Azarian Gymnastics News

The first event he remembers perfecting was the “leap-over-the-coffee-table” event in the living room. Now he is one of the best gymnasts in his age group.

Donothan Bailey, a freshman at Irvine High School, remembers running at full speed down the hall of his house when he was only a small kid. He’d jump clear over the coffee table, using his hands on the table to propel himself further and give his jump some distance. Then he would come crashing down on the living room sofa.

It wasn’t long afterward that his parents enrolled him in a gymnastics course to better harness his energy. At least he could then use the vault in the gym, instead of the coffee table in the living room.

Now 15, Donothan walked away as the best in the nation in his age group on the pommel horse at the Men’s Junior Olympic National championship, which was held in Battle Creek, Michigan, May 4-7. More than 200 young gymnasts participated in the national competition.

For Donothan, the victory has not even completely set in yet, he said. He is still having trouble grasping the idea that, in his age group, he is considered the best in the nation in the pommel horse. He won the competition by one-tenth of a point with a score of 9.15. “That doesn’t happen overnight”, says Eduard Azarian, Donothan’s coach. “It’s just beginning for him”.

College applications are on the horizon for Donothan, and a competitive gymnastics program is top in his list of requirements before he makes a choice.

Donothan says, he has tried a lot of sports, including soccer, basketball and football. Gymnastics, however, stayed competitive and challenging. It’s a sport he expects to pursue, maybe even earning him a scholarship.

“It never gets boring. It is difficult and there is always something to learn,” Donothan Bailey