From a jump into a leap and then an aerial into a chasse.

These were a few of the skills that carried sophomore Maya Holliday through eight years of competitive gymnastics.

Holliday’s fascination with gymnastics began with watching Simone Biles at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympic Games.

“When I was in elementary school, I wanted to be in the Olympics,” Holliday said. “I thought that would’ve been the coolest thing. And then I started thinking more realistically: those Olympians were already at an elite level when they were 10, and I’m not.”

According to 6-year-old Holliday, “everyone” her age was doing gymnastics.

“The previous summer, I had also done gymnastics at summer camps, so I wasn’t like, a total newbie,” Holliday said.

Taking inspiration, she began with recreational classes through the Houston Gymnastics Center (HGC) at the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center (JCC).

After two years, her natural talent drew the eye of HGC Head Coach Sarah Murphy, who later became her mentor for the rest of Holliday’s gymnastics career.

“I remember seeing her in her class — seeing her talent and how well she listened — and pulling her and her mom outside to offer her a tryout on our competitive team,” Murphy said.

Holliday ascended the levels of the Xcel gymnastics program, eventually reaching Diamond, the second-highest level that requires gymnastics to have all-around scores of at least 8.5 out of 10.

Provided by Maya Holliday

The scoreboard displays a perfect 10 for Holliday’s uneven bars routine. She performed this routine at her last competition.

“I was in the gold level in fourth grade, but then COVID happened,” Holliday said. “I couldn’t really move up or anything because I wasn’t really in the gym, so I was in gold for three years.”

Despite the setback, she still had the skill potential and all-around scores at regional competitions to qualify for Diamond — a huge achievement, according to Murphy, but not without its complications.

At this point, practice was over 15 hours every week.

“It became my entire personality actually,” Holliday said. “And I was just never at home. I’d get home from school at 3 p.m., I would probably do an hour of homework, an hour of violin and I’d go to practice from 5 p.m. It depended on the day, but I’d get home around 9:15 p.m., take a shower and go to bed.”

Working to balance school and gymnastics was a common challenge for the girls on her team. According to Murphy, the pressure can even harm them physically.

“It’s just really demanding on their bodies,” Murphy said. “And if you’re not committed or you come less hours per week, it can make gymnastics really dangerous because you don’t develop the muscles, strength and skills.”

As she advanced, Holliday suffered one injury after the other: a back fracture in fourth grade, an ankle fracture and sprain in sixth grade, and a wrist sprain in seventh grade.

But her love for the sport pushed her past all the obstacles — for a few years, at least.

“I’d have all these injuries, and it was really hard on my body,” Holliday said. “Also, I’m tall, so I wasn’t really built for it. But I just loved it, so I kept going.”

Her breaking point was the second knee dislocation at the end of eighth grade.

“When it happened, I just knew something was wrong,” Holliday said. “I was on the floor thinking like, ‘Something’s not right.’”

She had dislocated her knee once before in 2023, so she had to endure the same healing process yet again. It was the series of injuries that made her reconsider her gymnastics career.

According to Holliday, the sport was no longer worth the stress it put on her body, and she wouldn’t have time to keep up with the hours entering high school.

“And my parents were sick of me being injured, not in a mean way, but [because] seeing your child get injured all the time probably isn’t the best thing,” Holliday said.

Between the injuries and hours upon hours of practice, gymnastics started to “consume” her whole life.

“My social life was like close to nothing,” Holliday said. “On top of school, I was also doing violin. I was trying to get into HSPVA, so I practiced like an hour every single night, and it was just getting too much.”

She spent time away from the sport, resting her knee and slowly easing back into her usual conditioning and strength-training drills. Eventually, she recovered, but with a different mindset.

Holliday competed for the last time in 2024, performing a long-practiced routine on the uneven bars. She earned a 10, a perfect score.

“She got a perfect 10 on the uneven bars, which is very difficult to do and very rare,” Murphy said. “And it was kind of beautiful, because when she got that 10 and finished competing that season, she let me know that she felt like she had achieved what she needed to in gymnastics.”

One of the few gymnasts at HGC to score perfectly, she now has a plaque hanging in the JCC’s gym.

“After the injuries and hours bumping up more and more, she got that 10 and she was like, ‘You know what? I feel done now. I feel like I did it,’” Murphy said. “She ended on a very happy note. The whole gym was proud of her.”

Holliday’s maturity and commitment to the sport gave her the sense of dedication her coaches loved.

“A lot of times in gymnastics, the hours just go on and on, and it’s hard for kids to stay motivated,” Murphy said. “But having a mature mindset helps with knowing what they need to do and knowing that even a boring conditioning or exercise can help them succeed later on.”

Sophomore Maryam Elkady, who currently runs track with Holliday, believes that her background in gymnastics strengthens her role as a teammate, helping her bring positivity and purpose to the group.

“She has to shift [her] entire mind, sports-wise, and it’s obviously not easy, because she’s been doing gymnastics and cheer,” Elkady said. “But once she found this new thing, which was running, she put her mind to it. She adjusts very quickly, she shows up to every practice, and she tries to improve.”

According to Elkady, Holliday regularly starts warmups and encourages the team’s freshmen.

“Running is not always the most fun experience ever,” Elkady said. “Everyone’s always drained, and no one wants to run, but I know I can always rely on Maya to have a smile on her face.”

For her coach, seeing Holliday mature and gain confidence over the years gave her a sense of fulfillment and pride in her student.

“It’s so beautiful to see,” Murphy said. “That’s kind of why I went on about Maya and seeing how she became, from a little bit more of a shyer kid into the blossoming, super outgoing, beautiful human that she is today.”