Four hours a day, six days a week, filled with chalk, sore muscles and relentless routines. This is the world of competitive gymnastics. It’s a sport that demands focus, resilience and strength, both mentally and physically. For one teen athlete, those hours have turned into more than just practice. They’ve become a way of life.

Freshman Brynleigh Fisher, who’s been flipping, balancing and competing since the age of 3, has grown up in the gym, shaping not just her skills but her character.

“My mom did gymnastics when she was younger, and when I was a toddler, I was always jumping around the house,” Fisher said. “She decided to put me in gymnastics, and ever since then, I’ve been loving it.”

Over the past 12 years, Fisher has risen through the ranks of competitive gymnastics. Now part of a high-level program, Fisher said her days are filled with warm-ups, conditioning and routines designed to perfect every element of her performance.

“During practice we usually start off with warm-up and stretching, then we condition, and after that we get into our routine for our events or competitions,” Fisher said.

Fisher said her favorite events are the beam and floor, two vastly different disciplines, both requiring grace and grit.

“I like to perform on floor, and for beam there’s just something about it I really enjoy,” Fisher said. “I can’t describe it.”

Though she excels in competitions and performs with confidence, Fisher said physicality isn’t her biggest challenge, it’s internal.

“My weaknesses are probably not letting go of little things; I’m always critiquing myself,” Fisher said. “But I’m trying to work on that. I realized it’s ok to fall and make mistakes because in the end everyone in the gym is trying to work hard and become a better gymnast.”

Outside the gym, her schedule can make it hard to maintain a typical social life, but her friendships remain strong especially with longtime friend Freshman Juliette Flake.

“She’s busy a lot because she does four hours of gymnastics after school every day,” Flake said. “She’s not available a lot of the time because she’s out of town for competitions.”

The two met in sixth-grade Spanish class and have been close ever since. When Fisher isn’t training, they hang out, go shopping or relax by the pool making the most of the limited time they have.

“We like to shop at Target or just hang out,” Flake said. “We just try to plan things to do whenever she doesn’t have gymnastics.”

Though Flake hasn’t yet seen her friend compete in person, Flake said she admires Fisher’s commitment and consistency over the years.

“I think it’s amazing how she stuck through it for so long,” Flake said. “She’s done gymnastics for a very long time and competitively, she travels out of state every weekend. She’s such a hard worker.”

Fisher said she has collected more medals than she can count. But the physical rewards are only part of what keeps her going. A large part of her motivation comes from within and from her early role model.

“A great example to me is probably my mom,” Fisher said. “She did gymnastics when she was younger, so it’s nice to know I have something to live up to.”

What stands out most, though, is the way Fisher uses her experience to uplift others. Fisher said she enjoys helping younger gymnasts, answering their questions and showing them what persistence looks like.

“I like being able to help the younger kids,” Fisher said. “It makes me feel happy.”

Gymnastics has become more than a sport to her, it’s a second home, a proving ground and a community.

“I’ve realized you don’t have to be perfect,” Fisher said. “We’re all just trying to become better gymnasts, and better people, one day at a time.”