"I started at age 4," recalled our anonymous source. "But those gymnasts you see in the Olympics or in televised competitions? They started at age 2, and can go max hours before they are 10. A lot of [toddlers] don't pick up what they learn, but they build up the muscles and balance. By the time kids doing it casually come in at age 5 or 6, they are light years ahead."
She is 2 years old.
As you can imagine, you're not exactly capable of choosing a fitting career path at age 2. "I don't really remember my mom asking me if I wanted to do it," said Lexi. "It's what I grew up with. All my friends started that young too.
"After a certain point, you are chewed out." said Lexi. "I made it to nationals a few years, but the year after I moved down on my rankings from the previous year, they would not invite me back, despite having pretty much the same scores. They always want the best and, as soon as you start to falter, you're seen as 'over the hill'. I was 20 when I wasn't allowed back."
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