Selma is home to a rising star in gymnastics.
Shekinah Andrews, 14, an eighth grader at R.B. Hudson STEAM Academy, is rising the ranks in state and regional gymnastics competitions, placing in the top 10 regionally in May.
Andrews started gymnastic training at Dixie Flips when she was three years old. When her trainer became ill and the facility closed, Andrews took about a two-and-a-half-year hiatus, mother Ceria Blake said. That’s when the passion began burning and she decided to get back into gymnastics and start competing.
“I want to be a gymnast when I get older, I want to start pursuing my dreams,” Andrews said.
Eleven years later, she wants to pursue gymnastics in college and see where it may take her in the future.
After returning from the break, Andrews started training with Callen Free in Selma, but to compete she needed to go to Prattville YMCA where there is a team. Andrews said she has an intense training schedule three days a week, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays in Prattville.
She competes in balance beam, uneven bars, floor exercise and vault. She has a regular routine but wants to move up in her skill level, so she is planning to add different moves.
There are different levels of accomplishments, similar to the belts in martial arts: silver, gold, platinum, diamond. Andrews is at the gold level and is working for platinum.
To get to the regional competition, Andrews had to be among the highest scorers in her age group at state competition. “I got all nines. I was the only person to get all nines (out of 10) in each event.” With those scores, she was off to her first regional competition held May 3 at Lakepoint Sports in Cartersville, Georgia.
There, Andrews scored seventh in vault, eighth in uneven bars, seventh in balance beam and eighth place all around against gymnasts from Florida, Louisiana, Tennessee, Georgia and other parts of Alabama.
Both Andrews and Blake said they would love to see a gymnastics team formed in Selma that could go to competitions. Blake said good, dedicated trainers are needed. Then dedicated participants. And then register with USA Gymnastics to be official. Until then, they go to the Prattville YMCA.