Teens of L.A.: Getting far on high bars

Coming from a family with a breakdancing dad, a sporty mom, and brothers who forced him to do flips on a trampoline, 17-year-old Angel Haro is now above all on the high bars at gymnastics nationals.

While he’d actually never intended to be a gymnast, he has now been doing gymnastics for nearly half his life. When his parents first put him into gymnastics, he didn’t want to be involved because his brothers would tease him for it. But, as he continued with the sport, Haro realized that he “fell in love with it and [he] wanted to do it forever.”

Although Haro is relatively healthy, small injuries do add up and has made it hard for him to practice – “Sometimes I can’t do anything and I even want to quit,” shared Haro. But, he keeps his head up by reminding himself of his love for the sport.

So far, Haro has scored first, second, third, and fifth on the high bars, parallel bars, and all around at nationals. He has mastered handstands and gained in-depth knowledge.

“Luck is not always on [a gymnast’s] side when going for a skill,” Haro said, then further added that it is easier to perform a skill after understanding it. With so much to bond over, Haro has picked up many friends, which he considers to be one of the most rewarding aspects of the sport.

In addition to developing his gymnastic skills, Haro has also been able to make himself a better person. Gymnastics has made him more confident, prompted him to care about his future more, and has “taught [him] to have respect for others”.

With it being his greatest passion, Haro plans to take gymnastics to college and to the Olympics. And as of now, he is the president of Mark Keppel High School’s ASB and captain of his gymnastics team, ready to spring into his next opportunity.