From climbing monkey bars as a preschooler to competing as a Senior Elite gymnast, Ally Damelio of San Mateo has transformed raw energy and fearlessness into a disciplined athletic journey, one that balances intense training, academic pressure and dreams of collegiate gymnastics.
At just 16, Damelio was promoted to Senior Elite status after aging out of Junior Elite, marking a major milestone in her gymnastics career. Reaching this level is significant — Senior Elite is the highest competitive tier in the sport, with no upper age limit — a category that includes stars like Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles.
Damelio’s schedule is packed. She trains five days a week and only recently earned her weekends off.
“My workouts start at 12:30 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and I end at 6:30 p.m., and then I do 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays,” Damelio said. “So, yeah, I need weekends off!”
Her gymnastics career began at age 4 at San Mateo Gymnastics, the same gym she calls home today. She credits her coaches, Armen Astoian and Oksana Bystrova, with shaping her path from the very beginning.
“I’m very fortunate to have had the coaching I did at San Mateo Gymnastics,” Damelio said. “Armen and Oksana are very experienced with elite gymnasts — they’ve had girls doing what I’m doing now for years and years.”
A pivotal moment came when she reached Level 7 and began competing in the optional season.
“I started taking gymnastics seriously probably around Level 7,” Damelio said. “When the optional season starts, you’re kind of like, ‘Wait, I’m actually good now, I’m not just like, a compulsory little [gymnast].’ You’re getting older, so you actually kind of understand what you’re doing.”
Ally Damelio balances a hybrid school schedule at Aragon to allow for afternoon gymnastics practice.
By age 10, she was flying across the country for training camps and national competitions. Once she reached Junior Elite, her career took her internationally, including a major competition in Colombia. After the U.S. Championships, she was named to the 2023–2024 Women’s Junior National Team for USA Gymnastics.
Alongside training, Damelio is a rising junior at Aragon High School. She balances academics and athletics with a hybrid school schedule: three in-person classes in the morning, followed by practice until 6:30 p.m. and then several online classes at night.
Each online class requires about an hour of work per day, in addition to the homework and studying from her morning classes, averaging three to four hours of homework each night.
Her favorite gymnastics event is the floor exercise, where she’s found both personal confidence and competitive success.
“Floor is the most enjoyable for me, it’s not as stressful as the other events because it’s not as technical,” Damelio said. “You have a lot of adrenaline rushing through you and when competing on the floor, you don’t necessarily have to control it; you let it fuel you, instead of it messing you up.”
Now, as college recruitment officially opens for gymnasts after their sophomore year, Damelio is standing at the start of a new chapter. She’s already fielding calls and texts from top NCAA Division I programs around the country.
“We’ve always said Ally is not a gymnast, she does gymnastics — she’s so much more than just her sport,” her mother Heather Damelio said. “College should be a time for her to exhale, to soak in her accomplishments and to enjoy the journey.”
While excitement around the recruiting process builds, Damelio is focused on finding a program that fits, not just athletically, but personally. She’s looking for a college team that offers a strong support system, a growth-minded coaching style and a sense of connection.