Taylor Adair-Heywood ’26: gymnastics

A silence falls over the gym as Taylor Adair Heyward ‘26 steps up to the bars: her favorite event. She takes a deep breath, preparing herself to perform some of her hardest skills yet. Using her momentum, she spins and twists, moving around the bar before gracefully landing on the mat.

Heyward started doing gymnastics when she was just two years old. It was her uncle that first suggested she be put into gymnastics after noticing her high energy as a young child. “My mom always tells me that I used to just run around a lot and jump on the counters” said Heyward, “So my uncle suggested that she put me in gymnastics”.

Her dad, who was also a gymnast, became a big role model for her. Being able to look up to him and have his support through setbacks has helped her stay committed to gymnastics.

“[My dad] was a gymnast and he's always pushed me to do my best in the sport… he used to get hurt a lot in gymnastics, but he never gave up. And I feel like I also tend to get hurt a lot, and just like having him tell me about his experience, just tell me to push through [helped me],” said Heyward.

Heyward is now a level ten gymnast, a goal of hers ever since freshman year. In gymnastics, athletes advance through different levels after learning and mastering specific skills. Level ten is the highest level of gymnastics before advancing to college or “elite” levels, making it incredibly difficult to reach.

Gymnastic’s many versatile events help Heyward to become a more well-rounded athlete in all aspects of strength, balance, and flexibility. Her preferred event is bars, where athletes need to be strong and stable in their upper bodies in order to perform tricks such as spinning and catching each of the bars at different heights.

“[It] feels like you're flying in the air, and it's very different from the other events, because it's the only event where you use mostly your upper body strength… It's a lot harder when you start, and it takes a long time to learn, but you kind of just have to use your upper body strength to move you around the bar,” said Heyward.

Heyward stands out as a leader within her gym, keeping everyone on track and helping the other senior teammates take charge of team bonding.

“There's three of us that are seniors, so we kind of all lead the team… we just kind of keep everyone on task and make sure everyone does everything right, and we also try to keep the team very close,” said Sophia Cassese ‘26, a teammate of Heyward’s.

Despite the impressive situation she is in now, Heyward has encountered setbacks over the years, including her many injuries.

“She's had a lot of injuries that she's had to come back from. She's hurt her wrist, her back, her finger, her ankle … and she always comes back from it, ending the season strong” said Cassese, recalling Heyward’s positivity and determination. “She's very focused but still remains positive, even in stressful situations,” said Cassese.

Recently, Heyward committed to Yale University, a school she had never even considered before two years ago. For Heyward, committing to Yale was one of the most memorable moments of her career.

“When they offered me, I just felt like I'd been trying to do this for so long and at some points I wasn't even sure if it's gonna work out, but I realized that…I've been trying for so long, and it finally worked out, and it just made me really happy” said Heyward, “I feel like…all the hard work finally paid off”.

Heyward will undoubtedly remain focused in the years to come, giving all she has to her team, and passing on the wisdom of moving forward to her younger teammates.

“Focus on what progress you're making, and don’t get so caught up on what you did wrong, because most of the time, you've done more right than you have wrong,” said Heyward. “These small mistakes or these issues that they're having now aren't going to stop them from getting to where they want to be, so just keep going.”