Flipping out: Sophomore discovers love of tumbling

Taylor Catterson
October 3, 2011
Filed under Student Life, Student Spotlight

Not all athletes at Chanute High School suit up in the Blue Comet blue and gold. Some, like sophomore Tori Greer, are active in sports not offered at CHS.

While her classmates are busy with volleyball and basketball practices this year, Greer will participate in gymnastics as a member of Flips T&T.

“It’s a fun sport, and I absolutely love it,” Greer said of gymnastics.

Practicing four to six days per week, Greer dedicates a great deal of time to the sport.

Despite the hours and hours of work it takes to perfect her routines, Greer would not have it any other way.

“It’s a daring sport and can be very dangerous if you don’t train correctly,” Greer said. “But it’s a very fun sport.”

Greer said it takes a bit of a daredevil to excel at gymnastics.

“Because it is daring you can’t be scared to throw new tricks and try and become better,” she said.

As for inspiration, Greer does not have to look far.

“Casey Finley [is my inspiration], because he is from small-town Chanute, and he won worlds,” Greer said of the 2001 CHS graduate’s world championship in tumbling in 2000. “If he can do that then I want to try.”

Beyond dreams of a world championship, Greer’s other goal is to continue gymnastics in college.

“I want to go to a college that I can get a scholarship to, but not many colleges have teams,” Greer said.

For now Greer is focusing on working hard having a lot of fun while pursuing her passion – even if her fellow classmates won’t be around to cheer her on.