Leah Harbin of Littlefield, Texas began taking gymnastic classes when she was only three years old, starting her along journey to competitive gymnastics. Currently, she competes on a national level in power tumbling, trampoline, and the double mini. Over the years she has participated in four national championships, the Winter Classic, and the United States Elite challenge. Additionally, Leah coaches a lower level competitive gymnastic team and recreational gymnastic classes.

Last September Leah participated in the International Age Group games. More than a thousand athletes representing thirty countries competed at that event, including seventy-three gymnasts who represented the United States. Leah arrived four days before the competition began and then trained until the actual day of her individual competition. She competed in her best event, the double-mini, and placed twentieth out of the group of 46 athletes in her age group. Describing her highlight of the competition, she said, “[It was awesome] walking out onto the competition floor at the Games in my US warm-ups, hearing my teammates chanting “USA! USA! USA!” and then stepping off the landing mat knowing that I had done well… I think the best feeling in the world is going to do something; hard, easy, new, or old; and knowing you did it well.”

She enjoys her favorite event, the double-mini, for a good reason: Leah currently ranks second in the United States for that event. For those unfamiliar with gymnastics the double-mini “combines the horizontal run of tumbling with the vertical rebound of the trampoline.” (1) Competitors in this event run for a short distance and then jump onto a two-level trampoline. While in the air they perform a trick which they immediately follow with a dismount onto a landing mat. Leah describes her favorite new skill, a full-in back-out pike, as “[a] double black flip with one full twist in the first flip [with] straight legs and you [reach] for your toes in the second flip.”

For much of her life Leah has also focused on two other sports: basketball and dance. Leah has played competitive basketball for six years and currently plays varsity basketball for the LCHAA Lady Warriors. As a member of the team she has earned two national titles in the 16 and under girls division at the National Christian Homeschool Basketball Championships. She has also danced for eight years, sometimes competitively, and at one point ranked second in her state.

Over the years Leah has accumulated a comprehensive list of injuries as well. She has managed to break her arm twice and three toes in her left foot, crack a growth plate in her left ankle, stretch the tendons in her right ankle, and suffer a concussion. She comments on her many injuries, “Only the ankle injuries were from gymnastics. [As for] the rest, well, let me just say that I’m very accident prone.”

Gymnastics, an sport extremely demanding on physical ability and coordination, has also taught Leah to let God take control. Leah said, “God has used my gymnastics to build my relationship with Him. There are skills that I’m terrified of, like a double back flip on the floor, but when I finally relax and really trust that whatever happens, God can use it to His glory. He takes my fear away. I don’t want you to think I’m being heroic or anything because I’m doing things that scare the crud out of me. [However], it’s very important that you understand that without God, I most certainly would have quit a long time ago. There were times when every part of my body hurt so badly, and I was so frustrated because I didn’t seem to be progressing that I went home and cried after practice. Being a very stubborn and independent person, I wanted to do it on my own. But God, almost literally, had to beat it into my head that I couldn’t. I crashed and burned on my own, but when I gave up and said to God ‘I can’t do this anymore.’ it was amazing. I learned new skills quickly [and] my performance scores went up. I didn’t get as scared or frustrated and I didn’t hurt as much. He’s been taking me through this one day at a time.”

(1) http://www.usa-gymnastics.org/tt/about-tt.html