Gymnast Soars in YMCA Nationals

Alexa Unger, 12, of Monroe won in the uneven bars, beam and floor competitions at the YMCA Nationals in San Diego this past June.

If she took first place in the vault, she would sweep all four categories in her age group, comprised of about 300 gymnasts from across the country.

"The vault was not as good as it could be," Alexa's mother, Mary, recalled. "Then she got first place and we thought she really had a good chance."

Alexa won it all with scores of 8.775 in the vault, 9.225 in the uneven bars, 9.575 in the beam and tying another girl for first in the floor competition with a score of 9.300. Her total score of 36.875 was good enough to finish first overall.

One Friday afternoon, Alexa sat on the couch with her parents in the living room of their Evergreen Lane home.

"No. I didn't expect to do that well," she said softly.

"It was overwhelming," said Tony Unger, her father and a Town Councilman. "It was really overwhelming. We knew she was good. To see her with all those girls competing, we were very proud."

Trophies and medals Alexa has won over the past year crowd the mantle over the Ungers' fireplace.

She first took gymnastics classes at the Lakewood YMCA in Trumbull at age three.

Mary Unger said Alexa was always running around and jumping off furniture in the house, so she wanted to give her daughter a place to expend her energy.

"She always had tremendous balance," Mary said. "I don't know where she gets it from either. That's one of the reasons I put her in the classes."

"She kept running down the driveway full-tilt," Mary recalled. "We thought she was going to fall." Unger turned to her daugher and smiled adding, "You're good on your feet."

Coaches watch the girls try out for level 4 to participate in competitive gymnastics, choosing the most talented athletes. Three years ago, a coach approached Mary and Tony Unger to ask if Alexa could try out.

She made the final cut at age nine.

"My first competition wasn't that bad," Alexa recalled. "I think I got all nines. It was in Rye. I fell off the balance beam. I was scared. It was so high!"

Alexa got right back up.

Her first win was sixth place overall at the Kristin Warner Invitational in Southington.

"We're very, very happy with the coach," Tony Unger said. "Karen Smith is an excellent coach, hard but fair and helpful. She is a paraprofessional in the school system."

Mary said Alexa goes to four-hour practices four days a week.

Gymnastics has competitions year round and before the Nationals, Alexa had competed in Glastonbury.

"What did you come in? Second or first?" Tony asked.

A smiling Alexa covered her face shyly, "I don't know!"

It was second, according to the hardware she took home with her.

"I'm fine with that," Alexa said.

When asked what she likes most about the sport, Alexa replied, "I guess I kind of like exceeding in skills, getting better and going to competitions."

The Ungers made a fun time of their trip to San Diego, going to the zoo, Oldtown San Diego and Hotel del Cornado.

"We went to Sea World," Alexa said of another excursion.

"All of the girls and their families got to go to Sea World for a private party," Mary Unger said. "Our team sat in the front row, so they all got splashed."

The Ungers said they want their daughter to have fun with gymnastics and never put pressure on her to win all the time.

"I just love watching the girls. All of them," Mary said. "As long as she does this, I'll enjoy watching her."

Mary is not the only one.

Alexa beamed when her mother talked about how proud her older sister, Becky, 19, was of her at the Nationals, cheering loudly over the crowd of fans.

"That was amazing," Mary said of Alexa's performance that day. "She saved her best for the last of the season."

A wide smile spread across Alexa's face and she added, "And then we went shopping."