The USA Gymnastics Michigan State Meet was held in Holland on March 26 and 27, 2011. The event featured over 300 of the state’s top gymnasts competing for titles within their age divisions for levels 8-10.
Olivia Dopkiss won the all-around title with a score of 37.425. She also won the beam gold, silver on the vault and bars, and bronze on the floor exercise in her junior age division.
This was an exciting accomplishment for Dopkiss when you consider the fact that last February she suffered a severe hamstring injury that took eight months to fully heal. Despite her injuries, she still practiced five days a week, sometimes twice a day in the summer. She then worked through physical rehabilitation exercises to strengthen her hamstring muscle. She participated this year in an advanced training program at her gym that required her to be at the gym two mornings a week at 8 a.m., which means getting up at 6:15 to make the trip to Lansing.
Dopkiss trains in Lansing over 25 hours a week at Gedderts’ Twistars Gymnastics Club. Geddert’s Twistars also took top honors as Level 8, 9 and 10 team champions.
Dopkiss is 12 years old and is a seventh-grader at Chandler Woods Charter Academy. She has two sisters and a brother. She hopes to someday be a collegiate gymnast. Dopkiss is dedicated and committed, both gymnastically and academically and was recently recognized as a “Star Student” at Chandler Woods for being a role model by her teacher Ms. Hesley. Chandler Woods has been instrumental in giving Dopkiss this athletic opportunity while remaining a student.
Dopkiss’ mother, Lisa, said, “Her father and I are very proud, not only because of her achievements in gymnastics, but because she is a truly kindhearted person with a very strong work ethic.”
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