Ariana Cardenas is not only a great student but she is an even better athlete. She is one that doesn’t let anything get in the way of her dream and pushes herself to the limit.

Take this season for example: It was Ariana’s first time competing since the 2022-2023 season, which was when she was in 6th grade. At that time she was a level 6 due to an elbow injury called osteochondritis dissecans. She started off the season before anyone else because she had to compete level 7 before the normal season where she was going to compete level 8. Her first real competition was Pilgrim Harvest Meet. Ariana started the season off a little rough. She went from not placing at all her first meet to getting first place at her last. She has worked so hard this season to prove to herself what we already knew, that she is an amazing gymnast. Even when Ariana thought about giving up and quitting she put her faith in the Lord and let him guide her.

Let’s start with bars, which is the only thing that Ari didn’t compete in this season. Ariana had an elbow injury called Osteochondritis dissecans which has stopped Ariana from doing a lot this season, the biggest being bars. I don’t think she minded too much though. Ariana’s least favorite event has always been bars. While she still trains, Ariana said she hopes to still be able to compete in the near future.

Now we’re gonna move onto the event that Ari struggled with the most this season. Due to her elbow injury she had learned different skills and connections to meet the requirements. So, she had a dive roll, back tuck in her routine as her “flight series”. She had to become very creative and put in different skills in her routine that you would usually not see very often. It took a lot of training and while she did fall at states she has come a long way, and is very happy with herself. And Ariana ended with a 8.325 which for falling, is great.

Now Vault, the second hardest event for Ari this season. Vault was somewhat difficult for Ari because this was her first time competing a flipping vault. Meaning there were many falls but she stuck with it and persevered. Ariana was able to figure out how and ended the season with first place on vault with a 9.375. Going from not placing to winning the state championships is a great accomplishment and she should never doubt how great she is.

Lastly we have floor which was the easiest event for Ari but that doesn’t mean it was easy. Ariana had to play around with her floor passes for a while because she couldn’t really back tumble due to her injury. After playing around with her passes for a while and finally got it down it clicked for her. She realized that if she trusted herself and let the floor do its part it made it so much easier. She was able to feel the music and just let go which got her second place on floor at states. She ended her season on floor with a 9.400 which is amazing.

Ariana being able to navigate though all the hardships and struggles is something that is so hard to do. Going from not placing and wanting to give up to getting first and second is a great accomplishment. She says that if you put your faith in God and learn to lean on your teammates it makes it a whole lot easier. Ariana said she doesn’t think she could have made it through the season or her recovery without her parents, coaches, and teammates because whenever things got hard they were always right there. While gymnastics is a sport that you compete alone it’s also a sport where you’re never really alone and that’s something that Ariana is so grateful for. So she wanted to have a small part of this article to dedicate them because she wouldn’t be here without them.