Aspiring to Mastery – Local youth achieves gold medal in Junior Olympics gymnastics event

Behind the scenes at the 2016 Men’s Junior Olympic National Championships in Battle Creek, Michigan, 14-year-old Troy Lipis awaited the results of the Still Rings – his best event.  He felt strong about his performance; the gold medal was within reach, but he didn’t know yet how close he was.
The meet director asked all the athletes to rally around and began calling names.  Troy was called first, and then another, and then another.  Slowly, they all lined up behind Troy, and just before the candidates began their walk to the podium, Troy realized he had done it – he had won.  As he walked through a cheering crowd, the full weight of his win washed over him.  Troy took first place on the podium and bowed his head for the Gold Medal.
“I was trying not to smile too much,” the Trinity Classical Academy student said of his moment on the podium, happiness still apparent in his voice.  “The whole day, I had just been a lot calmer than I expected to be.”
A competitive, passionate gymnast since age 6, Troy has always battled with nerves before meets.  That day was different, he said.  As he paused beneath the still rings, he felt a certain peace he hadn’t felt before – almost an intuition that today would be made of greatness.
“I usually do get pretty nervous, but that day was different,” Troy recalled.
Originally a student of extreme martial arts, Troy found his way to gymnastics at Waller’s Gymjam Academy for further training on aerobatics.  The coach for the boys’ competition team quickly noticed Troy’s strength, flexibility, balance and stamina.  Soon Troy joined their gymnastics team and never looked back.  Due to his strength, the still rings, parallel bars and floor steadily became his strongest events.
“Rings are kind of like my specialty,” Troy explained.
The still rings event is an artistic gymnastic apparatus traditionally used only by men due to the need for tremendous upper-body strength.  Two wooden rings are suspended on wire cables 5.75 meters high and 50 centimeters apart and are adjusted in height so gymnasts have room to hang freely and swing.  Routines are designed to demonstrate balance, strength, power and dynamic motion skills.
“Different events require different skills, body types and abilities,” Troy explained, “and the strength element in my routines made certain events a better fit for me.”
Following a wrist injury in summer 2015, Troy turned his focus to air awareness and body control while his wrist healed.  The training in aerodynamics and flexibility significantly improved his floor performance, making him a well-rounded and strong candidate in the 2016 Men’s Junior Olympics.  But Troy’s commitment to the sport extends past his strongest events; he also competes on pommel horse, vault and high bar.
“Everyone at Trinity Classical Academy is so extremely proud of Troy and his incredible accomplishment,” said Dr. Matt Dixon, director of athletics.  “The kind of dedication, focus and fortitude Troy exhibits toward gymnastics while managing the vigorous academics of Trinity demonstrates true passion, and we as a community embrace the opportunity to support athletes at this level.”
For the next several months, Troy will train approximately 25 hours a week in the gym working on floor, pommel horse, vault, parallel bars and high bar, though he will dedicate more time and focus on the still rings.  Competition season starts up again in December, and he will defend his newly claimed title at the Nationals in Orlando, Florida next year.  And his passion for the sport is stronger than ever.
“It’s just a really fun, exciting sport,” Troy said.  “I like the struggle of it.  You can never really master something, so there’s always something to look forward to.  I don’t like to settle or stop – I always like to work hard and push myself to see how far I can go.”
The Trinity Knights Department of Athletics is guided by a commitment to excellence embodied in Christ-like core values: integrity, camaraderie and victory.  Over the course of the last decade, Trinity Athletics has grown to more than 50 teams in fourth through 12th grades and has athletic clinics to foster player development for students in transitional kindergarten through third grade.
Trinity Classical Academy is a coeducational, college preparatory, independent, liberal arts transitional kindergarten through twelfth grade school that was founded in 2001 with 28 students on the classical, Christian educational model.
Wallers’ GymJam Academy’s mission is to provide gymnastics and fitness education of the highest quality to all levels and ages of athletes in a safe, positive and stimulating environment, while developing strong, happy people of character and sportsmanship.
For more information about the school, please visit www.trinityclassicalacademy.com.  For more information about the gym, please visit www.gymjamacademy.com. 

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