Gymnast shines in championships

Isabelle Schutte of Sisters won All-Around State Champion honors at the Oregon State Gymnastics Championships April 25-27.

Schutte, a 9-year-old third-grader at Sisters Elementary School, competes at Level 3. She was state champion in the floor exercise; took second in vault; third on bars; and was also third on beam.

Schutte doesn't have a preference in the different events.

"All the events are my favorites," she said. "I like all of them - they're just so fun. I really like the tumbling and the showmanship - it's just really cool."

Her mom Cindi Schutte told The Nugget that her daughter took to the sport early.

"I had her try it when she was little and she loved it, and we've kind of gone from there."

Schutte trains at the Redmond Gymnastic Academy, and Cindi has high praise for the program.

"All the coaches are really wonderful," she said. "It's a great gym."

Isabelle works hard - training three days a week for three hours at a time.

"She's very determined," Cindi said. "She's a very hard worker; she's got goals."

The goals are lofty, too.

"One of my goals is to go to the Olympics someday," Isabelle said. "If the Olympics don't work out, I'd really like to get a college scholarship in gymnastics as well."

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

• Email: editor@nuggetnews.com
• Phone: 5415499941