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Source: Highschoolsports.com
Gymnastics: Ayana Lee of Bridgewater-Raritan earns spot on Jamaica World Team
Ayana Lee placed ninth in the state (36.775) in 2012. The Bridgewater-Raritan gymnast will compete at the World Gymnastics Championships in 2013. Photo by Tony Kurdzuk/For The Star-Ledger
By John Christian Hageny/For The Star-Ledger
on September 12, 2013 5 p.m.
Ayana Lee, whose parents Judith and Desmond were born and raised in Jamaica, has earned a spot on the country's roster for the upcoming 2013 World Gymnastics Championships set for Sept. 30-Oct. 6 in Antwerp, Belgium.
The achievement is a monumental one for gymnastics in New Jersey and for Lee, the NJSIAA's defending floor champion (9.6) from Bridgewater-Raritan who captured the Skyland Conference all-around title (37.675) and earned Second Team All-State and Central Jersey 2 Gymnast of the Year honors by The Star-Ledger in 2012.
"She has been dedicated to gymnastics her entire life," Judith Lee, who left the popular Caribbean Island for the United States with her husband as teenagers in 1978, said. "We are very proud of this upcoming opportunity to debut on the world stage."
Lee is the states defending floor champion after hitting 9.6 at the 2012 NJSIAA championships. (Tony Kurdzuk/For The Star-Ledger)
Ayana's mother, from the parish of St. Catherine and her father who hails from the country's capital of Kingston, moved to Brooklyn, and, after ten years, across the river to New Jersey where they settled in Hillsborough in 1988.
Seven years later and just prior to the birth of Ayana, the couple moved to Bridgewater and became active members in the community at First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset.
With both parents born in Jamaica, Ayana is afforded the opportunity to apply for dual citizenship which makes the senior eligible to compete internationally for both countries.
The process to put her in a position to do so, however, has been an arduous task nearly five months in the making.
"A lot of paperwork," Lee, who helped steamroll Bridgewater to a seventh-place finish (108.9) at the 2012 NJSIAA team championships last fall, said. "In late May, my club coach, Juan Agudelo, found out both my parents were Jamaican and said I should apply for dual citizenship. And maybe, he said, maybe down the line and if I was ready... I could give it a shot. I thought about that and decided it was an opportunity, if missed, I would regret for the rest of my life."
In addition to applying for dual citizenship, Lee requires a Jamaican passport and a gymnastics certification card from the fifth-largest island country in the Caribbean. But paperwork and filling out forms were only a formality compared to the dedication it would take to compete with the world's best.
"I thought about that too: all the hard work, no days off," Lee, who finished ninth in the state with a mark of 36.775 at the NJSIAA individual championships, said. "I've been working towards this the entire summer."
2013 Federation Internationale de Gymnastique Team Rosters
Lee will leave for Belgium on Sept. 24 and return on Oct. 7. She will miss several Bridgewater-Raritan dual meets and the Somerset County tournament at Montgomery on Oct. 2, but coach Julie Zaneto and the other 16 gymnasts on the roster are in full support of Lee's ambition.
"We will definitely miss Ayana for a large portion of the season but this will be such an exciting, memorable experience for her," Zaneto, the 2012 Star-Ledger State Coach of the Year, said. "Ayana has dedicated her life to gymnastics and has made so many sacrifices to get to the level she is. What better way to show the world, literally, how amazingly talented she is than to compete at World's. We are all so proud of Ayana and wish her the best."
Lee began gymnastics at the age of four at Paramount Gymnastics in Hillsborough. She switched to AGA in Edison until most recently taking her skills to Indigo under coach Agudelo in New Providence.
Lee will be competing for a different flag next month in Belgium, one that is green, black and gold. (Tony Kurdzuk/For The Star-Ledger)
To minimize risk, Lee will travel and practice with Bridgewater-Raritan but will not compete for the school leading up to the World Championships. Upon return, she will need to attain qualifying scores before the state cutoff on Oct. 29 in order to compete at the 2013 NJSIAA championships. The always positive and upbeat Lee is confident, though, she will meet the requirements after putting her talents on display at the world stage.
"Without Juan, I wouldn't have this wonderful opportunity," Lee insisted. "I will miss counties and a couple of dual meets, but when I come back I'm going straight back to high school and compete. I'm confident I will make it to states."
Yea mon, ev'ryt'ing irie.
