Pawleys Island gymnast claims bronze at Junior Olympic nationals

Caroline Warren was simply looking for redemption.

Instead, she found triumph.

A year after a mistake in her routine at regionals cost her a shot at qualifying for the Women’s Junior Olympic Level 9 Eastern Championship, the Pawleys Island resident claimed the gold medal at the same event.

Warren wasn’t done there. She went on to claim bronze in all around and silver in uneven bars at the Eastern Championship – which, along with the Western Championship, is the season-ending pinnacle of that level of gymnastics – last weekend in Osceola, Fla.

“It was a really redeeming experience because of how my performance went the year before,” said Warren, a sophomore at Lowcountry Prep who trains with the Beach Team Tumblers at Terry and Don’s Gymnastics in Myrtle Beach. “I was so focused on trying to hit all my routines to the best of my ability. When I came out on top it was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. It was really rewarding to get that experience.”

After winning regionals in Bradenton, Fla., Warren was one of eight who advanced to the national competition, where the top 500 Level 9 gymnasts from 26 states would compete.

She proved to be one of the best in the field.

“I was so overwhelmed when it happened that all I could think about is getting into the gym and working hard to improve my routines as much as I could,” Warren said of her approach after winning the regional competition. “[At nationals], I went in and hit four routines. It was a great way to end the season.”

Warren said she got interested in gymnastics when she was exposed to it at age 9 while enrolled in an after-school program. It didn’t take long for her to become infatuated with the sport and not long after she convinced her parents to let her give it a try.

“I begged my parents to let me join. I saw older girls doing their skills and they were so cool, and I wanted to be like them,” said Warren, who now makes the trek from Pawleys Island to Myrtle Beach nearly every day to train more than 20 hours a week while still maintaining a 4.0 grade-point average. “My parents agreed to put me in classes and I’ve been in love with it ever since.”

She proved to be a natural and became a top performer. It didn’t take long, said Ashley Lamborn, who – along with Joan Lothrop, Brian Johnson and Chris Mula, owner of Terry and Don’s Gymnastics – coaches Warren.

“Caroline has progressed through the levels,” said Lamborn, who has coached Warren for six years. “She has been at the top of her level for all six of those years.”

The national success wasn’t something Warren or her parents saw coming at the beginning.

“I don’t think any of us did,” Warren said. “At first it was just for fun. I keep going now because it’s part of who I am.”

Warren has succeeded at each level, which are categorized based on the difficulty of the routines.

The main ingredients for her success?

“It’s definitely dedication and perseverance, which is the key for most gymnasts,” Lamborn said. “She hasn’t always had an easy time learning new skills. Sometimes it’s scary when you try something new. But she’s always just picked herself back up again and kept going. She puts in the work, because it’s not easy.”

Many athletes who have had success at the Junior Olympic Eastern or Western championships have gone on to become members of the U.S. national team.

Warren isn’t thinking that far ahead.

“I think it’s always every little girl’s dream to go to the Olympics and do all these incredible things,” she said. “But I’ve set my sights on college gym. … That’s what I’ve always wanted to do.”

Lamborn said Warren has been in contact with about a dozen different colleges already, and her success at nationals has only added to her resume.

“A lot of great college gymnasts come out of that,” Lamborn said of the Junior Olympics competition. “That’s where our focus is with Caroline right now.”

Warren said she watched Olympics gymnastics for the first time at 9 years old and her interest has only increased since then.

“I had just started going to practices and I was glued to the TV,” she said. “In past Olympics I’ve had friends over and all we did all day was watch the Olympics and look up videos online and fawn over what they did.”

Perhaps one day she will have the spotlight shining on her, a stage she would welcome.

“I think that for me I just want to keep going as long as I can,” said Warren, who plans to begin Level 10 next season, the final level before achieving “Elite” status, at which point she would be eligible for professional competition. “Whatever I end up doing would just be icing on the cake and I’m just along for the ride.”

It’s been a wild one the last year or so, but one that has paid off greatly.

“We all knew she deserved to be in there,” Lamborn said of Warren competing against the best at nationals. “This year she came back with a vengeance and pulled it all together.”

This story was originally published May 15, 2015 at 7:18 PM with the headline "Pawleys Island gymnast claims bronze at Junior Olympic nationals."