Moorestown student Kyle Altundas is the proud recipient of first place in Level 5D2 all-around at the Region 6 Boys USA Gymnastics, a regional event that includes athletes from different states.
An Upper Elementary School student is setting the stage for greatness.
Kyle Altundas, a fourth-grader at the school, won first place in the Level 5D2 all-around at the Region 6 Boys USA Gymnastics competition at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck last month. Besides New Jersey, the competition includes athletes from Virginia, Delaware, Washington D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York and all the way up to Maine.
Kyle is the only child of Moorestown residents Bilgin and Michelle, who have been married for almost 19 years and have lived in New Jersey for five. They say Kyle – who was born in Boston – has always been athletic. Once he started walking, Michelle started taking him to gymnastics classes, but neither parent thought he would grow up to be a gymnast.
“Nobody in my family was a gymnast,” Bilgin said, “and I’m still learning about gymnastics.”
Kyle started training at Champions United Gymnastics Academy in Mount Laurel when he was just 5. He learned everything from tumbling to the high bar, beam to the rings, and has been competing professionally for two years. When he’s not practicing at the gym, Kyle can be found playing soccer for the township, putting puzzles together or jumping on his trampoline.
“He’s 60% gymnastics, 40% soccer, and he’s good at school,” Bilgin noted of his son. “He keeps his curiosity going … We don’t have to push him. He’s the one pushing us.”
Kyle trains at the gym on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays for three hours a day. His coaches are Mikhail Krivocheia and Nikita Temiakov. The former has been coaching Kyle since he started, but noticed his potential from the beginning.
“I hope he will keep going,” Krivocheia noted of his trainee. “Before, he was scared of certain things, but gymnastics is, obviously, a very challenging sport, because right from this age, they start working like professionals … But here, our biggest concern is working hard, because if (they) don’t work, (they) don’t try, (they) will never show the result in gymnastics.”
Last year, Kyle was also the New Jersey state champion in level 4D2. His back-to-back accomplishments mark a significant step in his quest to represent at the national level in the coming years.
“I have been proud of him from the moment that he was born, because he’s my son, he’s my baby,” related Michelle, who emphasized that it doesn’t matter what place Kyle comes in at any gymnastics competition. “With the failures, with the achievements … I love him. I’m proud of him.”
With every competition Kyle knows what it takes to win, so both Bilgin and Michelle do their best to keep him calm, whether with words of encouragement, singing or playing games. But they also see how Kyle supports his friends in competition.
“If they are doing better, he always supports them,” Michelle explained. “If they’re upset … they support each other. And that’s very important too,” Michelle said of Kyle’s friendships with peers.
“It’s our life and we are enjoying it,” Bilgin enthused.
“ … He loves it,” Michelle observed of her son. “I see college-level gymnastics from him … One thing that I will advise to parents is, just start early and always keep them active.”
