Natalie Brayman '23 Recruiting Profile

I have been doing gymnastics ever since I was a toddler. It started out as preschool classes, progressing to pre-team, and then to the competitive team. It’s a part of me.  I have been dreaming of competing on a college team since those early days, and I am so excited to finally be in this stage of my life where I can start planning my future gymnastics and academic career. I have been working so hard for this, and I am very dedicated to the sport of gymnastics. I set my goals, and bring them with me to practice every day, pushing through the physical and mental challenges which occasionally come into the picture. Covid 19 created a challenging period with access to the gym being limited.  Our team worked through the challenges and we had to exercise more individual discipline to keep fit and sharp with our skills.  I also practiced on my own (you can see some of the videos of skills practice and personal enjoyment of the sport on my Instagram pages 😊 @nataliebrayman2023 and @natalieflipz).  Once the gym re-opened, I worked extremely hard and got my skills back and even got new ones.  A coach switch mid-season led to an enhancement of my skills as I learned new ways to execute the required elements.  Now, I love this sport more than I ever have and I am inspired to go to the gym everyday. I love gymnastics for many reasons of course, but I love the support that I have in this sport. My teammates, coaches, friends, and family have been there through it all and I am extremely thankful. I love that in college gymnastics, the bond between the girls on the teams are so close and seeing them cheer each other on is truly special. I work at my club gym teaching rec classes when I am not practicing, and I love helping the kids learn more about this sport and hopefully compete on the team one day.

Related to academics, throughout my freshman and sophomore years in high school, I worked hard, and am proud of my accomplishments. As a freshman, I took honors sports and entertainment marketing (A+ for the year) honors algebra (A- for the year) and honors art (A- for the year.) As a sophomore I took all honors classes (spanish, geometry, chemistry, personal finance, & english) as well as AP Government. I plan to take 1-2 AP classes my junior year. I’ve achieved the honor role for the entire Freshman year, and current GPA is at the 3.7/4 level for Sophomore year. I am a gymnast and student who has a positive attitude, continue to make progress, and am successful in balancing the combination of sports and academics. My goal is to compete in gymnastics at the college level and I’m excited to get an opportunity to speak with coaches and academic leaders to share my enthusiasm and skills, to support a University team and receive a great education.