DRIPPING SPRINGS— Dripping Springs High School sophomore Aubrey Bragg made it to the national competition in the first year at her level, with the support of her team and coaches at Moxie Gymnastics.
The road to get to the Women’s Development Program National Championships, held May 8-10, was not an easy feat, as Bragg — who has been doing gymnastics since she was 4 years old — works out 28 hours a week, including Saturdays, and practices five hours a day, alongside her teammates. This consists of a combination of conditioning, stretches, drills, basic skills, technique work and more that goes from about 3 p.m. to the evening hours.
The scoring also comes into play, explained coach Carlos Arroyo, who has been at Moxie Gymnastics and Cheer in Dripping Springs, where Bragg trains, for six years. The competitors have to qualify for each level, beginning at earning at least a 34 all around for state and then, above a 34 for regionals. Once they get there, they need to be in the top seven out of seven states — Arkansas, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Colorado, Texas, Kansas and New Mexico — to qualify for nationals.
