Burlington junior a master gymnast
By Mike Ramczyk
Sports Editor
Take a moment out of your schedule this winter and attend a Burlington gymnastics meet.
Don’t leave until you have had the pleasure of watching junior Bailey Fitzpatrick on the uneven bars.
Blessed with upper-body strength, style, grace, quickness, Bailey effortlessly maneuvers from low bar to high bar with ease.
Her million-dollar smile at the end of her routine comes from the satisfaction of knowing she worked long and hard to pull off that perfect performance.
She has competed at state her first two years and has won the championship in the all-around, a composite score of all events, both years. In 2013, Bailey won state titles in both the all-around and the bars.
Along with sister Jenna and teammate Molly Benavides, the “Big Three” is poised to win its first team state title in 2014.
For her standout 2013, Bailey has been named the Burlington Standard Press Female Athlete of the Year.
The Standard Press caught up with this acrobat Monday to discuss her banner year and look ahead to the future.
SP: Why do you feel you are deserving of this award? How do you think your 2013 went athletically?
BF: I think overall my 2013 season went pretty well. Of course I had my struggles, but I always tried to continue and push through them in order to reach my full potential.
SP: How important are awards anyway?
BF: To me, awards actually mean a lot. It shows that not only do your coaches, teammates, and parents recognize your achievements, but also the public. It’s just amazing to have all of the hard work you put in be noticed.
SP: You won state titles in the all-around and bars in 2013. How big of an accomplishment was that for you?
BF: It is such a big accomplishment for me because throughout the season I never felt as if I did the best I could at meets. It seemed that every meet there was something I had problems with, but then at state I finally was able to put everything together and had my best meet of the year. It was just amazing to see that all the time and effort I was putting in paid off.
SP: Your team took second place at team state. Was that a difficult pill to swallow?
BF: Yeah, obviously our goal was to win state as a team, but we didn’t want to let one meet distinguish our whole season. Throughout the year, we still had an amazing season and that’s the way we like to look at it, rather than one meet.
SP: You come from a long line of athletes. What was it like growing up in the Fitzpatick household when it came to sports?
BF: Well, my parents encouraged us to take part in sports, but it was truly our decision on what we wanted to do. I actually started just doing dance and followed both of my sisters into gymnastics. One of the positives of being apart of the Fitzpatrick family is that no matter what any of us decide to do,
we know we’ll have endless support from our family.
SP: At what age did you take up gymnastics, and why did you stick with it?
BF: I started gymnastics when I was 3. My biggest motive in sticking with gymnastics was my sisters because of course I was the youngest and wanted to be just like them. From there on out, I came to learn that it was something I loved doing and just stuck with it.
SP: How much offseason preparation is needed to compete at a state level?
BF: Well, for me, I don’t take much time off at all. After state I took about two weeks off before I was back in the gym. I just have the fear of losing the skills I’ve been working all season if I stay out of the gym for too long.
SP: Do you listen to music during meets or have any special routine? What gets you motivated?
BF: Yes, I always like to listen to music during meets. It’s just something that can keep me calm and distracted from worrying too much about the competition.
SP: I know team state is a goal this season. Is there a lot of pressure to win? How does the team stay grounded?
BF: I don’t really feel like there’s too much pressure to win. We’re just trying to take it one meet at a time and keep improving from there, rather than focusing on state already.
SP: Why is this season’s team capable of winning state?
BF: We have a team that works really well together. Every day we try to motivate each other and help one another improve. We also have coaches that are understanding and work well with us. With the combination of the gymnasts and the coaches, by the time state comes around, we’re going to be ready to go out there and do what we know how to do.
SP: Obviously, 2013 was big for you. What are your goals for 2014, and what will it take to best 2013?
BF: Well my main goal for the season is for our team to win state. For individual goals, I just want to focus on each individual meet. Every meet, I want to do the best I possibly can. I don’t like to focus on winning anything or scoring a certain score because that just adds pressure, which I don’t do very well with.
SP: We just got done with the holiday season. What’s your favorite part about Christmas and New Year’s?
BF: My favorite part of the holiday is being able to spend time with my family. My extended family has many traditions that we do every year so it’s always fun to be able to do things with them.
SP: This is your last year on the same team with your older sister Jenna. How special has it been to compete with her week in and week out?
BF: Honestly, I don’t know what I’ll do next year without her being on the team. Jenna’s the kind of person that you can go to no matter what. Even if she’s having her own frustrations, she’ll put them aside in order to help someone else. That’s definitely something that I’ll miss, being able to go to her for help and support. Although we do fight because we are together so much, it’s not going to be the same next year. We won’t be doing the sport we love together like we’ve been doing since I was 3.
SP: Do you have any future gymnastics plans? College? Olympics?
BF: Currently, I’m not sure what my gymnastics plans are. I’m considering doing college gymnastics at the Division 3 level, but I haven’t made a final decision.
Meet Bailey Fitzpatrick
Favorite movie: The Blind Side
Favorite song: Currently, Beat Of The Music, by Brett Eldredge
What’s the last thing you read? 17 & Gone by Nova Ren Suma
When your favorite song is on, are you more of a singer or dancer? Singer, for sure.
Gymnastics is…a physical and mental sport that requires a lot of determination and dedication.
If you had to be stranded on a desert island with one person, who would it be and why?
Katniss Everdeen, because then I might actually have a chance to live.
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