver 2006 Ford Mustang in the parking lot, that is her pride and joy!
Outside of being at GCGT, I asked Ava what we can find her doing and her response was “working out”! She is very health conscious – she makes great food choices and works out every day – even on days she knows she’ll be working out at practice! Coach Penny said she actually remembers when Ava was on gymnastics pre-team that she asked for extra conditioning when the rest of the class would ask for free time! When Penny told us this story, everyone in the room laughed!
But being healthy doesn’t keep her away from fun stuff like baking! Ava LOVES to bake and will bring her recipes and desserts to gym for friends and coworkers to try. She does make it known that even though she loves it, she doesn’t eat much of it! Ava said the reason she started baking awhile back was because Sam’s quit carrying the churros she loved, so she decided to make churros of her own!
Aside from baked goods, Ava loves a good steak cooked medium – and this does not surprise us at all because of how she always talks about getting her daily protein in! She rarely eats junk, but is a lover of those Nerds gummy clusters.
Ava drives to gym from Pittsfield where her and her parents live. Her older brother recently moved to Florida, so she’s getting more of the house to herself lately. Ava has been homeschooled since the fifth grade and loves the extra time she gets because she gets to make her own schedule. She also has two dogs, Thor and Remi, that she gets to love on while at home.
When asked if there was a funny story from practice or a competition that she could remember, she referenced a gymnastics meet when she was competing in level four. She was sprinting down the vault runway, popped off the table, and straight up face planted! She said she was okay and that Coach Jake laughed with her because the whole thing caught everyone off-guard!
Ava is a hard worker, dedicated teammate, and all-around great person. We are lucky to have such enthusiastic teens at our gym. If you are ever able to catch her for a quick chat, you’ll be smiling and laughing before you know it! One thing she also likes to talk about with friends and coworkers is her love of reading! Ava always has a book or a series that she’s reading and isn’t shy about giving you the latest rundown of the chapter she just finished!
Coach Hope was the one that nominated Ava for this honor saying, “In the past few months, we’ve watched Ava step up and take on a leadership role to help with the new members of the squad. This wasn’t asked of her, but she puts the time in both inside and outside the gym. We love having Ava on our squad!”
