A budding gymnast’s journey brings family pride

AT AGE one, she was doing handstands, climbing on furniture and swinging from her mother’s bed post.

Now, seven-year-old Joelle Williams stands tall with several medals, trophies and certificates after being involved in gymnastics just over the last year.

After being selected to join the national all-star team to represent Jamaica at the COPA games in Panama in October, little Joelle placed fourth overall and copped a bronze medal for her team. She was also at the Yamilet Peña Classic in the Dominican Republic, where she was rewarded with three medals.

Youngest of three, the quick learner’s progress has still come as a surprise.

Showing off some of her moves in her makeshift gym at home with all her medals and trophies shining, the seven-year-old told The Suday Gleaner she always had a love for the sport.

“Since I was a baby, I loved being on my hands. I did handstands, cartwheels, bridges and some other things. I would usually enjoy watching on TV and YouTube, backhand sprints, backflips, front flips and round-offs. When I went to the COPA games, the experience was fun. The competition was bigger than some of the others that I have been to. I participated on the beam, floor, bars and vault. It was nice when I was doing my floor because people were shouting for Jamaica and nice seeing other people from other countries,” Joelle said.

Little Joelle has her own branded merchandise such as T-shirts, bags and water bottles her management uses to promotes her when she is participating in competitions.

With a very packed schedule, the little one, who is an animal lover, enjoys dancing, going to the beach and watching TikTok during her free time.

A student of the Mount Alvernia Preparatory School in Montego Bay, St James, Joelle trains at the First Dance Studios.

Joelle’s biggest dream is to represent Jamaica in the 2024 Olympics scheduled to be held in Paris, France.

“When I grow up, I want to continue doing gymnastics. I would love to go and represent Jamaica in the Olympics next year but I know that I will have to work very hard to get there. I was invited to another meet in St Petersburg in Florida this coming February,” Joelle explained

With her bubbly personality, little Joelle used her chalk to dust her hands and climbed up on her kip-bar to perform at her best for the camera. She meticulously did her moves on a self-made beam given to her by her grandfather.

Raquel Williams, the passionate mother of little Joelle, said her daughter is self-motivated.

“I didn’t choose for her to do gymnastics. She chose to do it. She is always bouncing off something, so it is so easy for her to train because it is what she actually loves to do. Her father and I had to purchase a kip-bar for her for home because this little girl would climb up on my bed and do pull-ups. She would literally sail off the bed and I was absolutely traumatised,” Williams jovially said.

In response, Joelle replied with a cheeky smile: “You were not traumatised; no, you were not.”

“There are nights that we have gone to bed and she will knock on the room door and turn on my light and say ‘Mommy, please can you come watch me train for five more minutes?’ She doesn’t stop, she doesn’t really care to take a break, so I don’t have to motivate her because it is just her passion,” Williams proudly noted.

Joelle is described by her family as a wonderful beam, a firecracker, hardworking and dedicated to anything that she decides to do.

Proud of their baby sister and showing her full support, Joelle’s 10-year-old sister was appointed as her road manager and meal planner and her brother is the master mixer of her Milo before she goes to bed.

Sharing a mother-daughter moment with her ‘wash-belly’ in her hands and reminiscing on her daughter’s success, Williams admitted having cried a lot of happy tears.

“Just doing this for a year, sometimes it feels so unreal. When they select her for certain competitions, such as overseas and a lot of them are invitation only, I am really elated. The entire village and everyone has been so supportive. They send words of encouragement and people want to know how they can pitch in. They want to know how they can help her, how they can assist to reach competitions because it is not cheap, especially for travelling. I am grateful for the support that she receives,” she added.

Today, Joelle continues to prepare for one of the world’s largest gymnastics meets, the Gasaparilla Classic, in February 2024.