Local teen inspired by US gymnastics team

Courtesy photo

Hollidaysburg freshman Andrew Neatrour will compete in Spain in 2025 for the US Junior national team.

By John Hartsock

jhartsock@altoonamirror.com

When the United States men’s gymnastics team recently captured that program’s first Olympic medal in 16 years, taking a third-place bronze at the 2024 Summer Olympics Games, Andrew Neatrour took notice.

Neatrour, who will be a freshman student at the Hollidaysburg Area Junior High School this fall, earlier this summer qualified for the United States Junior Boys Gymnastics National Team in the double mini-trampoline event, and now will be aiming to qualify for the Junior National World Championships that will take place in Spain in November 2025.

There is currently no double mini-trampoline competition for Olympic gymnasts, but Neatrour was inspired by the United States team’s Olympic performance nonetheless.

“Since the double mini isn’t (held) in the Olympics, I wasn’t thinking that I could be in the Olympics one day getting a medal, but it just proved to me that I could go to Worlds and get a medal in that competition,” Neatrour said. “A USA men’s gymnastics team hadn’t medaled in quite awhile, so that proved to a lot of people that they worked for what they got, so anything could happen.”

Neatrour, who will celebrate his 15th birthday in October, trains four days a week for three and a half hours each day at the Centre Elite Gymnastics facility in State College, and recently completed his first year of competition in the Junior Elite Division in the mini-trampoline. The Junior Elite Division is for gymnasts ages 15 and 16 who have progressed through ten levels of proficiency to attain Elite status. There is also a Senior Elite Division for gymnasts ages 17 and 18.

Neatrour — who also participates in tumbling and who recently attained a score that will qualify him for Junior Elite Division status in that event this upcoming season –fought through back problems to earn a spot on the United States Junior National team by achieving qualifying scores in the Winter Classic that was held last March in Oklahoma City, Okla., and in the Elite Challenge that was held in Dallas, Tex. in May.

Neatrour placed fourth in his division at the Winter Classic, and seventh in the Elite Challenge.

“Basically, there is a target score that these events have, and (gymnasts) have to be within a tenth of a point of this qualifying score to even be considered for the Junior National Team,” said Neatrour’s father, Duke Neatrour. “There will be seven gymnasts in his age group and division on the Junior National Team.

“He had a goal to make the team, and he worked really hard,” Duke Neatrour said. “He battled through a lot of adversity. He wasn’t always 100 percent physically – he had some issues with his back – but he was really focused, and I had confidence that he was going to (make the team) just because he is a very driven kid, and when he sets his mind to something, he will do it.”

The double mini-trampoline is an event that requires extraordinary athleticism, coordination, and balance, and which involves eye-opening somersaults done on the run in which the gymnast propels himself very high off the mat multiple times before returning to the mat.

“All of the events are different in their own way, but the double mini is my favorite just because I think that it is the most fun to do,” Andrew Neatrour said.

Elizabeth Aceto, who is Andrew Neatrour’s coach at the Centre Elite Gymnastics facility, said that the double mini event requires a certain degree of fearlessness, and that Andrew possesses that type of fearlessness.

“At this level of the sport, the double mini-trampoline is not for the faint of heart,” Aceto said. “It is an intense and power-demanding event that requires speed, strength, precision, and the ability to push past fear.

“The skills happen rapidly, and maintaining control is crucial, even when mistakes occur,” Aceto added. “Andrew’s greatest strength in this event is his ability to push past fear and remain fully present when everything is moving at such a high speed.”

Andrew Neatrour, who attends physical therapy sessions at CORE Physical Therapy in Altoona that he said have improved his back problems, maintained that adopting a positive mindset was a big factor in his attaining success in the qualifying events for the Junior National Team.

“I think a lot of it is that my mindset has changed over the past few years, and I’ve become a more positive person,” Andrew Neatrour said. “I’m doing more focusing on my goals and planning to reach those goals now more than I had done in the past.”

Aceto concurred that Andrew Neatrour has maintained a laser focus toward his craft.

“Andrew exemplifies discipline and a strong work ethic, making him an excellent role model for his peers,” said Aceto, who trains gymnasts at her facility ranging in ages from 7 through 18 years. “He is fully committed to every aspect of his training, ensuring that he sees each assignment through to the end.

“Goal setting is a significant part of our training process, and Andrew has consistently achieved every goal that he has set for himself,” Aceto added. “His recent selection to Team U.S.A. in his first year of competing as an Elite athlete is a testament to his perseverance and dedication to the sport.”

Aceto expressed her appreciation to Andrew Neatrour’s financial sponsors from the past season – L.S. Fiore, Studio 1 Music, and State College Orthodontics. She also pointed out that any local businesses who are interested in supporting Andrew and his career with Team U.S.A. should contact her by email at HiPointPerformance@gmail.com.

“Andrew’s journey with Team U.S.A. is just beginning, and while being selected for the U.S. National Team is an incredibly exciting opportunity, it also involves a significant time and financial commitment, and I would like to extend my sincere thanks to his sponsors from last season,” Aceto said.

Next up for Andrew Neatrour is the goal of qualifying for the World Championships in Spain over a year from now. He will be attending a pair of three-day weekend national training camps in New Jersey this upcoming November and in March 2025, where his progress will be monitored by outstanding coaches.

“He will train with the Junior and Senior Elites, so he will be exposed to a lot of good coaching there from some of the top coaches in the country,” Duke Neatrour said. “Depending on how he does there, at some time next year, he could be considered for the World Championships.”

Andrew Neatrour is looking to continue the success and development that he has achieved in what has been a very special past year for him in his gymnastics career.

“I felt like I had a really good season overall,” Andrew Neatrour said. “I fought through a lot of things with my back, and although I wasn’t fully recovered, at the end of the season, I did what I needed to do, and I felt like I had a good ending.”