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The 2012 Olympic games in London were eagerly viewed all over the world and the “Fab 5” American gymnastics team was very popular. Gabby Douglas and Jordyn Wieber became household names and were vivaciously rooted for during all of their events. Well, senior Lauren Glover is the Fossil Ridge version of these famous ladies as she is ranked number two in the state of Colorado as an all-around gymnast.

Glover began gymnastics at the age of two when her mom stuck her in toddler classes. At that point, no one knew how much potential that two-year-old little girl had. “I can’t miss a lot of practice because it’s hard to come back,” said Glover. “It is five to six days a week with three and half hour practices on week days and a four-hour practice on Saturdays.”

The commitment that Glover has given from the age of two to 17 is what has gotten her to such a high level of performance.  Many high school girls spend their time hanging out with friends, checking out Facebook and pinning pictures on Pinterest, or watching “Pretty Little Liars.” Glover, on the other hand, is usually working out at the gym and training while still trying to participate in high school events. “There hasn’t been much time for social stuff lately, but I try to set aside as much time as I can. I usually am up late doing homework or cramming it in during my off periods.” 

But how can a high school student truly be this committed to a sport while still participating in school events, managing hard classes, and making time for family and friends? “My parents really help me manage my time and my friends at the gym and at school really help me keep going, Glover said. “There are so many gym moms, but my parents just support me and help me through it when it gets hard. They are always there to talk to.”                                                                      

With all of the support Glover has, she has the power to do amazing things, such as her performance at the recent city meet at Rocky Mountain High School against the Fort Collins High School team where her team took first place. Glover got first place in the vault event and tied for first in the floor event. Also, she took second place on the bars, the beam, and as an all-around athlete. “It was our first inner-city rivalry meet and we worked really hard for it. It was really cool that it paid off.”

The success at the meet and in general for this season is a huge excitement for Glover, and she has earned it through all of her hard work and dedication at the gym. But even Glover admits that some of the events are scary for her and she does have to put in a lot of work to succeed as well as she does. “The bars are the scariest for me because they are a lot harder,” she said. “I get afraid to crash on a skill or lose a skill. Trying to get a skill back and overcome your fear is hard to do.”

Glover not only strives as an athlete, but also as a teammate. She is very close to the girls on her team and said that she even acts as a mentor and friend for the younger athletes on her team. She is also a normal, everyday teenager. She loved getting to participate in a meet that was in New York City and sight-seeing, shopping, seeing a Broadway play and the Statue of Liberty, and being silly with her teammates.

Gymnastics will forever be part of Glover’s life—whether she is a participant or an observer. She hopes to continue on with her athletic career in college at either Seattle Pacific University or Lindenwood University, but she plans on coaching gymnastics if that doesn’t work out.

“Gymnastics is something different; not many people do it and not many people can do it. You really have to work for it.”