6th grader, Jillian Aprile, places third in gymnastics competition

 

We’re proud of all of our students’ talents and achievements here at Farragut. Today we have the privilege to share the accomplishment of 6th grader Jillian Aprile, who placed third in a gymnastics competition this past weekend.

Jillian has been doing gymnastics for a long time. She started with a mommy and me class, coached by a coworker of her mother’s, and then after a short break she picked it up again when she was 2. “I really love it,” Jillian said. “I love doing floor gymnastics because it’s like dancing, and I love doing the bars.”

 

This past weekend at the Nashville Nights Gymnastics Meet, Jillian placed the highest she’s ever placed. “It’s a huge meet and I got third place,” she said. “I’m really proud!” It was her second time competing in Nashville. She’s traveled a lot for gymnastics, having gone to New York, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, and Georgia, among other places.

It’s not just about the sport though, gymnastics helps Jillian in many areas of her life including school. “It helps me learn discipline, integrity, and perseverance, just like all of our Keys of Excellence,” Jillian said. “I want to keep going with gymnastics, but it might get hard in the future with school. I’m really interested in chemistry, I want to be a chemist when I grow up.”

Jillian doesn’t just spend her time with school and gymnastics, though. “I used to surf, though I haven’t been able to recently,” she says. “Other than that, I like to go ice skating, ride my bike, and do Drama Club.” Jillian recently performed in the Lower School Drama Club’s production of Alice in Wonderland Jr., playing the part of the Mad Hatter.

Jillian trains at Tampa Bay Turners (https://tampabayturners.com/), a gymnastics, swimming, and fitness center in St. Petersburg that offers classes to everyone from preschoolers to college athletes.