Starting gymnastics at a very young age, Crum looks to continue her success while competing for state.

For Joycelyn Crum, gymnastics has been a huge part of her life since starting at a very young age. Crum wouldn’t know where she’d be today in the sport if it weren’t for her parents putting her in gymnastics right from the start. “It started when I was little. I always had that burst of energy running throughout the house, whether it was running down the stairs or jumping on the couch. Eventually one day I fell and broke my arm. My parents knew it was enough of me running around inside so they decided to put me in gymnastics at the age of 3…,” Crum said.
At a young age Crum joined a small recreational gymnastics class, where she right away stood out from the rest. “Going into gymnastics, I obviously didn’t really know what I was doing, especially being very young. My coach told my parents I should join a team and that changed my gymnastics career forever.” At the age of eight, Crum moved from South Carolina leaving her first gym, to Lake Villa where she eventually joined a new gym. Since then, Crum has participated in gymnastics up until her senior year with the potential of taking her skills to the collegiate level.
Since joining the Lakes gymnastics team her sophomore year, Crum became the first girl since Lakes, Antioch co-op started where in her junior year she became the only gymnast here at Lakes making it to state. Now in her senior year, with the gymnastics season finally underway, Crum and the gymnastics team look to have another great season.
In a recent interview with Josie Gates, another very talented gymnast and one of Crum’s closest friends, Gates had to say “She always pulls through at the end, she’s not only a great gymnast but a great mentor for the younger, newer gymnasts. She has a natural talent. She could just not show up to practice for 3 weeks and still somehow win a competition, I don’t really get it.” Crum competes in multiple different events including vault, bars, beam and floor. When asked what event was toughest for her, she explained “Definitely double back off bars and vaulting. I had a big fall during one competition and ever since then I’ve always feared messing up again.” In order to continue her success, Crum completely ignores whatever else is going on while she’s about to begin her routine. “I kinda just tell myself to relax, I obviously get nervous but I try to just ignore it. I completely focus on my routine. At that point I’m not really paying attention to the judges and what they think, I think this is what helps me a lot.” After finishing first individually in bars and second on beam and floor in the most recent competition, Crum looks to continue to compete and push her teammates to succeed throughout the rest of the season.