A small rainbow flag was lifted into the air, Syd Morris saluted and stared down the vault at the end of the runway. They ran, hurdled, did round off onto the board, went straight back onto the table, and finished with a layout with a full twist before landing on their feet. Cheering was coming from every direction, and Morris felt the adrenaline running through their veins. That was a moment they had been dreaming of for years, but the path to get there was not at all what they would have expected.
Morris always had the goal growing up of competing at the U.S. championships. They achieved that goal in 2017 when they qualified to the HOPES championship before competing at the U.S. championships as a junior in both 2018 and 2019. Looking back on that experience is something Morris remembers fondly, knowing that their hard work brought them to that moment. Going into 2020, Morris was looking forward to their first year on the elite stage as a senior. Unfortunately, a back injury derailed that possibility.
The injury took Morris out of the gym for six months. During that time, they were still going into the gym to condition, but they struggled to cope with the knowledge that they were not capable of doing what they wanted to be doing at the time.
“I knew that if I…
