By MIKE MASTOVICH
For the past three years – four times a week – Bishop Carroll senior Jessica Byich and her family have made the two-hour drive to Gym Dandy’s Training Center in Washington, Pa.
The Level 10 gymnast’s dedication and time-management skills enabled Byich to excel in the gym and in the classroom.
Those extra hours and thousands of miles traveled to practice and competitions have translated into another trip to the Pittsburgh area. But this time, Byich will compete under full scholarship at the University of Pittsburgh.
“All the hard work and time I put into this paid off,” said Byich, who recently signed a letter of intent to attend Pitt.
“I’m so excited. It’s such a different atmosphere,” Byich said. “It’s more of a team thing. You depend on every person on your team.”
Byich began her gymnastics career at Heartland in Johnstown. She eventually joined Gym Dandy’s, where she worked with coaches Scott Miller, Karen Clark and Dan Warbutton.
At Pitt, she’ll compete for coach Debbie Yohman, whose Panthers placed fifth in the NCAA Division I Northeast Regional Championships this past season.
“At first, Central Michigan was talking to me for a while,” Byich said. “The Pitt coach started talking to me. She watched me practice. She liked what she saw. She asked me to come for a visit.”
Byich placed fourth at states in Level 10 and was a top-10 contender at regionals. She was second at states and regionals in Level 8. She was a bar and vault champion in Level 8.
“I’m an all-around gymnast,” she said. “My favorite event is bars. My best event probably would be balance beam.”
Those four-hour round trips to Washington have taught Byich to prioritize her daily routine. She listens to music much of the time because reading in a moving vehicle usually makes her ill.
“I usually take my CD player and my iPod. That’s my life,” she said. “I get sick on the way if I’m doing my homework, so I usually have to do it when I get home. I don’t get much sleep. I manage my time well, I guess. I’m used to the drive now.”
Byich is the daughter of Susan and Mark Settle of Nicktown.
Mike Mastovich can be reached at 532-5083 or mmastovich@tribdem.com.
