Many athletes fall in love with their respective sport at a young age, and senior Nick Guy is no exception.

Since he was just 2 years old, Guy has trained at DeVeau’s School of Gymnastics. “My mom helped the owner of the gym to finance a new section of the school,” said Guy, “I had just been born and the owner wanted me to do some Mommy and Me classes with my mom.”

By the time Guy entered kindergarten, his coaches had selected him to join a team. As a Level 4 gymnast, Guy began competing in tournaments at age 5.

Levels in gymnastics define an athlete’s skill level. They determine who they compete against and what kind of routines they have mastered. A gymnast’s coach decides when he is allowed to advance to the next level.

By his freshman year, Guy had reached Level 10, the highest a gymnast can achieve. “Becoming a Level 10 as a freshman is fast. Most kids become a level ten as a sophomore or a junior,” said Guy.

Typical of a gymnast of his skills, Guy spends at least 21 hours at the gym each week. “Monday through Thursday is 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. after school, Fridays 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m,” said Guy. He is allowed one day off a week, and even on his Sundays, he has to worry about schoolwork.

Guy said that it is difficult to balance time between school and gymnastics, seeing that he spends most of his night at the gym. Finding time to complete his studies before 5:30 p.m. every day is an exhausting task. “Sometimes I miss football games because I get stuck at practice and can’t get home, shower, change and still make it in time,” said Guy. However, according to him, all of the work is worth it. “I like being able to flip around, and I’ve always liked that (gymnastics) is so unique. I also love the thrill of competing during the winter season,” said Guy.

At the beginning of Guy’s junior year, he began sending out highlight videos of his competitions to schools. Of the 20 schools that offer gymnastics scholarships, Guy’s top schools were Stanford, Michigan, Nebraska and Illinois.

Guy has visited schools during the fall season, traveling with his fellow teammates to schools around the country. “We go to football games and get to see the school,” said Guy. After going through the recruitment process for almost a year, University of Michigan Head Coach Mr. Kurt Golder reached out to Nick and offered him the opportunity to be a Wolverine.

As a high level gymnast, Guy has competed in the Junior Olympics on multiple occasions and many other national competitions. He plans to further his academics and his gymnastics career as a freshman at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor next fall.