TOANO — Eli Osuna, a gymnast at Williamsburg Gymnastics, earned himself a spot to compete at the Elite Team Cup in Kentucky during the 2024 Winter Cup series slated for Feb. 23-25.
Osuna’s parents placed him in gymnastics at a young age to combat his hyperactivity. After a move from North Carolina to New York, Osuna joined a team and began his competitive gymnastics career.
Osuna continued to train after moving to Virginia, and in 2023, was chosen as an alternate for the Elite Team Cup competition. The competition features nine regional teams composed of six junior elite gymnasts. After being named as a non-traveling alternate for the 2023 competition, Osuna made it his mission to qualify again in 2024.
“For this competition, they select six of the best gymnasts in the region to compete against the other nine regions at the meet. I had to go through a training camp in the summer with 30 to 40 other gymnasts who were being considered,” Osuna explains. “They narrowed it down again in December and I went to another training camp with 16 other gymnasts. At the end of the camp, we had a mini competition with the judges who would be at the Elite Team Cup and I placed first in the competition and I was selected for the team.”
At the upcoming competition, Osuna will represent region seven, chosen as one of the top male gymnasts from Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.
A homeschooled high school student, Osuna has dedicated his life to gymnastics. He trains Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 11:00-12:30 p.m., heads home to do school for the day, and then works out from 4:30-8:30 p.m. On Mondays and Wednesdays, he practices from 4:30-8:30 p.m.
“I try to eat a lot and sleep a lot. Sleeping really helps me recover. When I was in school, I didn’t get as much sleep as I needed. When I changed to homeschooling, I realized that I got enough sleep, and it really skyrocketed my gymnastics,” Osuna said.
During his workouts, Osuna tries to do routines for every event at least three to four times a week. However, Osuna also tries to balance perfecting current routines while learning new skills for the future.
“This is a year for me with my gymnastics that is really important for the college application and recruitment process. While it’s important for me to hit my routines, I also have to work hard to attain new skills that I can use when I am at those colleges competing,” Osuna explained.
Mainly known as a pommel horse competitor by his scores, Osuna openly admits that he loves competing on the floor exercise the most.
“The event that I feel most comfortable competing is the floor exercise, but the event that I’m known to be really good at is pommel horse. Since I have that name, I get more nervous to compete pommel horse, even though it’s my best. Pommels is definitely where I can help the team the most at the Elite Team Cup,” Osuna said.
While the Elite Team Cup is an honor, Osuna has his sights set on the future for his gymnastics career.
“I want to attend one of the top D1 colleges for gymnastics. From there, hopefully, I’ll make the national team. If I really work for it, I could probably get a spot on the team for the 2028 or 2032 Olympic Games,” Osuna said.
Osuna and the remaining members of region seven will compete on Feb. 24 in Lexington, Kentucky. For more information on all the action taking place at Winter Cup weekend, visit wintercup.com.
