It’s 1:15 p.m. on a Tuesday and while the rest of his section is going to art class, seventh grader Kai Uemura is rushing to pack his bag. He frantically makes his way to Circle Drive and jumps into the backseat of his car, getting comfortable for the hour-long drive ahead of him.

Uemura is en route to Mount Prospect, to a gym where he’ll spend four hours practicing back handsprings and dismounts. Although Uemura has been competing in gymnastics competitions since he was a toddler, this year has been especially rewarding for him. This past May, Uemura placed 2nd at the 2019 Junior Olympic Nationals for his age group, securing him a spot on the Junior Olympic team.

Uemura’s love for the sport began at an early age. He was only three years old when his parents took him to a gymnastics facility in downtown Chicago. Ten years later, Uemura now practices four hours a day, six days a week. He leaves school early at 2:40 p.m. on Mondays and 1:15 p.m. on Tuesdays.

Although the commitment could be daunting for some, Uemura manages. “I don’t consider myself a normal student, so I don’t try to be a normal student,” Uemura said. “Sometimes it’s hard to balance all of my school work with gymnastics, but I have been doing well so far.”

Uemura’s journey to Nationals was not easy. In November, Uemura was having what he thought was “the best season of his life.” The next month, however, Uemura hyperextended his elbow while doing a backhandspring, taking him out of competing for three months.

“It was pretty sad,” Uemura said. “It was rough watching my teammates get better, but I worked as hard as I could to get back as quickly as possible.”

Uemura was nervous of the possibility of falling behind. “Gymnastics is a sport where if you don’t continually practice, you lose skills pretty quickly, so losing three months, not only can you not progres, but you lose a lot of your skills and strength,” Uemura said.

To avoid that, Uemura made sure to not idly sit on the sidelines. During the three months, he spent time conditioning his legs and doing strengthening work.

Because he wasn’t ready to compete in the State and Regional competitions that qualify him for Nationals, Uemura petitioned to go through those qualifiers. “That was another thing that I was worried about,” Uemura said. “The USA Gymnastics Committee could have easily said, ‘No, you can’t come to Nationals,’ so I’m really grateful that they let me.”

Advisor Sheila Rintels is amazed by Uemura’s resilience at Nationals. “I would have felt so upset if I got injured like he did,” Rintels said. “I would have been nervous and concerned, but look at how well he did.”

Rintels recognizes the influence gymnastics has had on his academics. “The gymnastics training has trained him to be a student, to always be focused and organized,” Rintels said.

At Nationals, Umera had to deal with a lot of nerves. Over the years, he has found ways of dealing with the pressure. “I imagine that the competition isn’t as important, but rather I’m just at a practice, a place where you can show what you can do,” Uemura said. “I enjoy just showing the world what I can do–– for some people it might be daunting, but I love it.”

Middle School Spanish Teacher Suzan Morrison has noticed his ability to stay focused in situations at school. “Kai is no-nonsense, completely focused,” Morrison said. “It’s like he has blinders on to distractions.”

Uemura trains for six gymnastic events, but the pommel horse is his favorite. “The pommel horse is an event where if you practice, you can get any skill you want,” Uemura said. “I’m not one of those people that can learn skills very quickly, but with hard work you can always get what you want on the pommel horse, and that’s what I appreciate.”

Uemura has big plans for the future. He wants to see himself in either the 2024 Olympics in Paris or the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. “If I can get there on the Olympic podium I’ll be really happy,” Uemura said. “But I’ll feel fulfilled regardless of how I do there. Just being there would be a dream come true.”