LYNNFIELD — Lynnfield’s Brian Solomon has been doing gymnastics about as long as he can remember, and plenty has changed over the near decade since he started.
But still the passion that was sparked the first time he walked into a gym hasn’t changed much.
“I probably realized this was something I wanted to do when I was really little,” Solomon said. “I had just started and I remember every time I learned a new skill it was just a lot of fun. I just wanted to keep learning new things.”
Solomon, now a sophomore at Lynnfield high school, has learned plenty and more in the gym. At age 15, Solomon is a nationally competitive level 10 gymnast, the highest level in the USA Gymnastics (USAG) Junior Olympics Program.
Solomon already boasts an impressive list of accomplishments, including finishing as a Massachusetts State medalist, Region 6 Champion and medalist and USAG National Championship qualifier.
Solomon competes in six events, floor, pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars and horizontal bar, which are scored individually and combined for an all-around score.
Competitions have taken Solomon and his family all over the country, including the Horton Invitational in Fort Worth, Texas, a few weeks ago where he finished eighth overall for his age group.
But right at the top of the list of competitions for Solomon was qualifying for and competing in his first national championship in 2019.
“You’re around all of the best guys in the country,” Solomon said. “Most of them have been there before and all of them are committed to colleges. You look up to them and want to be like them.”
Getting to that level takes plenty of commitment. Solomon trains at Gymstreet USA in Wilmington, and it’s almost like a second home. He trains there four to five hours a day for most of the week, and with all that time comes a strong connection with his teammates just like in any sport.
“All my years in the gyms I had a really good team around me and it was basically a family,” Solomon said. “Through the years there have been a lot of better guys than me so you really start to look up to them.
“Everyone is really close. We’re always hanging out together and then at practice we’re working hard together.”
The pandemic shook that up a little bit. Gyms were obviously closed down for a time last year resulting in home training during zoom calls. Even the 2020 National Championships were canceled by USAG. Now competitions return for Solomon but there’s still plenty to get used to.
“We’ve had a couple of little dual competitions with other local gyms,” Solomon said. “States and regionals will be virtual this year. And then nationals are in May.
“I haven’t done a virtual meet yet but I think it will basically be the same for us,” Solomon said “I’ve heard from other people that it’s just a little weird.”
Either way he will still be working hard to keep his impressive gymnastics career trending upward. He has aspirations to compete in college, even if the odds are stacked against men’s gymnastics itself.
“There’s a lot less college opportunity for the sport,” Solomon said. “A lot of schools are dropping their programs and there’s only about a dozen out there so it’s a lot harder to get on a team. The sport is not mainstream. But my goal is to make it on a college team and hopefully even more beyond that.”
Daniel Kane can be reached at [email protected].
