To the girls that know me best,

With each of you, I share different memories; from inside jokes, to arguments, to competitions, and sleepovers. One thing all of these have in common, is how special they are to me. Some of you I may have only trained with for a few months, where others for over four years but I value my friendship and relationship with every single one of you.

You were all such a huge part of my childhood and teenage years and I mean it when I say it that I would not be where I am today without the impact of each of you. Each of you taught me something special. I was able to see with my own eyes that hard work almost always beats out raw talent. I learned that in order to achieve maximum success, you must love what you're doing and pour your everything into it, otherwise, someone else will.

I want to say thank you. Thank you for becoming my second family, who I probably saw more often than my actual family! Thank you for being there for me, training with me, six days a week and four hours a day. For not judging me when my shorts were up my butt and my hair resembled some sort of bird’s nest upon my head. For being proud of me when I got a new skill and for being there for me when I was hard on myself. For loving me and supporting me at my best and even more so when I needed it at my worst. Thank you for pushing me to achieve my goals while you achieved your own. And most importantly, thank you for understanding when I left the competition side of the sport. I hope you each know how proud I am of not only the athlete you transformed into but the people you have become. I find you all extraordinary and most of all, inspirational.

With so much love,

~Gabi