Posted: 2:52 PM Aug 2, 2012
Reporter: Katie Beasley

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News 12 at 6 o'clock/ Thursday, Aug. 2, 2012

EVANS, Ga. -- We're nearly a week into the 2012 Olympics, and the U.S. is celebrating some big victories.

The women's gymnastics team won gold earlier this week and local gymnasts say the excitement is contagious.

It's a sport that gets major attention every four years, but it's one that these young athletes work hard at every day. They make it look easy, but the young ladies at Hayden's Gymnastics have been flipping and twisting for years.

"I've been doing it since I was 3 years old," said 11-year-old Jamie Rosenblum.

"When you're in school, there's cheerleaders and there's football players and everyone knows those sports and they don't realize that we're here every single day and we do dedicate our lives to this sport," said 14-year-old gymnast Caitlin Cole.

And there's nothing like watching your own sport on the Olympic stage.

"It's really amazing just to see all the work they put in," explained 12-year-old Katie Bell Fulcher.

"I know it takes a lot of heart to do what you want to do if you want to make it to that level," said 11-year-old Jaiyviah Mills.

"When I watch them, I'm like, maybe I can do that someday," Rosenblum said.

Earlier this week, the world watched the "Fab 5" take home gold in the gymnastics team all-around.

"When you watch them on TV, it's like watching friends competing, so you get really into it," said 16-year-old Angelina Giancroce.

"I was nervous watching them because, well I knew they were going to do good, but I didn't want them to fail or mess up," said Juliana Vanalstine, who's 13.

Gymnastics may only be popular every four years, but the Olympics always seem to stir a renewed interest in the sport.

"It's like advertisement for your sport. People who want to become a gymnast, people who want to be an Olympian are pumped up about gymnastics and the sport," explained Dennis Hayden, one of the owners of Hayden's Gymnastics Academy.

The Olympians are the best of the best, and these youngsters are taking note.

"You watch and you're like, 'How many twists was that? How many flips was that?' You want to get in the gym and start working harder and learning new skills," Giancroce said.

Leading to the question, who will be next?

"In 2016, I'll be 16 years old, and the Olympics are in Rio de Janeiro," said Katie Bell.

"It's been incredible because we have a pretty close team here and it just feels like that could be five of us out there," Cole said.

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