With several of the school’s gymnastic team members participating in both club and HHS gymnastics simultaneously, they have had to learn how to adjust to the differences between the two, sophomore Luna Cheng said.

Many of the team members had to adjust to the differences in the overall style of the two activities — school gymnastics is a much more flexible environment than club gymnastics, Cheng said.

“High school gymnastics is a lot more chill than club gymnastics and it’s an environment to practice whatever skills we want to,” Cheng said.

Similarly, sophomore Evangeline Park said school gymnastics has a more relaxed environment as opposed to the pressure of following a rigorous schedule in club gymnastics.

“When I did club, we rotated through events and worked on drills,” Park said. “But [in school] we just kind of go wherever we need the most work. I like that it is less formal.” 

Freshman Jocelyn Zhang said she also feels that school gymnastics has a lighter load and more freedom to choreograph their own routines with a smaller group compared to club.

Additionally, club gymnastics is active year-round, meaning the commitment between the two areas changes as the season progresses, freshman Katy Pan said. 

As a level nine competitive gymnast, Cheng said she has learned to balance the two activities over time. Prioritizing between school and club gymnastics is critical and Cheng focuses on whichever needs more attention at the moment, she said.

Even though balancing the two activities can be challenging at times, participating in both is a rewarding experience, Cheng said 

“It’s cool because gymnastics is one of those things that you don’t really get to do a lot in school in a school environment,” Cheng added, “so this is the first time we’re going to be able to show our school and our friends the sport we do.”