International Gymnast - January/February 2009

SHOOTING STAR! Sarah Beck

This gymnast from Northern Ireland is going places!

LEGENDARY Irish luck has little to do with the progress Sarah Beck has enjoyed in her past four years as a gymnast. Sarah, who trains at Salto Gymnastics Centre in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, says dedication and concentration are the keys to any gymnast’s success.

“If you work hard, you will get better,” says Sarah, who turns 12 on Jan. 18. “If you have a bad day, forget about it. Come back the next day and try harder.”

Sarah’s routines include several top skills, including a couple of new ones she plans to compete this season. She recently mastered a clean double layout off bars. On beam, she does a flip-flop, layout, and dismounts with a roundoff, double tuck. She is training a series of flip-flop, layout, back tuck. Bars and beam are Sarah’s best events, but she says she battles the jitters.

“I always get nervous in a competition, but I just focus and try to ignore the judges,” says Sarah, who has an older sister, a younger sister and a younger brother. “The crowd can make you nervous, too, but it feels good when they are clapping.”

Four years ago, Sarah began taking gymnastics at a recreation center, where coaches noticed her talent and recommended her to the coaches at Salto. She has already competed in Amsterdam, where she liked getting to watch and speak with gymnasts outside of Northern Ireland. “Seeing how good other countries are makes you want to work harder,” Sarah says.

On St. Patrick’s Day weekend in 2007, Salto hosted a dual meet between the U.S. and Great Britain. This was another eye-opening adventure for Sarah and her teammates. “I got to meet a lot of the

Sarah with her coach, Eugenia
Popa, a former Romanian
world team member

“Sarah has the ability

to pick up elements very

quickly,” Popa says.

“That’s what makes

her different.”

gymnasts and get their autographs,” notes Sarah, who trains four hours every day except Thursday.

Such experiences are foreign to Sarah’s friends from outside the gym. “They don’t know anything about gymnastics, but they think even the simple skills are amazing,” she says.

Sarah learned how amazing the top gymnasts in the world are after watching the Beijing Olympics on TV last summer. “I saw how good those gymnasts were, and how much I need to improve,” she says. “I especially liked the American team, because they were really strong.”

Eugenia (“Gina”) Popa, who coaches Sarah, admires her eagerness to learn. “She’s quite consistent. She’s better than she knows,” says Gina, who won team medals for Romania at the 1989 and 1991 World Championships. “Sarah has the ability to pick up elements very quickly. That’s what makes her different. She is motivated. She likes trying to learn new things and move on.”

With Sarah’s enthusiasm and positive attitude, she is moving up in the sport. She says all gymnasts can advance and enjoy the same kind of satisfaction she feels. “I want to keep going, and compete in more countries,” Sarah says. “If you try hard, you can go somewhere.”