Get to know Saint Charles area youth gymnast Diem Bulava
SAINT CHARLES, Ill. — For 9-year-old Diem Bulava, gymnastics is more than a hobby – it’s a way of life. Having been in the sport since she was just 18 months old when her parents put her in a toddler class, she doesn’t remember what life was like without gymnastics. “I’ve been going to practice at least once a week since then—it’s all I know, and I love it,” she says.
Diem, who is a fourth grader at Bell-Graham Elementary School, is currently a Level 6 gymnast at St. Charles Gymnastics Academy. She practices about 16 hours a week and then, during competition season, she has meets on the weekends. But Diem doesn’t mind, as she says being at practice is fun and some of her very best friends are her teammates.
While Diem competes in the all-around—meaning she does all four events in women’s gymnastics (vault, bars, beam, and floor exercise)—she says the floor is definitely her favorite. It’s also the event on which she’s had the most success. Last year, while competing at Level 4, she was ranked 27th in the nation for her floor routine. As for the other events, she finds vault and beam to be the most physically challenging. “On beam, if you fall it’s a big deduction, and the beam is only 4 inches wide! For vault, I have to have the right number of steps and power to make and land a good vault,” she explains.
Usually, all that time spent at practice results in a strong showing at her meets, as Diem says, “I’ve placed in the all-around every year.” That means she had one of the highest four-event total scores of all the gymnasts in the meet. “I have over 50 medals and nine trophies,” she adds. Sometimes, however, Diem admits that things don’t go as planned, and when that happens, she just has to pick herself back up and move on. “Once during my floor routine at a meet, I forgot my routine and did the wrong tumbling pass. I froze for a second once I realized what I did, but then I just kept going and focused on what I had to do next. I didn’t get a great score on my floor routine that day, but I’ve never made that mistake again!”
Because she spends so much time at the gym, Diem doesn’t have much time for other things, but that’s OK with her. “I love that not a lot of people know how to do the flips and skills that I can do,” she shares. “And my strength gives me a big advantage in PE class—I’m the push-up champion in my class!” When she’s not at practice, she likes to play outside with her friends and do anything “artsy and creative.” She also has taken horseback riding lessons.
As for the future, Diem says her long-term goal is to make it to at least Level 10, which is the highest level in the USA Gymnastics (USAG) women’s development program. In the short term, she would like to place in the all-around again this year as a Level 6 gymnast. If she keeps building on what she has learned from a young age, she is well on her way to achieving her goals.
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