The 2012 Summer Olympics in London
Well the Summer Olympics are almost here! I’m so excited. We have a close friend who will be competing in the men’s gymnastics. We have known Jonathan Horton since he was about 10 years old. Even back then, he was a gymnast.
The Beginning for Us
When we first met Jonathan’s parents, thru my brother n law, Jonathan was already a junior gymnast competing at matches and winning. Jonathan’s mother tells the story of how he got started in gymnastics. She was at Target one day and they called her over the PA system to come get him down. Jonathan had climbed up one of the support poles in the store all the way to the top. Another time when his older sister was getting on the school bus, Jonathan rode the garage door up and just hung there. His mom said she knew then she had to get him into something to burn up all that energy.
Watching Him Grow
Over the next 10 years we watched Jonathan get stronger and stronger, better and better. Going to some of his meets were fun. Sometimes it got a little nerve racking watching him swing over that high bar, flipping and turning and finally doing his dismount. All of this took place while he attended public school and did homework. He would be at the gym before school and then again after school. Working on his routine and constantly improving it, making it tougher and more challenging. Jonathan then went on to the University of Oklahoma where they won multiple National Championships. That took dedication and a desire to be the best.
Beijing 2008
By the summer of 2008, Jonathan had made the Men’s Gymnastics Olympic team. We were so proud and again so nervous. Watching Jonathan compete at this level is very exhilarating yet scary. Constantly hoping he doesn’t fall or miss the high bar on one of his flips. Well at the 2008 Games, Jonathan proved to be at his best and came home with a Team Bronze medal and an individual Silver medal on High Bar. We were so proud of Jonathan.
The 2012 Olympics
Now he’s made the 2012 Olympic Team and as the captain of the Men’s Gymnastics Team we hope that he will lead them to another Team medal and bring home the GOLD! Jonathan has done all this with the support of his family and friends. And with God watching over his every move, we are praying that he will have another successful and safe competition.
Good Luck Jonathan! We’ll all be watching!