CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Twin sisters Grace and Anna Glenn were born in Nanchang, China. But their lives changed drastically at 15 months old, when their parents adopted them and brought them home to Charlotte. Though the precocious girls were full of personality and charm from the start, it took them a while to catch up physically; they were malnourished from their time in China and had developed rickets as babies. Their parents decided to enroll them in gymnastics when they turned two, in hopes that it would help with their gross motor skill delays. They could have never imagined where that decision would take them.

Anna and Grace started their gymnastics career at Southeastern Gymnastics in Waxhaw, North Carolina, where they continued through high school. By the time they reached middle school, their skill level in gymnastics was reaching an elite level, and they enrolled into a private middle school that had reduced hours to give them more time to focus on training. At this point, their coach had asked if they wanted to start training for the Olympics. They both declined, wanting to experience a normal life and go through public high school.

By end of their 8th grade year, Anna and Grace started getting scouted by college coaches. By January of their freshmen year of high school, they had both committed to UCLA for a full ride gymnastics scholarship. They both sustained season-ending injuries in high school, but were able to recover in time for preseason training their freshmen year of college at UCLA.

Unfortunately, they both ended up tearing the labrum in their right shoulders during their freshmen year in college and had to redshirt that year. Anna and Grace went on to win national championships the year after and had successful gymnastics careers for the remainder of college. They both graduated from UCLA in Spring 2020, Grace with a B.A. in Sociology and Anna with a B.A. in Psychology.

What did you enjoy most about gymnastics?
Anna: Definitely the sense of community that came with involvement in the sport. Throughout elementary, middle and high school, we had the opportunity to compete all over the country and meet other gymnasts from other states and regions as well as develop relationships with people within North Carolina that we competed with many times. Some of these relationships we have kept to this day. In college, we had the opportunity to meet so many great people involved in gymnastics, whether they were fans, donors, other gymnasts, or parents. Going to competitions, especially national competitions, always felt like a big reunion and meeting up with people from different teams, states, and conferences was always fun.

Grace: My favorite part of gymnastics was the social aspect and opportunity that came with the sport. We were fortunate enough to have a large group of girls training at our level through club gymnastics as we grew up. This was our main social group of friends since we spent the most time together. Additionally, I loved traveling to different states and cities for competitions. It really helped expand our horizons and see other places outside of North Carolina.

Tell me a little about your relationship with one another. As sisters, what was the competition like between the two of you as you shared a passion for the same sport?
Anna: Grace and I always had healthy competition. We both trained and competed at the same level for our entire gymnastics career and often alternated between #1 and #2 in many competitions. We considered each other our biggest competition but celebrated each other’s wins, even if it was against the other. Growing up, we did everything together and were rarely seen apart. It was convenient to be involved in the same sport and to have the same skill level, as we never felt over shadowed by the other. We were able to bond over the victories and struggles that we endured throughout our careers in gymnastics.

Grace: Like Anna mentioned, we have always had a close relationship and are still very close now, as we have been living together in LA. Growing up doing gymnastics together with the same level of talent, I think this really helped us push ourselves and made us better athletes. I remember sometimes thinking “if Anna can do it, then I can do it too”, which really helped me at times whenever I was struggling.

You both suffered season-ending injuries. How did that experience shape you?
Anna: I suffered 2 season ending injuries during my career. My first shoulder injury occurred my senior year of high school during Labor Day weekend. Although it was disappointing to miss out on my senior year, I was not devastated. I felt that this first major injury was a step towards resilience and prepared me for college. During preseason training camp at UCLA my freshman year, I tore the same shoulder and had to receive a second surgery right before season started. This was a much more devastating injury, as I had prepared for months to compete in my first competition at UCLA. This injury itself lead me down a path of depression, weight gain and disconnect from the team. Ultimately, I started going to therapy for depression and was able to cultivate stronger relationships with teammates, coaches, my trainer, and my therapist through this experience of rehabbing for a second year in a row and sitting out my freshman year. This second injury further fueled my fire and instilled even more motivation in me, which manifested into a national championship and conference honorable mention a year later. I am grateful for the challenges that I overcame. I feel proud of the work that I put in and confident that everything I went through helped me become a stronger, more understanding, patient and hardworking person.

Grace: My first season-ending injury was my junior year in high school, when I suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon. That was a long, difficult recovery process, but that injury taught me patience, and to celebrate the small victories, such as walking for the first time post-surgery, or jumping for the first time. The second season-ending injury was my freshman year in college when I suffered a torn labrum in my shoulder. Anna and I both ended up with the same injury that year, on the same shoulder, and we both underwent surgery a week apart from each other. This was a crazy coincidence, but the silver lining was that we both had each other. It was hard at first because we were both eager to start our collegiate careers, which we had anticipated since our freshman year in high school when we made our verbal commitment to the school. Having my sister recovering by my side made the process easier and kept me from feeling discouraged. My freshman year wasn’t the easiest, but was a very transformative time for me. I was able to reflect on where I was and make a great come back the following year when our team won the National Championship in 2018.

What have you learned from your gymnastics career that will carry over in other areas of your life?
Anna: Gymnastics taught me a multitude of life lessons both as a young gymnast and throughout college. We spent a comparable amount of time in the gym as we did at home and considered our club coach, Ludmilla, our “second mom”. Being brought up in a Russian-dominated club gymnastics team, the importance of promptness, respect, teamwork and perseverance were drilled into me, which I have carried to other aspects of life. At UCLA, our former head coach, Valorie Kondos Field, stressed the importance of being more than just an athlete. When traveling for competitions, we engaged in many team challenges that focused on public speaking, creativity, and teamwork. We utilized a team psychologist and had endless team meetings that focused on future goals and accountability. All of these things added up to prepare us for a successful future and habitual traits that would be considered beneficial in the working world.

Grace: Gymnastics taught me to never back down from a challenge, which has immensely helped me now as I just started a new career. It’s also taught me efficiency. Gymnastics practices were usually around four hours a day, but we had to be very efficient in order to finish workouts on time. I’ve been so conditioned to be efficient that it’s become second nature. These are qualities I pride myself on and carry over in my professional career.

What are you up to now?
Anna: I am currently a behavior therapist for a company Called Autism Spectrum Therapies where I work with children diagnosed with autism ages 2-13. I am also working on prerequisite courses to apply for an Occupational Therapy Doctorate program, which I plan to attend in the fall of 2023. Additionally, I am the Chief of Partnerships for a digital media agency called Modem Health that works to promote mental health resources for the AAPI community.

Grace: I am working full-time as an Assistant Strategist at a marketing agency, called Hearts & Science. I work in paid media, at the digital activation level. I also am working part-time as a personal trainer at a local gym in Culver City, called A Tighter U. In my free time, I’m generally always hanging out with friends. I am working on learning how to golf recreationally and I try to get into the dance studio whenever I can to work on hip-hop dancing.

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