Sarnia gymnast Amy Bladon has accepted a scholarship to Penn State for the 2019-2020 school year.Sarnia gymnast Amy Bladon has accepted a scholarship to Penn State for the 2019-2020 school year.
Sarnia

Local Gymnast Heading To Penn State

She may have just started Grade 11 at Great Lakes Secondary School, but Amy Bladon already knows what she'll be doing when she's done high school.

The young gymnast has accepted a scholarship to attend Pennsylvania State University in the fall of 2018.

Bladon says she was considering offers from several schools until she was approached by Penn State.

"I had a few other schools that I looked at, but Penn State was my top choice so I was pretty excited when they called me," says Bladon. "Talking with the coach there, I really like the atmosphere and their gymnastic program."

Bladon says academics also played a big role in her decision, and adds the school's academic track record was the icing on the cake.

Gymnastics has been part of Bladon's life for as long as she can remember, and recalls falling in love with the sport instantly.

"I went to a birthday party when I was three and I loved it, so I told my parents and it kind of went from there, and I've just kept with it ever since," she says.

Bladon says she was motivated by local gymnasts that she grew up watching, and credits Olympian Dominique Pegg, Serena Baker and Lexi McCormack for helping her reach her goal.

Pegg accepted a scholarship at the University of Alabama and was an Olympian in 2012, while Baker is currently attending the University of Illinois at Chicago,

She also adds that she wouldn't be where she is without the coaching of Liz and Dave Brubaker at the Bluewater Gymnastics Club. Bladon hasn't figured out what she plans on taking at Penn State, but is leaning towards science.

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