WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah – JULY 30: Nora Matthews competes on the uneven bars at the US Classic Women's Senior Division at the Maverick Center on July 30, 2022 in West Valley City, Utah. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
SAN JOSE – Back in 2016, Nora Matthews attended the U.S. Olympic Trials at the SAP Center and was captivated as she watched her favorite gymnasts compete for a spot on the U.S. team at the upcoming Rio de Janeiro Games. I realized that it was done.
That week, Matthews received further inspiration when several former Olympians, including 2004 gold medalist Carly Patterson, visited her practice at Airborne Gymnastics in Santa Clara.
“One day I want to do what they're doing at the Olympic trials,” the then 9-year-old Matthews told her mother.
Seven years later, Matthews is returning to the SAP Center this weekend, but this time, instead of taking photos from the stands, the Gilroy native will be on the floor as she competes in the U.S. Gymnastics Championships in San Jose this week. Become.
Matthews, now 16, talked about the opportunity to compete in the same arena that sparked her Olympic dreams. “It's been a long time coming, and I think it's taken a lot of work to get here. But it feels like it's very much come full circle.”
The men's senior and junior divisions, which feature 11 Stanford gymnasts, begin Thursday, while the women's competition begins Friday and runs through Sunday.
Matthews, who finished fourth in the individual all-around at the U.S. Classic earlier this month, will have stiff competition in a tournament that saw the long-awaited return of Olympic gold medalists Simone Biles and Sunisa Lee. Not only will these two perform this week, but so will Olympic medalists Jade Carey and Jordan Chiles, as well as several other World Championship medal-winning athletes.
With one year until the 2024 Olympics, these gymnasts are competing for a chance to represent the United States in upcoming international competitions, including the Paris Games next July.
“This is going to be a tough year,” said Chelsea Memmel, USA Gymnastics high performance leader.
But Matthews took this as an opportunity to once again show off his inflated confidence, new floor routine and upgraded balance beam routine as he prepares for the ultimate challenge: a five-man spot on the Olympic team. ing.
Matthews has continued to develop as an all-around athlete in recent years, but he plans to upgrade his vault and add difficulty to other routines while minimizing penalty points. However, the uneven bars are the best and my favorite event.
“The feeling of catching a release and flying through the air. That's exactly the feeling I crave,” she said. She also makes it look effortless.
Matthews has always been a natural bars swinger, drawn to the bars on the playground. That's part of the reason her mother, Kari Bertrand, enrolled in a “Mommy & Me” class at USA Sports, a closed gym in Gilroy.
Beltran never could have imagined that gymnastics would lead her daughter to where she is now.
Matthews has earned three national team assignments and represented the USA at the 2023 Pan American Championships in Medellin, Colombia, where he helped the U.S. finish first overall and won an individual title on the uneven bars. He took 4th place overall. She played in the DTB Pokal in her Mixed Cup which was held in Germany and she has also played twice.
“I'm very proud of her,” Beltran said. She competed in the 1996 Olympic track and field trials and also competed in the 2004 marathon trials. “I really admire her dedication to her sport.”
However, it was a difficult process to get to this point.
Matthews excelled faster than most players. Therefore, by the time she was seven years old, the coaches at Gilroy Gym encouraged her parents to look for a higher level facility that would help develop her talent.
After struggling with parting ways with her friends, she took the plunge and joined Airborne, an hour's drive from her home. It didn't take long for gym owner Melanie Ruggiero to recognize Matthews' potential, too.
“I remember telling her mother that the uneven bars would be a great opportunity for her because she had a natural talent for swinging aggressively on the bars from an early age.” Ruggiero said. “But Nora's greatest attribute is her willingness to work hard in her endeavors.”
That effort included being homeschooled after fourth grade so she could focus more on her training. Ms. Matthews works on her own work for her 30 hours a week.
“Nora is going to work harder than anyone I've ever seen to pursue her dreams and achieve her goals,” Ruggiero said.
Matthews finished 13th at the U.S. Championships a year ago, but seems poised to handle brighter situations. A big reason for this is a change in her mental approach.
Matthews is expected to be asked the same question by coach Cleo Washington after each turn or tumbling pass.
“What does that feel like?”
When Washington first started asking about it, Matthews didn't know how to respond. She looked for whatever answers Washington wanted to hear. But Washington encouraged her to find her own voice. Finding balance between her mind and body is as delicate a balancing act as performing a new beam combo. This is a backflip with a back-to-back layout from a back handspring.
“Since moving to Airborne four years ago, what I'm most proud of is how much she's grown as a person in terms of communication and confidence and how comfortable she is in who she is.” said Washington, who previously coached. World champion gymnast Morgan Hurd.
Before moving to California, Washington knew Matthews as a bar kid. She also knew that Matthews was so anxious that he would get sick before games.
“Basically, I think she needed confidence,” said Washington, who accompanies Matthews on camps and international assignments. “It seemed like she was trying to make herself small. So my first goal when I came here was just to get her to trust me.”
Deep breathing helps Matthews stay mentally stable before taking to the air. She also revealed that she has a number of superstitions, such as only wearing black pre-wraps to competitions and using blue spray bottles at bars. She lost her spray bottle during her podium training this week and asked her mom to run to Target to get another spray bottle.
“[The superstitions] It makes no sense,” she said. “But mentally they help me.”
Matthews has competed on the world stage several times in the past, but this time it will be in front of his family and friends.
What does it feel like?
“Oh, well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see,” she said with a laugh. “Just because there are so many people who know me, [coming.] I'm excited. “
