Jazmyn Estrella up and coming to Aggie gymnastics
Dedication and artistry — that’s what freshman Jazmyn Estrella is known for.
Estrella is an elite, all-around gymnast new to Utah State University gymnastics. Bars and vault are her favorite events and she scored the highest on bars in her career debut at the Aggie’s annual blue and white meet. Nadalie Walsh, head coach of USU gymnastics, is working with her to achieve the perfect beam dismount and floor choreography which will be showcased at a meet within the next couple of weeks.
“She’s got the long lines and the cleanliness that’s natural,” Walsh said. “….she’s definitely a gamer and very much up and coming. She is one of those freshman that if she can quickly put those four events together she will be nominated for those freshman of the year and Mountain Rim Gymnastics awards.”
Academically, Estrella has an interest in going into a field related to child development — her inspiration coming from her mother who frequently participates in service missions. Estrella recently had the opportunity to participate in a service mission in the Dominican Republic alongside her mother.
“We went for 10 days and brought supplies and everyday we went to an orphanage to camp with them,” she said. “We did water games and got to know them and lets them know there’s people there for them.”
Estrella comes from a prestigious club called Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center in her hometown of Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Estrella has been training at Parkettes since she was four years old and trained at level 10, the highest level of USA Gymnastics Junior Olympics Program, for seven years.
Competitive gymnastics was the center of Estrella’s life at that time, spending six hours per day in the gym, training all four events and then going back to practice on bars and beam at the end of the day. During the summer months, she bumped her gym time up to eight hours per day. To accommodate those long hours, Estrella was homeschooled and did most of her homework after practice.
Walsh first laid eyes on Estella while attending the Junior Olympic Nationals three years ago.
“She stuck out to me and I thought she was already committed,” Walsh said. “We went back and watched her youtube videos and wondered why she wasn’t committed.”
Soon after Walsh called Estrella’s mother on the phone. Then she spoke with Estrella and soon found they had an immediate connection and Utah State was the right fit for an athlete Estrella’s caliber.
“Sometimes you have to work hard for athletes and with her, I think it was just the right fit right away,” Walsh said.
“I wanted to be part of something that was growing rather than going to a school who didn’t necessarily need me,” Estrella said. “Coming here I felt like I was needed and going to be part of it.”
Estrella seemed like a guaranteed star, but in order to transition into the world of college gymnastics, she had to take a step backward.
In club gymnastics, your performance is only for you and it only affects you. In college gymnastics, though, the way you perform has a deep impact on your teammates, Walsh explained — and you are not chosen to compete unless you prove you can consistently nail routines. Walsh had to work with Estrella, breaking her gymnastics down which required hard work on Estrella’s part and appreciation for her teammates.
“She’s excited to see them (her teammates) do well and I think it really broke through an exterior that was once around her,” Walsh said. “As this tough exterior leaves she is very much a leader and very motivated and pretty and happy. I think the judges are going to love her.”
For Estrella, the step to college gymnastics was a break from constant wear and tear on her body because she is now only required to train three events per day. If she has an injury she can consult with one of the team’s athletic trainer and recover properly instead of working through the pain like she did in club.
“…being able to talk to my coaches about how I’m feeling has been a big change for me and it’s definitely helping me,” she said.