Landing her forward one-and-a-half twist, freshman Brynnlee Zimmer finishes her floor routine. She said she is one of fewer than ten level 10 gymnasts in the state. 

Brynnlee has been doing gymnastics for 12 years. She said she started when she was three years old with recreational gymnastics and then started competing when she was five. 

Brynnlee’s mom, Bonnie Zimmer, said when Brynnlee was a child, she tried hard to keep up with her sister and what she was doing in gymnastics. 

“By the time she was 3 or 4, I realized she really liked gymnastics,” Bonnie said.

Brynnlee said one of the more difficult aspects of gymnastics is the amount of time it takes. 

“It can be really time-consuming, which isn’t always great, and I have to put in a lot of hard work, but it does pay off in the end,” Brynnlee said.

Pure Gymnastics owner Tim Kappel said he coaches Brynnlee about once every two or three weeks. This year, she achieved level 10 in gymnastics, something Kappel said is really difficult to earn. 

“There’s about 1,100 kids that compete in Kansas, and there’s less than 10 level 10s in the whole state,” Kappel said. “If you make it to level 10, you’ve done something special.”

Making it to level 10 means the practices will be more difficult and longer.

The four-hour-long practices consist of strength training focusing on core and arms, along with stretching. Then coaches have them practicing all four events: floor, bars, balance beam and vault.

Brynnlee said injury is an unavoidable part of gymnastics. She has broken her ankle and wrist, and currently deals with back and knee issues. Bonnie said it is only a matter of time until you get injured. Kappel said injury prevention is a priority.

“If you’re training a kid correctly and they’ve got [a] good foundation, you’re not gonna have as many of those (injuries),” Kappel said.

He said Pure Gymnastics has a medical team that helps the higher-level athletes with the recovery process.

“Your job as a coach is to be their anchor for that event. Make sure they know you’ve got their back, you’re there to help them,” Kappel said. 

Similar to her coaches, Brynnlee said her parents have always been there for her in her gymnastics career.

“They’ve supported me through all of it. Gymnastics can be very expensive, and they’ve paid for all of that, and they’ve always encouraged me and been there for me when it’s hard,” Brynnlee said.

When looking back, Brynnlee said one of her favorite parts of gymnastics when she was younger was the social aspect. Brynnlee has been with some of her teammates for years. She said teammates are an essential part of gymnastics.

“Well, they’re always there for me, and they know how hard it is, so it’s easy to relate to them,” Brynnlee said.

The week before meets, the practices become easier. There is no practice the day before meets, but athletes are expected to stretch and do some exercises at home. Brynnlee said these are implemented to give ample rest before meets.

Level 10 meets usually last three to four hours and are mostly hosted out of state. 

“You’ve worked your tail off at practice,” Kappel said. “Now you get to go share with everyone what you’ve been working on.”

Meets are one way to share her accomplishments and growth, but she also uses Instagram to show her progress. With eighty thousand Instagram followers, she said it will be helpful for getting into colleges.

“The college coaches can go onto the account and see how I’m doing,” Brynnlee said. “It’s a good way for them to follow along with my journey.”

Brynnlee hopes she can get a DI offer for gymnastics. Now that she is a level 10 she is the role model for the younger gymnasts. 

“I mean, it’s kind of weird, because I’ve always looked up to the older girls and level 10s that I’ve known throughout my career, and then, it’s kind of weird [to] actually be one now,” Brynnlee said.