Curwensville student competes in Simone Biles International Invitational

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BELLS LANDING — A Curwensville Area Elementary School student recently traveled to Texas to compete in the Simone Biles International Invitational.

The gymnastics meet held Feb. 1-4 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas, is open to young gymnasts who attend and compete at Biles’ invitational.

Lydia Dimmick, 10, of Bells Landing, a fourth grade student at Curwensville, received an invitation to take part in the event.

Her mother Erin Dimmick said, “Lydia was invited as a USA gold-level gymnast through her gymnastics center, Tate’s Gymnastics LLC, Indiana, PA. Only gymnasts who are gold level or higher are invited to participate,” she said. Tate’s sent three gold-level gymnasts to the meet. Lydia’s regular gold-level competition team at Tate’s is made up of six members.

Dimmick said Lydia was one of 3,600 female gymnasts competing at the meet. She said 26 states and three countries were represented.

“I was excited, scared and nervous,” Lydia said.

While at the invitational, Lydia was able to attend a private autograph session where, in addition to Biles, she met elite gymnasts Jordan Chiles, Joscelyn Roberson, Tiana Sumanasekera and Zoe Miller. Erin Dimmick said Biles’ husband, Green Bay Packers safety Jonathan Owens also put in an appearance.

“I got to meet Simone in a private autograph session with just her and my mom in a room. We also got to talk to her some. I felt shocked when I walked into the room where she was standing in front of me, close enough that I could even hug her,” Lydia said.

Erin Dimmick said Lydia was very eager to meet and talk with Biles. “Simone is definitely a role model for Lydia. She has always been one of her favorite gymnasts.”

Lydia said, “Simone is a role model to me because she lives her dreams and carries them out. She proves that anyone, even those that have a hard life, can, if they work hard enough, reach the top.”

Lydia competed in four events –floor, bars, beam and vault, where she earned fourth, eighth and ninth place medals. She and her teammates also earned a fourth place team award.

Lydia said, “I was excited to travel back home to Pennsylvania to show my family and friends my medals.”

Her mother said she had a huge support group waiting and cheering for her. “There was lots of love supporting her from family, friends and her teachers,” Erin Dimmick noted.

Having her own personal bolstering system has been encouraging to Lydia –getting her through some difficult times in her early gymnastics career, her mother said.