Thank You, Kyla Ross

Photos via Creative Commons (1 | 2 ) Credit to Scott and Emer Hults

Before 2012, I wasn't a huge gymnastics fan like I am today. Before 2012, I didn't know there were any high-level Filipino-American gymnasts. Before 2012, I wasn't too familiar with the name Kyla Ross ― I'm not sure I'd even heard her name before.

Four years later, I can definitely say that's all changed.



Now, I am a huge gymnastics fan. Now, I can name a handful of high-profile Filipino-American gymnasts. Now, I've heard the name Kyla Ross hundreds of thousands of times.

Today, Kyla Ross retired from elite gymnastics. She's part of the gold-medal-winning Fierce Five from the 2012 London Olympics and is a five-time World medalist. She's one of the first gymnasts I remember watching and is one of the first gymnasts I watched in person.



Unlike others on my list of favorite gymnasts, I can't recall when exactly I became a fan of Kyla. I remember hearing her name often at the first gymnastics meet I attended, which was the 2012 Secret U.S. Classic. It was an Olympic year, so hearing her name near the top of the results at the first USA Gymnastics meet of the year was a sign to watch out for her.

An awful photo I took of Kyla at the 2012 Secret U.S. Classic

I was a fan of Kyla during the Games ― especially when I found out she's Filipino because I am, too. It was evident that her gymnastics was clean and consistent. One of my friends even told me that Kyla reminded her of me, which is still one of the best compliments I've ever gotten.

@amanda_carmela I'm sorry if this is random but I think you look a lot like Kyla Ross! :)

— Priyanshu Uprety (@priy14) July 30, 2012

@amanda_carmela Hahaha you're welcome! :) The first time I saw Kyla, I thought to myself, "Wow, she looks just like Amanda!" (:

— Priyanshu Uprety (@priy14) July 30, 2012

But my love for Kyla reached a whole new level in 2013.

2013 was when I realized how much talent and potential Kyla had. With my favorites from 2012 not competing (Sarah Finnegan, Nastia Liukin, Jordyn Wieber, and Aly Raisman), I started rooting for her more. I went to the Secret U.S. Classic again that year, and I just wanted her to win.

Kyla at the 2013 Secret U.S. Classic

Kyla at the 2013 Secret U.S. Classic

She competed in her first World Championships in 2013, and she was just so clean and elegant. I couldn't help but love her. Plus, she's super smart and beautiful. Kyla just seems like such a great role model. That's when I started to say 'Can I be Kyla when I grow up?' even though I'm a year older than her.

Then 2014 and 2015 came, and I watched Kyla go from the baby of the Fierce Five who hadn't done a lot of interviews before to a gorgeous young lady who's so poised and mature.

I remember when I was working for FloGymnastics at the 2014 Secret U.S. Classic and I was three feet away from Kyla. I was freaking out on the inside. I wanted so badly to say hi and take a picture with her, but she was doing an interview and I was working. I'm still in awe to this day.



As I write this in honor of her retirement from elite gymnastics, I realize that Kyla's first World Championships was mine, too. Before 2013, I never watched Worlds.

I realize that Kyla has been a constant in the entirety of my growing gymnastics obsession. There hasn't been a year where I've loved gymnastics and haven't been able to watch Kyla on my TV, whether it was at the Olympics, the American Cup, or the World Championships.

This year will be different.

I'm not going to turn on the TV in March to see Kyla at the American Cup. I'm not going to watch her on TV in July competing at Olympic Trials. I'm not going to watch her in August at the Olympics.

But that's okay. It's not over. It's not goodbye.

Kyla will be at UCLA this fall, and next winter, she'll be competing as a UCLA gymnast. I won't be able to watch UCLA meets on TV, but I'll still be able to watch her online or on YouTube.

So thank you, Kyla. Thank you for making me proud to be not just an American, but a Filipino-American. Thank you for sharing your beautiful gymnastics with the world. Thank you for inspiring people with your hard work. Thank you for proving that age doesn't matter. Thank you for teaching me that success is not limited to just one thing. Thank you for letting me know that I'm not alone, that it's okay to be serious and open up and laugh sometimes. Thank you for helping me fall in love with the sport.

I couldn't have asked for a better role model.