August Athlete of the Month: Paizlynn Gower
Hi everyone, Coach Katie here with our final Athlete of the Month spotlight of the year. This is month twelve of twelve, and what a year it has been. We started this series as part of our build toward Gem City’s 20th anniversary, and we could not think of a better way to close it out than by introducing you to someone who represents the future of this gym. Our August Athlete of the Month is Paizlynn Gower.
Meet Paizlynn
Paizlynn is eight years old and has already been part of Gem City for over five years. She started in preschool classes at just three years old, moved into tumbling classes, and then tried out for the all-star cheer squad in spring of 2025. She made the squad and is now heading into her second competitive season with Gem City Diamonds, a squad of sixteen other great young athletes.
Oh, and her birthday is October 31. Costumes, candy, and cake all in one day. Not a bad deal.
Life on the Squad
When I asked Paizlynn what her favorite part of being on the all-star squad was, she didn’t hesitate: flying. It’s her position, and she loves it. What makes that even better is that she had zero experience as a flyer when she showed up to tryouts. She learned it, grew into it, and it’s now her favorite thing. That’s the whole story right there.
She also loves the competition makeup. The big hair, though? Not so much.
Hard Skills and Funny Moments
Paizlynn has been putting in work on a skill called a Prone, which is one of the harder skills to learn in cheer. A few weeks before our interview, she finally hit it with her stunt group. That kind of progression takes patience and persistence, and she’s got both.
When it comes to memorable moments from competition season, Paizlynn had two: a trip to Des Moines where she loved the food and the shopping, and a hotel room memory involving the person in the room next door passing gas loudly all night long. She told that story and I laughed out loud. So did everyone in the room. That one is going to follow her teammates for a while.
Outside the Gym
If Paizlynn isn’t at the gym or school, she’d be outside with her four pets: three dogs and one cat. She has three older siblings, though two are already out of the house, so it’s mostly just her and her eleven-year-old brother at home right now.
Her favorite junk food is potato chips. Her favorite real food is cheese sticks, which she told me with complete sincerity. She was not joking. Cheese sticks count.
Big Plans
Paizlynn is going into third grade at Rooney Elementary. Her favorite subjects are science and reading. When I asked what she wants to be when she grows up, she answered immediately: a surgeon. I told her that means a lot more school ahead, and she just smiled and got wide-eyed. With science and reading already her favorites, she’s off to a good start.
Her advice to younger athletes who look up to her: “Work really hard. One day you might be on the squad like me.”
Coach’s Take
Paizlynn was nominated by Coach Christian, who coaches the Gem City Diamonds. Christian said: “She is always a good voice of reason. She understands when it’s time to focus and then when it is time she can be silly. Having both skills are such essential tools that she already has at such a young age. I’ve watched Paizlynn grow over the last couple of years and her tumbling, flying, and camaraderie with her teammates has exceeded my expectation of her. There is never a dull moment with her. She truly works hard, and it clearly shows.”
Thank You
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading about all twelve of our athletes this year as much as our coaches loved choosing them and I loved getting to sit down with each one. It has been an honor to share their stories with you. These are the kids that make Gem City the best place in town, and we mean that.
Thank you for being part of our community. Here’s to twenty years, and to everything still ahead.
Congratulations to our August Athlete of the Month, Paizlynn Gower.
Click to read an extended version
Our 12th and final Athlete of the Month is Paizlynn Gower from our youth all-star squad! We were so happy to build up to our 20th anniversary month by showcasing some of our finest athletes! We hope you’ve enjoyed reading about them as much our coaches loved picking them out and I’ve loved interviewing them!
Paizlynn has been attending classes at GCGT for over five years. She is currently eight years old, but she started taking classes at just three years old! Paizlynn started in preschool classes and then took tumbling classes before trying out for the cheer squad in spring of 2025. After a great showing at tryouts, she was a strong pick to make the squad. This is now her second year on the competitive all-star cheer squad, Gem City Diamonds. She will begin her second competitive season later this fall with her squad of 16 other great young athletes.
Paizlynn has the coolest birthday, October 31. What a great celebration she gets each year on her big day….costumes, candy, and fun!
When I asked her what her favorite part about being on the all-star squad was, she said that she loves flying, which just happens to be her position. She loves it but was honest in saying she didn’t have any previous experience as a flyer when she showed up to tryouts. She has learned along the way and has come to love it the most! Paizlynn also said that she enjoys getting to wear the fun make-up that’s required for competition, but she doesn’t really like the BIG hair they have to do.
If Paizlynn could be doing anything besides gym or school, she said she would be playing outside with her four pets; three dogs and one cat keep her busy! She also has three older siblings, but two of them are already old enough to be out of the house. She just has her 11-year-old brother at home with her right now.
Coach Christian was excited to share a little bit about Paizlynn, “She is always a good voice of reason. She understands when it’s time to focus and then when it is time she can be silly. Having both skills are such essential tools that she already has at such a young age. I’ve watched Paizlynn grow over the last couple of years and her tumbling, flying, and camaraderie with her teammates has exceeded my expectation of her. There is never a dull moment with her. She truly works hard, and it clearly shows.”
Paizlynn said it is sometimes hard to learn new cheer skills. The one skill she’s been working on the most lately is a Prone, and she finally did one with her stunt group a few weeks ago! Here’s hoping that her five-person stunt group has been able to maintain this skill in the weeks between me interviewing her and this blog going live!
When asked what she wants to do when she grows up, she quickly answered that she wants to be a surgeon! You go girl! She is currently going into the third grade at Rooney Elementary, so I simply let her know that if she wants to be a surgeon she’s going to have a lot more school! She simply smiled and got wide-eyed! She says her favorite subjects are science and reading, so I think she’s on a great path for medical school!
I always ask our athletes what their favorite real food and junk food are. Paizlynn says her favorite junk food is potato chips (same, girl) and her favorite real food is cheese sticks! This had me laughing out loud because she was being serious. I mean, cheese sticks are real, right?
Paizlynn’s advice to those younger athletes that she sees looking up to her when she’s at practice is, “Work really hard. One day you might be on the squad like me!”
One of Paizlynn’s fondest memories from last competitive season was a trip to Des Moines. She said she liked the food and the shopping in Des Moines. She also has some funny memories with a teammate in the hotel room one weekend at a competition. She said they could hear the person in the room next to theirs passing gas very loudly all night long! I laughed so hard when she told this story, and I could not believe that was what she remembered most!
Thank you for reading along this month and all year long as we’ve shared 12 of our athletes with you. It’s been an honor for us to invite you into the lives of the kids that make Gem City the best place in town, in our opinion, of course!
