By Gabe Themar
On June 16-21, local rhythmic gymnast Alexis Georgiev competed at the USA Gymnastics Championships in Rhode Island. Georgiev finished seventh out of 45 nationally qualifying gymnasts ages 15 and up.
“My whole career has led up to that moment,” said Georgiev. “Year-round training to get to this point.”
Now, her sights are set on earning her spot at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, California. On Wednesday and Thursday, September 17-18, Georgiev will compete for a spot on the USA Senior Group National Team, a group of five rhythmic gymnasts who train together year-round and compete together at the Olympic games.
Georgiev has been training as a gymnast since she was 6 years old, and for the last 12 years she has been training at Tampa Bay Rhythmics in Riverview. Rhythmic gymnastics is one of the most time-consuming sports there is, requiring eight hours of daily practice during the summer which drops down to four hours during the school year.
However, despite the burden gymnastics puts on her schedule, Georgiev did not allow her passion to interfere with her academics. Georgiev just graduated from Bell Creek Academy with a 3.9 grade-point average, including taking dual enrollment classes, meaning that she is just a few credits away from already earning an associate’s degree. Georgiev also earned her AICE diploma, which automatically qualifies her for the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship, covering all her tuition. She was also involved in the National Honor Society, Science National Honor Society and student government.
Georgiev will attend the University of Florida (UF) in the fall on her full-ride academic scholarship. However, rhythmic gymnastics is not an NCAA-sanctioned sport; therefore, UF does not have a team of its own, so Georgiev will take trips back home to train.
Rhythmic gymnastics is different from the gymnastics most are familiar with. Unlike what USA fans see Simone Biles doing at the Olympics, rhythmic gymnastics does not use beams or bars; rather, athletes do a movement routine in a square space about 43 feet long on each side. Athletes cannot do flips or aerials during their routine and always must have at least one hand or foot on the ground. Athletes compete using one of five available apparatuses during their routine; rope, which is used often by beginners and youngsters; hoop; ball; club; and ribbons. Competitors’ routines are graded based on difficulty, artistry and execution and are culminated into a final total score.
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