Harlem program helping new generation of gymnasts fly high
NEW YORK - Flying high inside the Harlem Armory is where you can find the next generation of professional gymnasts.
The Wendy Hilliard Gymnastics Foundation has been training young gymnasts for 25 years. The organization has been providing free and low-cost gymnastics to children and teens in NYC and Detroit.
"I like the idea of learning new skills and working hard and having something to commit to," says 14-year-old Phoenix Britt
The program out of NYC has five young gymnasts that have competed at the national level.
14-year-old ZaQuae Carter and 16-year-old BJ Mensah were among the gymnasts who recently competed nationally in St. Louis back in June.
"You can express yourself in the way that you flip and you tumble," says Carter.
"I’ve always had a lot of energy and would run around my apartment building, jump on the bed and this is a way to let out the energy," Mensah said.
The gymnasts have also caught the eyes of some big names, including Simone Biles who sent the Wendy Hilliard Gymnastics Foundation a video message and encouraged gymnasts to keep going strong.
"It’s been nice to expose these kids to these top gymnasts," says Wendy Hilliard, the founder and CEO.
Wendy Hillard is a former national gymnast and competed in the 1984 Olympic Trials. She now leads the organization and says the program goes beyond gymnastics and meant for teens apply lessons they have learned on the mat onto the real world.
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