From clinics at three years old to com- peting in the all-around on South’s varsity gymnastics team, freshman Allie Mietus has been a gymnast for most of her life. The only freshman on the girls’ varsity team, Mietus competes in all events, and has just reached her ultimate goal of making it to the state meet today and tomorrow, Mietus said.

What Mietus loves most about the dif- ference between her club team and varsity high school sport is the closeness with her teammates that comes from practicing every day and competing together.

“[The team is] really fun, and I like practicing with my teammates,” Mietus said. “[They] became my best friends.”

Mietus brought her talent and work ethic to the team, which has helped her succeed in competitions, Stephen Gale, Girls’ Gymnastics Head Coach, explained. Mietus is the only girl from the varsity team that qualified for the state meet, securing a fifth place in bars at sectionals.

“As of this moment, she has earned all-conference honors on vault, beam, bars, and all-around,” Gale said. “She has been leading the team by example.”

Although her natural talent has gotten her far, it is not the only thing that makes Mietus stand out on South’s team. A positive and productive mindset helps Mietus in a demanding sport like gymnastic, Tom Mietus, Athletic Director and Allie’s father, explained.

“She’s very internally motivated to succeed, [which] aligns really well with the sport of gymnastics because you have to be dedicated and set goals,” Tom said.

Allie’s perseverance and competitiveness are keys to success for a great athlete, Tom said. In a sport like gymnastics, the pursuit of excellence will always be a constant.

“Even if it’s not perfect, she’s trying to get a little bit better,” Tom said. “She’s striving to have that excellence and not perfection.”

In order to make progress toward her goals, Allie works year-round to maintain and improve her skills, she said. Besides the varsity team, which competes from the months of November-February, Allie’s club team practices year-round. “I want to make sure I keep practicing everything [in order] to keep progressing,” Allie said.

A large part of Allie’s inspiration to continue at such a high level comes from her own dedication and that of family members, Tom said. Coming from a mental skills coaching background, Tom works to aid his daughters.

“[I try to] give her some tools that she can utilize for her events,” Tom said. “For her, it’s a lot more about her visualization or relaxation. She has tools that she uses from me to help athletes have mental toughness.”