Gigi Gernhart loves gymnastics.
She spends eight hours a week practicing and another three hours teaching preschoolers her sport. Her favorite event is the bars. And she’s proud to tell people the nickname her coaches gave her: bar monkey.
So it seems fitting that when Gigi makes her big debut in New York City, it will be doing something she loves.
A photo of the 29-year-old Vancouver woman, who has Down syndrome, will flash across the jumbo screen in Times Square next month as part of a national campaign to highlight children, teens and adults with Down syndrome. The goal of the annual project is to promote the value, acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome, according to the National Down Syndrome Society.
And Gigi is happy to be help spread that message.
“I feel honored to be representing the Down syndrome national society for the first time,” Gigi said.
Gigi’s mom, Sandy Gernhart, saw a Facebook post calling for photo entries for the video campaign and submitted a photo she took of Gigi on the bars during a USA Gymnastics Xcel meet earlier this year. The Xcel program is open to all ages for athletes who want to compete but don’t want to train daily.
“I just happened to catch a good one where her toes were pointed and her hips were off the bars,” Sandy Gernhart said. “She looked very much like an official gymnast.”
After submitting the photo, Sandy forgot about it. She was surprised to receive an email a few weeks later with “Congratulations” written in big, bold letters.
“I was pretty amazed and excited,” Sandy said. “You enter things all the time and never expect anything.”
This year’s video will feature nearly 500 photos — selected from more than 2,000 entries from around the world — and will be shown on Sept. 16. Following the video presentation is the organization’s New York City Buddy Walk, an event to raise money and awareness about Down syndrome.
The video and event kick off Down Syndrome Awareness Month in October.
“It’s kind of sad that we have to have a national Down syndrome month,” Sandy said. “It’s kind of sad that we have to put them up on the Jumbotron. But I know my kid works really hard for her skills.”
And this video is a celebration of her hard work and skills and those of other people with Down syndrome, she said.
“It’s just celebrating the ability and not the disability,” Sandy said.
The Gernharts considered making the trip to New York for the event, but ultimately decided against it because of other upcoming family commitments.
In addition to practicing and coaching gymnastics at Naydenov Gymnastics in Vancouver, Gigi loves playing with her cocker spaniel, Bentley. She likes music and dancing, and enjoys watching the Disney channel. Gigi also kayaks, rides bicycles, snowshoes and tests her skills on a climbing wall her dad made.
There’s more to Gigi than her disability, and Sandy hopes this campaign sends a message to the world to look at the person first, not the disability.
“Down syndrome is one of those disabilities where you can look at a person … and you make assumptions,” Sandy said. “Everyone, regardless of abilities or disabilities, has unique skills.”
