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Noted NCAA gymnasts hope to show that dreams can come true at Toano center

TOANO — Nationally known gymnasts Katelyn Ohashi and Trinity Thomas are coming to a Williamsburg area gymnastics center next month for an all-day clinic fundraiser.

“We’re very excited to have both of them and just learn from their experience,” said Galina Yordanova, founder, owner and program director of Dreams Gymnastics Center in Toano.

Ohashi and Thomas, who will visit July 21 from 3:30-8:30 p.m., have done similar clinics across the country. Yordanova said she hopes to have gymnasts from other centers travel to Dreams for the event.

Gymnasts who raise $250 for the gym will have the opportunity to participate in clinics with the athletes as well as a Q&A session led by Ohashi and Thomas. They will also be able to take photos and receive autographs.

Raising more money will lead to other prizes for the gymnasts, and the top fundraisers will get to attend a private lunch and clinic with Ohashi and Thomas.

The money raised through the fundraiser will be used to buy new gymnastics equipment for Dreams.

This will be Ohashi’s first time visiting the Williamsburg area for a clinic. The 26-year-old athlete made her mark in the gymnastics world as a four-time USA Gymnastics’ Junior National Team member, the 2013 American Cup all-around champion and a NCAA team champion.

Ohashi went viral on social media in 2019 for her perfect 10 floor routine with the UCLA Bruins gymnastics team, which she participated in from 2016-2019. The top 30 fundraisers from the Dreams gym will get to learn that viral floor routine.

Thomas was a four-time National Team member and competed at the collegiate level with the Florida Gators at the the University of Florida. She was the 2022 NCAA Gymnast of the Year and hopes to make the 2024 U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team.

“You want to see that these are real people,” Yordanova said.

Having Ohashi and Thomas visit gives kids a chance to see the opportunities that could be available for them, she said. “That’s why we’re called Dreams, because anyone can have dreams.”

Yordanova came with her husband, Pavlin, from Eastern Europe to the U.S., where they have been for more than 20 years. They have lived in Williamsburg for 10 years, and Dreams has been open since 2018.

The Dreams coaches want their gymnasts to see that Ohashi and Thomas have overcome the obstacles in their paths and that big dreams can be achieved.

“It takes a lot of dedication, and it’s not overnight,” Yordanova said.

One member of Dreams,12-year-old Lizzy Boller, has been doing gymnastics since she was 2 years old. She said she hopes to one day become as skilled as Ohashi and Thomas.

When asked how the two NCAA gymnasts inspire her, Lizzy called them brave and said they give off this special energy that inspires her to do stuff that she’s never done before.

Ohashi and Thomas’s energy is contagious — not every performer can do what they do, said Lizzy’s mom, Nadia.

Thomas and Ohashi will travel to six different states over the summer, participating in similar clinics for young gymnasts.

It’s interesting to see how different the kids are, Ohashi said during a recent phone interview. After spending all day with them, they start to come out of their shells and ask unique questions.

The whole point is to inspire the kids and give them tips that they can carry with them, even beyond gymnastics, Ohashi said.

“We talk to them all day about triumphs and joy and goals,” she said.

In the past, young gymnasts just wanted to go to the Olympics, said manager Jim Lucas, owner of LR Productions. Now, college is a viable path for gymnasts.

Lucas pointed out that Thomas and Ohashi inspire those who look up to them by demonstrating that it is possible to be a successful gymnast at the collegiate level.

For more information about the fundraiser and visit, visit lsiweb.org/DreamsWithKatelyn.com/.