Jamaica National Flag
Source: Highschoolsports.com
Gymnastics: Ayana Lee of Bridgewater-Raritan earns spot on Jamaica World Team
Ayana Lee placed ninth in the state (36.775) in 2012. The Bridgewater-Raritan gymnast will compete at the World Gymnastics Championships in 2013. Photo by Tony Kurdzuk/For The Star-Ledger By John Christian Hageny/For The Star-Ledger
on September 12, 2013 5 p.m.
Ayana Lee, whose parents Judith and Desmond were born and raised in Jamaica, has earned a spot on the country's roster for the upcoming 2013 World Gymnastics Championships set for Sept. 30-Oct. 6 in Antwerp, Belgium.
The achievement is a monumental one for gymnastics in New Jersey and for Lee, the NJSIAA's defending floor champion (9.6) from Bridgewater-Raritan who captured the Skyland Conference all-around title (37.675) and earned Second Team All-State and Central Jersey 2 Gymnast of the Year honors by The Star-Ledger in 2012.
"She has been dedicated to gymnastics her entire life," Judith Lee, who left the popular Caribbean Island for the United States with her husband as teenagers in 1978, said. "We are very proud of this upcoming opportunity to debut on the world stage."
Lee is the states defending floor champion after hitting 9.6 at the 2012 NJSIAA championships. (Tony Kurdzuk/For The Star-Ledger)Ayana's mother, from the parish of St. Catherine and her father who hails from the country's capital of Kingston, moved to Brooklyn, and, after ten years, across the river to New Jersey where they settled in Hillsborough in 1988.
Seven years later and just prior to the birth of Ayana, the couple moved to Bridgewater and became active members in the community at First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset.
With both parents born in Jamaica, Ayana is afforded the opportunity to apply for dual citizenship which makes the senior eligible to compete internationally for both countries.
The process to put her in a position to do so, however, has been an arduous task nearly five months in the making.
"A lot of paperwork," Lee, who helped steamroll Bridgewater to a seventh-place finish (108.9) at the 2012 NJSIAA team championships last fall, said. "In late May, my club coach, Juan Agudelo, found out both my parents were Jamaican and said I should apply for dual citizenship. And maybe, he said, maybe down the line and if I was ready... I could give it a shot. I thought about that and decided it was an opportunity, if missed, I would regret for the rest of my life."
In addition to applying for dual citizenship, Lee requires a Jamaican passport and a gymnastics certification card from the fifth-largest island country in the Caribbean. But paperwork and filling out forms were only a formality compared to the dedication it would take to compete with the world's best.
"I thought about that too: all the hard work, no days off," Lee, who finished ninth in the state with a mark of 36.775 at the NJSIAA individual championships, said. "I've been working towards this the entire summer."
2013 Federation Internationale de Gymnastique Team Rosters
Lee will leave for Belgium on Sept. 24 and return on Oct. 7. She will miss several Bridgewater-Raritan dual meets and the Somerset County tournament at Montgomery on Oct. 2, but coach Julie Zaneto and the other 16 gymnasts on the roster are in full support of Lee's ambition.
"We will definitely miss Ayana for a large portion of the season but this will be such an exciting, memorable experience for her," Zaneto, the 2012 Star-Ledger State Coach of the Year, said. "Ayana has dedicated her life to gymnastics and has made so many sacrifices to get to the level she is. What better way to show the world, literally, how amazingly talented she is than to compete at World's. We are all so proud of Ayana and wish her the best."
Lee began gymnastics at the age of four at Paramount Gymnastics in Hillsborough. She switched to AGA in Edison until most recently taking her skills to Indigo under coach Agudelo in New Providence.
Lee will be competing for a different flag next month in Belgium, one that is green, black and gold. (Tony Kurdzuk/For The Star-Ledger)To minimize risk, Lee will travel and practice with Bridgewater-Raritan but will not compete for the school leading up to the World Championships. Upon return, she will need to attain qualifying scores before the state cutoff on Oct. 29 in order to compete at the 2013 NJSIAA championships. The always positive and upbeat Lee is confident, though, she will meet the requirements after putting her talents on display at the world stage.
"Without Juan, I wouldn't have this wonderful opportunity," Lee insisted. "I will miss counties and a couple of dual meets, but when I come back I'm going straight back to high school and compete. I'm confident I will make it to states."
Yea mon, ev'ryt'ing irie.
Jamaica National Flag
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