August 2018 | Vol. 15 Iss. 08
cottonwood
FREE
801 MRCLEAN
672-5326 7825 S Highland Dr.
Let us do your laundry for you!
as low as
NATIONALLY RENOWNED LOCAL
GYMNAST SOARS BEFORE HOMETOWN CROWD
$50
a month
mrdrycleaners.com
By Joshua Wood | joshw@mycityjournals.com
U
tah gymnast Lundyn VanderToolen competed in front of a home crowd in the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City for the first time as a junior Olympic gymnast. She did not disappoint. VanderToolen finished third overall in the Hopes Classic on July 6 to advance to the national Hopes Championship on July 28. She also won the individual event title for the uneven bars, her favorite event. “I like swinging,” VanderToolen, 12, said of the uneven bars. “It’s fun.” VanderToolen started gymnastics at the age of 5. She was inspired watching Team USA compete in the 2012 Olympics in London, of all places. She now trains at Olympus Gymnastics in South Jordan. “When she was little, she was probably 7 at the time, I remember her coach saying to me, ‘She’s the whole package,’” VanderToolen’s mother Julie VanderToolen said. “I didn’t know what that meant because I didn’t come from gymnastics, my husband didn’t come from gymnastics.” The sacrifices involved in training and competing have continued to pay off. Last year,
Lundyn was named International Gymnast Magazine’s Junior Olympic Gymnast of the Year. This time around, competing at the junior Olympic level in Utah for the first time was something special. “Most people have one or two people cheering them on because they have to travel from all across the country,” Julie said. “When Lundyn’s name was announced, the whole crowd erupted. It was so cool. She had an amazing support system.” So how does Lundyn focus with all that attention on her during a competition? “Sticky fairy feet,” Lundyn says to herself before starting a routine on the balance beam. And how does she reward herself after another successful competition, that third place finish that sent her to the national finals? “A bacon cheeseburger,” she said with a smile. One thing that Lundyn and Julie want people to know about her is that she’s a normal kid. “I like to spend time with my family, bike, go camping,” Lundyn said. She also likes to play games with her family and swim. She lists her
Local Postal Customer ECRWSS Scan Here: Interactive online edition with more photos.
Lundyn VanderToolen competing in junior Olympic gymnastics competition. (Photo/John Cheng, courtesy Julie VanderToolen)
Thank You to our Community Sponsors for supporting City Journals
Presort Std U.S. Postage PAID Riverton, UT Permit #44